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

Creation of a NAT creates a new resource, and corresponding URI, on the device. Prior to creation no such uri exists, so the creation operation must be carried out against a different "manager" resource.

In this example, the "nat_manager" is an attribute of the "ltm" object.

In general operations that are not cleanly supported by the resource itself are handled by the corresponding "manager" resource.

In specific, resource creation, and listing groups of resources are handled by "managers".

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')

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()

Other functions "managers" support

Individual NAT objects have no references to eachother, so operations on groups are implemented in the nat_manager.

list_of_nat_objects = bigip.ltm.nat_manager.get_nats()

Example Operations on a different LTM functionality, "pool"

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