What is BIGREST?

F5 BIG-IP and BIG-IQ devices have an API called iControl REST.

BIGREST is an SDK with multiple methods and functions that simplifies the use of the iControl REST API.

BIGIP Next and BIGIP Next Central Manager are not supported by BIGREST.

What is useful for?

If you want to automate tasks on a BIG-IP or BIG-IQ devices, one of the options is to use the iControl REST API.

If you interact with the API directly, you will have to know how the API works, including headers, tokens, etc...

Probably, you will end up scripting those tasks using a programming language, and creating some functions you normally use.

BIGREST removes that work, as it includes those functions that you normally use.

It creates a kind of abstraction layer on to of the API.

Why create another SDK?

This was one of the first questions I got when BIGREST was released.

In case you don't know, there was already an SDK (https://github.com/F5Networks/f5-common-python) before BIGREST was created.

I have used the other SDK, and I did initially wanted to support and expand it.

However, the approach that was taken in that SDK to defined every HTTP path as Python modules made it difficult to expand and support it.

For example, it just supports very few BIG-IQ functionalities.

On the other hand, BIGREST tries to be more generic as possible, and the user has to indicate the HTTP path they want to use.

This means any new HTTP path included on the next version will be automatically available on BIGREST.

Also, with this generic approach, it fully supports both BIG-IP and BIG-IQ.

BIGREST functionalities

• Supports partition
• Supports route domain
• Support HTTP basic authentication
• Support token
• Support refresh token
• Implements all HTTP methods used in the iControl REST API
• Implements HTTP path /stats
• Implements HTTP path /example
• Implements command
• Implements task
• Implements transaction

Documentation

https://bigrest.readthedocs.io/

Source code

https://github.com/leonardobdes/BIGREST

Author

Name:

Leonardo Souza

LinkedIn:

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/leonardobdes

Contributor

Name:

Jason Rahm

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jrahm

How to install?

Requires Python version 3.7 or above.

Requires requests package, install using Python pip:

pip install requests

Install BIGREST using Python pip:

pip install bigrest

How to use it?

In the following example:

192.168.1.245	IP or name of the F5 device.
admin	Username to be used to connect to the device.
password	Password to be used to connect to the device.

First, import the SDK:

from bigrest.bigip import BIGIP

Next, create a device object:

device = BIGIP("192.168.1.245", "admin", "password")

Lastily, load all virtual servers and print their names:

virtuals = device.load("/mgmt/tm/ltm/virtual")
for virtual in virtuals:
    print(virtual.properties["name"])

This is just a simple example to give you a first view about the SDK.

Detailed information about how to use the SDK will be provided in the next sections of this documentation.

How to get help?

If you have problems using this SDK, or to understand how the F5 iControl REST API works, use DevCentral website to get help.

How to report bugs?

Use GitHub issues to report bugs.

For any bug, please provide the following information.

BIGREST version:

Run the following command to find the version you are using.

pip show bigrest

F5 device type:

BIG-IP or BIG-IQ

F5 device version:

Run the following command to find the version you are using.

tmsh show sys version

Python code to replicate the bug.

Output generated when the bug is triggered.

How to request new functionalities?

Use GitHub issues to request new functionalities.

Use the following format in the title RFE - Title.