NetBox Branching: Seamless Upgrades with Open Branches
Since we introduced NetBox Branching into general availability, the community response has been remarkable. Network teams worldwide are leveraging NetBox Branching to collaborate more effectively, reduce conflicts, and maintain data integrity during complex network changes.
We’re excited to share a significant enhancement in NetBox Branching v0.6.0 that addresses one of the most requested features: seamless NetBox upgrades with open branches. This update represents a major milestone in making NetBox Branching truly production-ready for organizations that require continuous operation and enables smooth upgrades to NetBox 4.3 without disrupting active workflows.
NetBox Branching: A Brief Refresher
NetBox Branching brings git-like version control concepts to your network infrastructure data model. Just as software developers use branches to work on features independently before merging them into the main codebase, NetBox Branching allows network teams to create isolated copies of their NetBox data where they can plan, test, and stage changes without affecting the live environment.
This capability transforms how teams collaborate on network changes. Instead of stepping on each other’s work or creating workarounds like “fake racks” to represent future states, teams can create dedicated branches for equipment refreshes, platform upgrades, or complex topology changes. Each branch maintains complete isolation until changes are ready to be merged back into the production NetBox instance, enabling safer planning and more effective collaboration.
Database Migration Support for Open Branches
Until now, NetBox upgrades required teams to merge or delete open branches before upgrading NetBox, as database migrations were only applied to the main schema. NetBox Branching now supports database migrations with open branches, automatically applying NetBox schema changes to all active branch schemas. This enhancement means:
- No more forced branch merging before NetBox upgrades
- Seamless schema consistency across main and branch databases
- Reduced coordination overhead for distributed teams
Upgrade Path
For existing NetBox v4.1 and v4.2 users, you must upgrade through NetBox Branching v0.5.6 (or v0.5.7) before upgrading to NetBox v4.3 and moving to v0.6.0. This intermediate step ensures your existing branches are prepared for the new migration handling capability.
For NetBox v4.3 users installing NetBox Branching for the first time, migration support is automatically included with v0.6.0 – no special upgrade steps required.
Other Recent Enhancements
Improved Schema Management
NetBox Branching now includes better support for custom database schemas, addressing deployment scenarios where NetBox objects aren’t deployed to the default ‘public’ schema. This improvement is particularly valuable for organizations using managed databases with strict schema requirements.
Enhanced Plugin Compatibility
The latest release includes several fixes that improve compatibility with other NetBox plugins, ensuring that the broader NetBox ecosystem works seamlessly with branching functionality.
Getting Started with NetBox Branching
If you haven’t tried NetBox Branching yet, now is the perfect time to start. The plugin is available for all editions of NetBox, including the open source community edition.
For NetBox Community Edition users: You can install NetBox Branching directly from PyPI and start using it immediately after upgrading to NetBox 4.1+. See instructions here.
For NetBox Cloud and Enterprise users: NetBox Branching is automatically included in your instances running NetBox 4.1+. See documentation here.
Looking Ahead
NetBox Branching v0.6.0 represents a major milestone in the evolution of collaborative network management. By removing the upgrade barrier, we’re enabling teams to fully embrace continuous development workflows while maintaining the reliability and consistency that NetBox provides.
For organizations requiring additional governance and compliance capabilities, NetBox Change Management builds on top of NetBox Branching to provide pull request-style workflows, review processes, and approval mechanisms. Available in NetBox Cloud and NetBox Enterprise, Change Management adds an extra layer of collaboration and oversight to ensure critical infrastructure changes respect your organizational review and approval processes.
The combination of git-like branching capabilities and seamless upgrade support makes NetBox Branching an essential tool for modern network operations. Whether you’re managing a small team or orchestrating changes across a global infrastructure, NetBox Branching provides the collaboration and safety features you need to work confidently and efficiently.
Ready to experience the enhanced NetBox Branching capabilities? Follow the upgrade path above or simply get started with NetBox Branching, and join the growing community of network professionals who are transforming how they manage infrastructure changes.
