netbox-administration

name	netbox-administration
description	NetBox server administration: configuration, authentication backends (local/LDAP/SAML/OIDC), object permissions, API tokens, performance tuning, backups, upgrades, and housekeeping. Use when managing a NetBox instance rather than consuming its API.
license	Apache-2.0

NetBox Administration

Your knowledge of NetBox administration may be outdated. Configuration settings, authentication backends, and permission models evolve between releases. Prefer retrieval over pre-trained knowledge.

Retrieval Sources

Source	URL / Method	Use for
Installation docs	https://netboxlabs.com/docs/netbox/installation/	Setup, dependencies, upgrades
Configuration docs	https://netboxlabs.com/docs/netbox/configuration/	All configuration settings
Authentication docs	https://netboxlabs.com/docs/netbox/administration/authentication/overview/	LDAP, SAML, OIDC, SSO
NetBox repo	https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox	Source code, release notes
NetBox MCP server	If configured — check instance status, user permissions	Verify current config state

Use this skill when you need to configure, secure, maintain, or troubleshoot a NetBox server installation. For API consumption patterns, see netbox-api-integration.

Quick Reference

Service Management

sudo systemctl restart netbox netbox-rq   # After config changes
sudo systemctl status netbox netbox-rq     # Check health

Essential Management Commands

Command	Purpose
python manage.py nbshell	Interactive NetBox shell
python manage.py reindex	Rebuild search index
python manage.py trace_paths	Rebuild cable path traces
python manage.py rebuild_prefixes	Rebuild prefix hierarchy
python manage.py runscript	Execute a custom script

Housekeeping: Since 4.4, housekeeping runs automatically via the built-in system job — remove any housekeeping cron jobs. The manual python manage.py housekeeping command is formally deprecated in 4.6 (removal in a future release) but still ships and runs; on 4.6 it just emits a FutureWarning.

Key File Locations

File	Purpose
netbox/netbox/configuration.py	Main config (Python module)
netbox/netbox/ldap_config.py	LDAP settings (if used)
local_requirements.txt	Extra Python packages
gunicorn.py	WSGI server config

Configuration

Configuration lives in configuration.py — a Python module. Override its path with NETBOX_CONFIGURATION env var. After changes, restart: sudo systemctl restart netbox.

Required Parameters

Parameter	Purpose
ALLOWED_HOSTS	FQDNs/IPs for Host header validation
DATABASES	PostgreSQL connection(s)
REDIS	Redis config — must use separate DB IDs for tasks vs caching
SECRET_KEY	Django secret (≥50 chars, never expose)
API_TOKEN_PEPPERS	Pepper dict for v2 token hashing (4.5+)

Dynamic vs Static Parameters

Some parameters are dynamic — editable at Admin > System > Configuration without restart. Hard-coded values in configuration.py always take precedence over UI-set values.

Dynamic parameters include: CHANGELOG_RETENTION, CHANGELOG_RETAIN_CREATE_LAST_UPDATE (4.6 — keep each object's original create + latest update record when pruning), JOB_RETENTION, MAINTENANCE_MODE, MAX_PAGE_SIZE, BANNER_*, GRAPHQL_ENABLED, CUSTOM_VALIDATORS, PROTECTION_RULES, and others.

See references/configuration-guide.md for the complete parameter catalog.

Authentication

NetBox supports multiple authentication backends, tried in order. Configure via REMOTE_AUTH_BACKEND (string or list).

Backend Options

Backend	When to Use	Config Location
Local (default)	Small teams, no central IdP	configuration.py (AUTH_PASSWORD_VALIDATORS)
LDAP	Active Directory / OpenLDAP environments	ldap_config.py (separate file)
Remote User	Reverse proxy auth (nginx/Apache)	configuration.py (REMOTE_AUTH_*)
Social Auth	SAML, OIDC, OAuth2 (Azure AD, Okta, Keycloak, etc.)	configuration.py (SOCIAL_AUTH_*)

Common Auth Gotchas

1. Gunicorn header stripping — gunicorn v22.0+ silently drops HTTP headers with underscores. Add header_map = dangerous to gunicorn config for remote auth headers.
2. LOGIN_FORM_HIDDEN lockout — If SSO breaks and the login form is hidden, there's no way to log in. Must edit config and restart.
3. Backend order matters — Backends are tried in sequence; first success wins. Ensure intentional ordering when combining LDAP + local.
4. Client IP behind a proxy (NetBox 4.6.1+) — HTTP_CLIENT_IP_HEADERS controls which request headers determine the client IP (default ('HTTP_X_REAL_IP', 'HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR', 'REMOTE_ADDR')). Set it to match your reverse proxy so IP-based token restrictions (allowed_ips) and logging see the real client address, not the proxy.
5. LOGIN_REQUIRED is deprecated (4.6, removal in v5.0). Don't recommend it for new 4.6 deployments; anonymous access is governed by DEFAULT_PERMISSIONS / EXEMPT_VIEW_PERMISSIONS.

