Workflows

Workflows¶

AVD CLI supports multiple workflows for different use cases.

Production Workflows¶

eos-design¶

Full AVD pipeline with topology design and validation for production deployments.

Use when: - Deploying new network fabric - Managing full leaf-spine architecture - Need automatic BGP, EVPN, MLAG configuration

Typical flow:

# 1. Validate inventory
avd-cli validate -i ./inventory

# 2. Generate all artifacts
avd-cli generate all -i ./inventory -o ./output

# 3. Deploy (with dry-run first)
avd-cli deploy eos -i ./inventory --dry-run --diff
avd-cli deploy eos -i ./inventory

cli-config¶

Direct configuration generation from existing structured configs without topology design.

Use when: - Managing configurations outside AVD design patterns - Converting existing configs to structured format - Need direct control over configuration templates

Testing & Simulation Workflows¶

Containerlab Testing¶

Generate Containerlab topologies from AVD inventory for pre-deployment testing and CI/CD validation.

Use when: - Testing configurations before production deployment - Running automated CI/CD validation - Developing and debugging network designs - Training and demonstrations

Typical flow:

# 1. Generate configurations
avd-cli generate configs -i ./inventory -o ./output

# 2. Generate Containerlab topology
avd-cli generate topology containerlab \
  -i ./inventory \
  -o ./output

# 3. Deploy with Containerlab
cd ./output/containerlab
sudo containerlab deploy -t containerlab-topology.yml

# 4. Validate with ANTA
avd-cli generate tests -i ./inventory -o ./output
anta nrfu --catalog ./output/tests/spine1_tests.yaml

# 5. Cleanup
sudo containerlab destroy -t containerlab-topology.yml

Benefits: - Pre-deployment validation: Test configurations before touching production - CI/CD integration: Automated testing in pipelines - Safe experimentation: Test changes without risk - Reproducible environments: Consistent test topologies

See generate topology containerlab for detailed options.

Workflow Selection Guide¶

Scenario	Recommended Workflow	Commands
New fabric deployment	eos-design	`validate` → `generate all` → `deploy eos`
Configuration updates	eos-design	`generate configs` → `deploy eos --diff`
Pre-deployment testing	eos-design + Containerlab	`generate configs` → `generate topology containerlab`
CI/CD validation	eos-design + Containerlab	`validate` → `generate all` → `generate topology containerlab`
Custom configs	cli-config	`generate configs --workflow cli-config`