As part of Swisscom's cloud-native transformation, we developed the open-source NetBox Operator to bridge the gap between network management and Kubernetes. Leveraging the Kubernetes API, the NetBox operator enables users to adopt GitOps practices for IP address management.

The operator uses the same "claim" model found in Kubernetes – e.g. in the PersistentVolume Controller – to differentiate desired and observed states. The user only defines a high-level intent which the operator will process to reserve a resource, like IPs, in NetBox.

In this talk, we’ll demonstrate how the NetBox Operator simplifies the automation of MetalLB IP Address Pools, enabling zero-touch configuration for ingress networking in your Kubernetes clusters. We’ll also highlight advanced features like sticky IP assignments for power users. By simplifying resource management, the operator lets engineers focus on higher-level tasks, enhancing scalability and agility across infrastructures, including the 5G core.