API Examples

This page will document how to use the BigIP API:

Simple example of CRUD calls

Each of the following example builds on the previous. We use an "LTM" "NAT" object for these examples.

CREATE

from f5.bigip import BigIP
bigip = BigIP("HOSTNAME", "USERNAME", "PASSWORD")
nat_obj_1 = bigip.ltm.nat_manager.create_nat(partition='TestPartition', name='Nat1', translationAddress='1.2.3.4', originatingAddress='1.2.3.5')

Notice: The Creation of an object is not called on the object itself, rather it is called on the relevant BigIP application plugin, in this case "ltm". The other CRUD operations (Read, Update, and Delete) are called on the NAT object itself.

READ

nat_obj_1.read()

UPDATE

updated_version_nat_obj_1 = nat_obj_1.update({KEY_TO_UPDATE1: NEW_VALUE1, KEY_TO_UPDATE2:NEW_VALUE2, ...})

DELETE

nat_obj_1.delete()

A second function BigIP application plugins support

list_of_nat_objects = bigip.ltm.nat_manager.get_nats()

Example Operations on a different LTM component

pool_obj = bigip.ltm.pool_manager.create_pool(${CONSTRUCTOR_REQUIRED_ARGS})
pool_objs_list = bigip.ltm.pool_manager.get_pools()

print pool_obj.name;          # Print an attribute that we set
print nat_obj.trafficGroup;   # Print an attribute that BIGIP set by default

READ

# Refresh the nat object with the current settings on the BIGIP
nat_obj.read()

# We can also get a filtered list of the nats on the device
list_of_nat_objs_in_SpecificPartition = bigip.ltm.nat_manager.get_nats(partition='SpecificPartition')
for n in list_of_nat_objs_in_SpecificPartition:
    print n.name

UPDATE

# Set an attribute and update it
nat_obj.trafficGroup = "Common/newgroup"
nat_obj.update()

# Update using key/value pairs
nat_obj.update(trafficGroup='Common/anothernewgroup')

# Update attribute and override with update (key/value pairs always override current settings)
nat_obj.arp = 'Enabled'
nat_obj.update(arp='Disabled')

DELETE

nat_obj.delete()

# This should raise an exception
print nat_obj.name