# Network Automation Platforms: Nautobot, Itential, Cisco NSO, and Juniper Apstra

DevFeed: [Network Automation Platforms: Nautobot, Itential, Cisco NSO, and Juniper Apstra](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/best-network-automation-platforms-2026-30885.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.rogerperkin.co.uk/network-automation/best-network-automation-platforms/>)

Author: Roger Perkin

Published: 2026-07-23T12:26:21Z

Content type: comparison

Language: en

Sources: [Roger Perkin Network Automation Consultant](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/roger-perkin-network-automation-consultant.md>)

Topics: [Automation](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/automation.md>), [Network](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/network.md>), [Software](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/software.md>), [configuration](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/configuration.md>), [Open Source](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/open-source.md>), [Orchestration](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/orchestration.md>), [Provisioning](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/provisioning.md>)

Tags: [2026](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/2026.md>), [configuration](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/configuration.md>), [nautobot](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/nautobot.md>), [network](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/network.md>), [network-automation](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/network-automation.md>), [open-source](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/open-source.md>), [orchestration](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/orchestration.md>), [platforms](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/platforms.md>), [provisioning](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/provisioning.md>)

## AI overview

This comparison describes network automation platforms for configuring, deploying, and managing network infrastructure. It presents Nautobot as an open-source source-of-truth and automation platform, followed by commercial offerings including Itential, Cisco NSO, and Juniper Apstra.

## Source excerpt

Network Automation Platforms are software systems that automate and orchestrate the configuration, deployment, and management of network infrastructure. Unlike network automation tools which are software applications that automate specific tasks. Free Network Automation Platforms 1. Nautobot Nautobot is an open-source Network Source of Truth (NSoT) and Automation Platform. It provides a flexible data model to ...