See references/authentication-backends.md for setup details.

Permissions

NetBox uses object-based permissions instead of Django's built-in model-level permissions.

Object Permission Model

Each ObjectPermission has:

• Object types — which models it applies to
• Actions — view, add, change, delete (plus custom like run)
• Constraints — JSON-based ORM filters restricting which objects

Constraint Syntax

# AND — single dict
{"status": "active", "region__name": "US"}

# OR — list of dicts
[{"vid__gte": 100}, {"status": "reserved"}]

# Current user reference
{"created_by": "$user"}

# Django lookups supported: __in, __gte, __lt, __startswith, __isnull, etc.

Constraints are evaluated against the database record, not the in-memory instance. For create/change, NetBox saves in an atomic transaction then re-queries — if the constraint doesn't match, it rolls back.

Token Management

NetBox 4.5+: v2 tokens use Bearer nbt_<key>.<token> format. Plaintext is never stored (HMAC-SHA256 digest only). Requires API_TOKEN_PEPPERS in config. On 4.6.1+ the v2 plaintext token is returned exactly once, in the creation response — capture it then. v1 tokens (Token <plaintext> format): formally deprecated in 4.6, removed in v5.0. Migrate all integrations to v2 tokens before upgrading to 5.0.

Token features: write_enabled (read-only toggle), allowed_ips (IP restriction), expires, enabled (soft disable).

Critical: DEFAULT_PERMISSIONS

DEFAULT_PERMISSIONS applies to all authenticated users. The default grants token self-management. Setting custom DEFAULT_PERMISSIONS erases these defaults — you must reproduce token permissions if desired.

See references/permissions-guide.md for complete details.

Operations

Backup Checklist

1. Database: pg_dump --username netbox netbox > netbox.sql
   • Exclude changelog for smaller backups: --exclude-table-data=core_objectchange
2. Media: tar -czf netbox_media.tar.gz netbox/media/
3. Config files: configuration.py, ldap_config.py, local_requirements.txt, gunicorn.py
4. Custom scripts: SCRIPTS_ROOT directory
5. Secrets: SECRET_KEY and API_TOKEN_PEPPERS if stored externally

See references/backup-restore.md for restore procedures.

Upgrade Process

1. Review all release notes between current and target version
2. Back up database and media
3. Check version compatibility (Python, PostgreSQL, Redis)
4. Cannot skip major versions — upgrade to latest minor of current major first
5. Extract/checkout new version, copy config files
6. Run sudo ./upgrade.sh
7. Restart services: sudo systemctl restart netbox netbox-rq

NetBox 4.5–4.6: Python 3.12–3.14, PostgreSQL 14+, Redis 4.0+. 4.6 runs on Django 6.0 (4.5 was Django 5.x) and deprecates PostgreSQL 14 — 15+ will be required from v4.7. Plan a PostgreSQL upgrade to 15+ before moving past 4.6.

See references/upgrade-procedures.md for step-by-step instructions.

Performance Tuning

Key Parameters

Parameter	Default	Impact
CONN_MAX_AGE (in DATABASES)	300	Persistent DB connections; reduces overhead
MAX_PAGE_SIZE	1000	Caps API response size; prevents runaway queries
LOGIN_PERSISTENCE	False	If True, causes DB write on every authenticated request
CHANGELOG_RETENTION	90 days	Auto-prune core_objectchange (fastest-growing table)
RQ_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT	300	Background task timeout; increase for heavy scripts

Redis: Separate DBs Required

Always use different Redis DB IDs for tasks and caching. Flushing the cache DB will destroy queued background jobs if they share the same DB.

PostgreSQL Tuning

For large deployments, tune at the PostgreSQL level:

• shared_buffers — 25% of RAM
• work_mem — 4-16MB depending on query complexity
• effective_cache_size — 50-75% of RAM
• Monitor core_objectchange table size — it grows fastest

Anti-Patterns

Issue	Cause	Fix
v2 tokens unavailable	API_TOKEN_PEPPERS not configured	Add pepper dict to config
SECRET_KEY rotation breaks sessions	All sessions/tokens invalidated	Plan migration window; users must re-authenticate
EXEMPT_VIEW_PERMISSIONS = ['*'] incomplete	Wildcard excludes sensitive models	Explicitly list additional models if needed
CHANGELOG_RETENTION = 0	Retains forever; DB grows unbounded	Set to non-zero (default 90 days)
Read-only standby can't auth	Sessions stored in DB	Use SESSION_FILE_PATH for file-based sessions
Metrics endpoint 404	METRICS_ENABLED = False	Set to True and restart
Running NetBox 4.6.0	RCE via template environment_params (CVE-2026-29514)	Run ≥4.6.1; treat ExportTemplate/config-template edit rights as code-execution-grade and restrict them