TEST A FAILURE
Change a link. Watch the response.
Introduce directional frame loss or use supported carrier controls. Inspect the consoles as the network reacts, then restore the link.
Link controls and supported profiles ↗OPEN SOURCE / SELF-HOSTED / NETWORK ENGINEERING
Your network.
Your workbench.
Wire the topology. Work the console.
Understand what happens between them.
Run real networking software and virtual network operating systems on your own Linux host. Build topologies, access live consoles, and automate your lab with AI.
v0.12.0 SSH access, pop-out windows and PDF exercises Runs locally · Opens in your browser
Inspect full size ↗
01 / THE WORKSPACE
Keep the network in view.
The map explains the connections. The consoles show what the devices are doing. Arrange both around the task at hand.
Inspect full size ↗- A layout for the job
- Keep the topology full height beside consoles, instructions and Agent. Switch layouts without closing your consoles or drafts.
- Shared console, coordinated input
- Multiple stations see the same output. Input locks keep operators from typing over each other.
- The exercise at your elbow
- Open Markdown or text beside the CLI. An admin can publish instructions to every station.
WORKSPACE APPEARANCE / NEW IN v0.11.0
Light or dark. The same lab.
Choose Dark, Light or System in Layout → Theme. Set Console theme independently for terminal colors; toolbars and tabs follow the workspace. Your browser remembers the choices, and switching preserves console connections and scrollback.
View full size ↗
View full size ↗
View full size ↗- Connect the lab
- An optional IPv4 gateway provides NAT, DNS, live outbound firewall rules and TCP/UDP port forwarding. Pull or build the gateway helper on your Docker host.
- Show what sits outside it
- Use a Network cloud to draw an unmanaged network. Its dashed connections carry no traffic.
- Group a site or routing domain
- Add a rectangle with a title and notes. Move enclosed devices together, or keep it as a standalone annotation.
KEEP THE EXPERIMENT
Save the state you need.
Share topology JSON or export supported saved device storage as a ZIP after stopping the lab. Keep exercise files separately; images and licenses stay with you.
Choose an export format ↗At another desk? See the tablet and phone workspaces.
Console key shortcuts and movable panes also work on smaller screens. These captures show the restricted hosted preview.
View full size ↗
View full size ↗
Screenshots of the shared live preview, which has restricted controls.
Try it in your browser ↗02 / OPTIONAL AGENT
An assistant at the console.
You set the permissions.
Build a practice lab or configure an existing one with Ollama or OpenAI. The Agent issues the console commands; devices produce the output. In these recordings, the user navigates the workspace and grants permissions without manually typing console commands.
Build a practice lab
FRR routers, an LL2S switch triangle and Linux PCs. Two OSPF/RSTP tasks are intentionally left for the student. Session YOLO is enabled.
Configure and verify
Attach an exercise, review console access, then inspect switch configuration and the Agent’s explanation. The approval dialog offers optional session YOLO.
The Agent is an optional companion for your self-hosted workspace; it is not enabled in the restricted hosted preview. Individual approvals are the default. Agent output needs verification.
Bring your provider. Use an allowlisted Ollama endpoint or sign in to OpenAI. OpenAI requests consume your account’s existing allowance; Weblab supplies no additional quota. Check setup and plan requirements ↗
Track allowance, tokens and turn duration.
Keep the topology full height beside Agent and consoles. The activity line shows remaining OpenAI account allowance and elapsed time; open its details for provider-reported tokens and reset times. Local-model tokens appear when the provider supplies them.
See the workspace and usage details
03 / SHARED ACCESS
One lab. Defined responsibilities.
Enable optional authentication for a trusted group. Publish the exercise once, coordinate console ownership, and let each role do its work.
| Account / role | Access to the shared lab |
|---|---|
adminAdministrator | Prepare topologies, publish instructions, manage the lab, review activity and use the optional Agent. |
userWriter | Type in consoles, start or stop nodes and operate link faults. Topology structure and instructions stay under admin control. |
guestReader | Observe the topology and shared console output. No console input or lab operations. |
Authentication is off by default. These are shared accounts in a shared lab, with common console output. They do not provide isolated user environments.
In development: individual users and teaching controls
AAA is an initial implementation. Named users, a live admin panel, per-user node and instruction assignments, and delegated writer Agent access are planned. They remain planned; no delivery date is set.
Discuss a teaching or team-lab use case ↗04 / LAB RECORDINGS
From setup to a working network.
See Weblab.Network go from installation to a running multi-vendor lab, with floating consoles and a link-failure exercise, in under two minutes.
The video shows the full workspace. The hosted preview is shared and has restricted controls.
Read the video overview
- Install with Docker. Clone the repository, start Weblab.Network and open the workspace in your browser. Follow the installation guide for the full requirements and commands.
- Upload device images. Add an image through the browser and see it become available for a lab.
- Build a topology. Add devices, choose their interfaces, connect nodes and remove a link.
- Arrange the workspace. Float device consoles and arrange them beside the topology.
- Inspect the network. View Junos, FRR, EXOS and Linux consoles together, including routing, switching and connectivity output.
- Inject a link fault. Change a running link's behavior and observe traffic from the PC consoles.
- Export a lab. Choose topology JSON or a saved-state ZIP. Vendor base images are supplied separately.
Full installation and lab walkthrough · 9:08
Watch the original recording at its original pace: Docker setup, image upload, topology editing, live consoles, link faults and lab export.
05 / INSTALLATION
Put a lab on your host.
Start with containers for routing and switching, or bring supported vendor images. Weblab runs the devices on your machine and the workspace in your browser.
HOST REQUIREMENTS
- Platform
- x86-64 Linux host or VM
- Runtime
- Rootful Docker + Compose
- Virtual devices
- KVM for QEMU profiles; vJunos-switch requires bare-metal Intel
- Optional
- Agent companion · authentication
- 01
Install the workspace
Follow the guide for host permissions, persistent storage and remote access. The Agent is a separate Compose option.
- 02
Choose your devices
Use Weblab FRR routers with LLDP, read-only SNMP, VLAN routing and IPv4 VRRP alongside LL2S switches and Alpine PCs, without KVM. Supported vendor images and licenses are user-supplied.
Device profiles ↗ - 03
Run an exercise
Build a topology or import an example. Check device state from the consoles, and save configurations before stopping.
Start with FRR OSPF ↗
SUPPORTED FAMILIES
Cisco IOL / IOSv · Arista vEOS · Virtual EXOS · Juniper vJunos · FRRouting · LL2S · Alpine
SOURCE / MIT LICENSE
git clone https://github.com/weblab-network/weblab.gitFor your host or a trusted group. Review the installation guide before allowing remote access. Vendor images and required licenses are user-supplied, except for the separately documented optional EXOS sample distribution.
WEBLAB / OPEN DEVELOPMENT
Built for the work
between diagrams and devices.
Try the workspace, bring a real lab problem,
or contribute a fix.