Execute Export template from API

[itmicus]

Environment

• Python version: 3.7.3
• NetBox version: 2.6.6

Proposed Functionality

Execute Export templates from Netbox API

Use Case

Now, I can execute Export templates from UI, but I need get export template from API by my script.
Netbox using authentification for access to UI

Database Changes

None

External Dependencies

None.

[jeremystretch]

I don't think that returning rendered export templates via the REST API is feasible given that all API responses must be structured JSON, and export templates by nature produce arbitrary output. We could encapsulate their output within a JSON field, but that 1) introduces the risk that we won't be able to properly serialize rendered content, and 2) greatly reduces the utility of the feature.

It sounds like what you really need is just a mechanism for reliably authenticating to the current mechanism for rendering export templates, is that correct?

[sdktr]

Maybe these exports should be made async based on the RQ worker? API could then be used to schedule the export, publishing a link to a file that contains the output once ready.

[itmicus]

I don't think that returning rendered export templates via the REST API is feasible given that all API responses must be structured JSON, and export templates by nature produce arbitrary output. We could encapsulate their output within a JSON field, but that 1) introduces the risk that we won't be able to properly serialize rendered content, and 2) greatly reduces the utility of the feature.

sure, I think so, it is not good idea, responcing rendered tempalte in JSON field.

For example,
GET /api/export-template/{ID}/
Content-Type: {MIME type from export-template}

It sounds like what you really need is just a mechanism for reliably authenticating to the current mechanism for rendering export templates, is that correct?

It is correct, but I think using the API is more logical

[jeremystretch]

Maybe these exports should be made async based on the RQ worker? API could then be used to schedule the export, publishing a link to a file that contains the output once ready.

There is no need for that. Export templates are rendered on-demand, in the same manner as a list of objects fetched via the REST API. The only additional overhead is whatever rendering logic is imposed in a template.

[darcynz]

We've approached this feature request as we build our Automation Pipeline using Netbox as the source of truth for configuration.

Whilst we can get the data via API calls to the objects, using export templates would help present the data organised for models that we want to deploy. This would need to be via API to be be part of our CICD pipeline.

Could one option be to create an API first export template that would conform for serialization purposes?

[jeremystretch]

I've done some digging into this, and while I have gotten it to work, I'm concerned about the performance implications. Using a custom renderer, we can't use the response data directly because it's already been serialized, and an ExportTemplate expects to work with a raw queryset (or at least a list of instances). While we can access the original queryset from the view and perform the same filtering, this is done only after the serialized response is generated, so we incur the overhead of both serialization and template rendering for a single request.

Ideally, we want to be able to bypass model serialization entirely. I'm not sure that's feasible given that it's obviously a central component of the API framework. We may have to come up with an alternative approach.