Design Production Network Topologies in Your Browser
You know that feeling when you need to sketch out a network topology, and you either reach for a whiteboard (that someone erased before your meeting) or fire up a heavyweight tool like Visio? Neither is great for quick collaboration or version control.
That's where NetViz comes in. It lets you design production-ready network topologies directly in your browser, without installing anything. Think of it as a lightweight, developer-friendly alternative to diagramming tools that actually understands network concepts.
What It Does
NetViz is an open-source web app that lets you create, edit, and share network topology diagrams. You define nodes (servers, routers, switches, firewalls) and connections (links, subnets, VLANs) using a simple visual editor. The output isn't just a pretty picture — it's a structured network model that can be exported, versioned, or plugged into automation workflows.
Under the hood, it's built with HTML/CSS/JS (React or plain JavaScript, from the looks of it), so it runs entirely in your browser. No backend, no accounts, no data leaving your machine unless you want it to.
Why It’s Cool
Here's what stands out:
- Instant in-browser rendering. Drag, drop, connect. No installs, no plugins.
- Network-aware, not just generic shapes. You're not drawing boxes and arrows; you're building actual network components. This means connections can carry metadata like IP ranges, protocol types, or latency hints.
- Exportable and shareable. You can save your topology as a JSON file, embed it, or share a link. Great for PRs, incident postmortems, or architecture reviews.
- No signup needed. Just open the page and start designing. Perfect for quick brainstorming sessions or prototyping.
- Open source. Code is on GitHub, so you can fork it, contribute, or run your own instance.
How to Try It
- Visit the GitHub repository for installation instructions and a live demo link.
- Clone the repo, or use the hosted demo if available.
- Start dragging nodes and connecting them. Here's a quick 3-step example:
- Add a router.
- Add two subnets.
- Connect them and assign IP ranges.
The README should have the latest details. If there's a demo link, that's the fastest way to get started.
Final Thoughts
NetViz is the kind of tool that fills a real gap. It's not trying to be Visio or Lucidchart for everything — it's specifically for network topology, and that focus makes it genuinely useful. If you're a DevOps engineer, network admin, or just someone who needs to explain infrastructure visually, this is worth a bookmark.
Try it out, and if you like it, consider throwing a star on the repo. The more devs use and contribute, the better this will get.
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