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Extending The Device Types Library

cani loads device types from three sources, in priority order:

  1. Built-in — embedded types shipped with the binary.
  2. Local directories — YAML files on disk (types_dirs).
  3. Remote git repos — cloned repositories (types_repos).

Types registered first win. If a slug already exists from a higher-priority source, the duplicate is skipped.

Configuration

All type sources are configured in ~/.cani/cani.yml:

# Local directories containing device type YAML files.
# Each directory should have subdirectories like device-types/, rack-types/, etc.
types_dirs: []

# Git repositories to clone for additional device types.
# The default is the netbox-community device-type library.
types_repos:
  - https://github.com/netbox-community/devicetype-library.git

# Whether to git pull on each run (false = clone once, never update).
types_repo_pull: false

Adding A Local Directory

Create a directory with the standard layout and add it to types_dirs:

my-types/
├── device-types/
│   └── my-custom-blade.yaml
├── rack-types/
│   └── my-custom-rack.yaml
├── module-types/
│   └── my-custom-gpu.yaml
└── cable-types/
    └── my-custom-cable.yaml

types_dirs:
  - /home/user/my-types

Types from local directories take priority over remote repos, so you can override community types with local definitions.

Adding A Git Repository

Add a repository URL to types_repos:

types_repos:
  - https://github.com/netbox-community/devicetype-library.git
  - https://github.com/my-org/custom-device-types.git

Repos are cloned into ~/.cani/types/<sanitized-repo-name>/ on first use. Set types_repo_pull: true to pull updates on each run.

Listing Loaded Types

After configuring sources, use the -L flag to verify which types are available:

# List all loaded device types
cani alpha add device -L

# List all loaded rack types
cani alpha add rack -L

# List all loaded module types
cani alpha add module -L

# List all loaded cable types
cani alpha add cable -L

The output includes slugs from all sources (built-in, local, and remote):

rack (2):
NAME                                 SLUG                                           PART NUMBER       SOURCE
-----------------------------------  ---------------------------------------------  ----------------  ----------
HPE 42U 800mmx1200mm G2 Enterprise…  hpe-42u-800mmx1200mm-g2-enterprise-shock-rack  P9K46A            builtin
HPE 48U 800mmx1200mm G2 Enterprise…  hpe-48u-800mmx1200mm-g2-enterprise-shock-rack  P9K58A            builtin

Cabinet (7):
NAME                                 SLUG                                           PART NUMBER       SOURCE
-----------------------------------  ---------------------------------------------  ----------------  ----------
EX2000                               hpe-eia-cabinet                                                  builtin
EX2000                               hpe-ex2000                                                       builtin
EX2500 1 Liquid Cooled Chassis       hpe-ex2500-1-liquid-cooled-chassis                               builtin
EX2500 2 Liquid Cooled Chassis       hpe-ex2500-2-liquid-cooled-chassis                               builtin
EX2500 3 Liquid Cooled Chassis       hpe-ex2500-3-liquid-cooled-chassis                               builtin
EX3000                               hpe-ex3000                                                       builtin
EX4000                               hpe-ex4000                                                       builtin

Use a slug from this list with any add command:

cani alpha add rack hpe-48u-800mmx1200mm-g2-enterprise-shock-rack --auto --accept

Priority Order Example

If the slug my-blade exists in both a local directory and a git repo:

  1. Built-in types load first — no match.
  2. Local types_dirs loads my-blade — registered.
  3. Git types_repos finds my-blade — skipped (already registered).

This lets you fork and customize community types without modifying the upstream repository.

Subdirectory Layout

Each source directory is scanned for these subdirectories:

Subdirectory Type Loaded
device-types/ CaniDeviceType
module-types/ CaniModuleType
cable-types/ CaniCableType
rack-types/ CaniRackType
inventory-types/ CaniFruType

Any .yaml or .yml file in these subdirectories is parsed and registered by slug.