drawio2clab.md

Drawio2Clab

drawio2clab converts .drawio (XML) diagrams back into Containerlab-compatible YAML files. This allows you to plan and sketch topologies in Draw.io, then easily deploy them in a containerized lab environment.

Note

For best results, ensure that your Draw.io nodes and links are well-labeled and that custom properties (for node kind, management IP, etc.) are used consistently.

Features

• Converts .drawio diagrams to Containerlab-compatible YAML.
• Supports specifying node details (e.g., type, kind, mgmt-ipv4, labels) directly in Draw.io.
• Allows selection of a specific diagram within a multi-page .drawio file.
• Output can be in block or flow style YAML.

Drawing Constraints

Important

Label your nodes and links properly. Node attributes can be added in Draw.io as custom properties (<property>=<value>), which drawio2clab will parse.

• Node Labeling: Click on a node and start typing to label it.

• Link Labeling: Double-click on a link to add a label (closest labels to each endpoint are used).

• Node Data: Provide extra data (like type, kind, or labels) in the custom properties panel in Draw.io.

• Adding Node Data In addition to labeling, nodes can contain additional data to further define the network configuration. The following attributes can be added to a node:

  • type: Specify the type of the node. E.g., "ixrd2", "ixrd3".
  • kind: Specify the kind of the node, by default nokia_srlinux
  • mgmt-ipv4: Assign a management IPv4 address to the node.
  • group: Define a group to which the node belongs.
  • labels: Add custom labels for additional metadata or categorization.

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The above image demonstrates how to correctly label nodes and links and add additional data to nodes for conversion.

Usage

Convert a .drawio file to YAML:

uv run python drawio2clab.py -i input_file.drawio

Tip

If your .drawio file has multiple diagrams, use --diagram-name "Diagram 1" to specify which one to process.

Arguments

• -i, --input: Path to .drawio XML file.
• -o, --output: Path to the output YAML file.
• --style: YAML style (block or flow). Default is flow.
• --diagram-name: Name of the diagram to parse if multiple diagrams exist.
• --default-kind: Default kind for nodes (e.g., nokia_srlinux).

Further Documentation & References

• Containerlab Documentation
• clab2drawio.md
• drawio2clab.md
• grafana.md