# How netlab 26.01 Reduced Ansible Use for Container Configuration

DevFeed: [How netlab 26.01 Reduced Ansible Use for Container Configuration](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/how-moving-away-from-ansible-made-netlab-faster-11314.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://blog.ipspace.net/2026/01/netlab-faster-without-ansible/>)

Published: 2026-01-19T06:36:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [ipSpace.net blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/ipspace-net-blog.md>)

Topics: [Ansible](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ansible.md>), [Bash](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/bash.md>), [Docker](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/docker.md>), [Containers](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/containers.md>), [releases](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/releases.md>)

Tags: [ansible](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ansible.md>), [bash](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/bash.md>), [container](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/container.md>), [containers](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/containers.md>), [docker](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/docker.md>), [linux](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/linux.md>), [netlab](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/netlab.md>), [releases](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/releases.md>)

## AI overview

The article explains how netlab 26.01 moved device configuration file generation into netlab and runs Bash scripts directly for Linux, Bird, and dnsmasq containers, reducing the role of Ansible in the initialization process. It compares startup behavior with an earlier release using Ansible and notes that the measured times are not statistically significant.

## Source excerpt

TL&DR: Of course, the title is clickbait. While the differences are amazing, you won't notice them in small topologies or when using bloatware that takes minutes to boot. Let's start with the background story: due to the (now fixed) suboptimal behavior of bleeding-edge Ansible releases, I decided to generate the device configuration files within netlab (previously, netlab prepared the device data, and the configuration files were rendered in an Ansible playbook). As we use bash scripts to configure Linux containers, it makes little sense (once the bash scripts are created) to use an Ansible playbook to execute docker exec script or ip netns container exec script. netlab release 26.01 runs the bash scripts to configure Linux, Bird, and dnsmasq containers directly within the netlab initial process. Now for the juicy part. Read more ...