Adding a New Model to NetBox

Adding a model requires wiring up ~12 components. Work through them in order — each builds on the previous. If the user hasn't specified which app to place the model in, ask first.

0. Before You Start

Decide on:

• App: which existing app owns this model (dcim, ipam, extras, etc.)
• Base class: see the hierarchy below
• URL slug: the kebab-case name used in URLs (e.g. virtual-chassis)
• Model name: PascalCase (e.g. VirtualChassis)
• Verbose names: for Meta.verbose_name / verbose_name_plural

Base Class Hierarchy

All of these live in netbox/netbox/models/__init__.py. The remainder of this skill assumes PrimaryModel; substitute the matching Organizational… / NestedGroup… / ChangeLogged… base classes (filterset, form, table, serializer, GraphQL) where appropriate.

1. Define the Model

File: netbox/<app>/models/<module>.py (or models.py for smaller apps)

class MyModel(PrimaryModel):
    name = models.CharField(
        verbose_name=_('name'),
        max_length=100,
        db_collation='natural_sort',  # for alphabetic-aware sorting
    )
    some_fk = models.ForeignKey(
        to='app.RelatedModel',
        on_delete=models.PROTECT,
        related_name='my_models',
        blank=True,
        null=True,
    )

    class Meta:
        ordering = ['name']
        verbose_name = _('my model')
        verbose_name_plural = _('my models')

    def __str__(self):
        return self.name

• Add the model to __all__ in the models module's __init__.py.
• db_collation='natural_sort' on name fields enables natural sort order; omit if not needed.
• Use models.PROTECT for FK on_delete unless cascade deletion is explicitly desired.
• PrimaryModel already provides description, comments, and owner — don't redeclare them.

Do NOT run makemigrations yourself. Tell the user to run the following when finished:

python netbox/manage.py makemigrations

2. Define Field Choices (if needed)

File: netbox/<app>/choices.py

class MyModelStatusChoices(ChoiceSet):
    STATUS_ACTIVE = 'active'
    STATUS_PLANNED = 'planned'

    CHOICES = [
        (STATUS_ACTIVE, _('Active'), 'blue'),
        (STATUS_PLANNED, _('Planned'), 'cyan'),
    ]

Reference with choices=MyModelStatusChoices on the model field and choices=MyModelStatusChoices.CHOICES in forms.

3. Create the FilterSet

File: netbox/<app>/filtersets.py

class MyModelFilterSet(PrimaryModelFilterSet):
    some_fk = django_filters.ModelMultipleChoiceFilter(
        field_name='some_fk__name',
        queryset=RelatedModel.objects.all(),
        to_field_name='name',
        label=_('Related model (name)'),
    )
    some_fk_id = django_filters.ModelMultipleChoiceFilter(
        queryset=RelatedModel.objects.all(),
        label=_('Related model (ID)'),
    )

    class Meta:
        model = MyModel
        fields = ('id', 'name', 'description')

Critical: Always add both <field> (name/slug lookup) and <field>_id (PK lookup) for every FK. Do not rely on Meta.fields to auto-generate _id variants — it won't work correctly.

Match the base class to the model: PrimaryModelFilterSet, OrganizationalModelFilterSet, NetBoxModelFilterSet, or ChangeLoggedModelFilterSet.

4. Create Forms

File: netbox/<app>/forms/model_forms.py

class MyModelForm(PrimaryModelForm):
    fieldsets = (
        FieldSet('name', 'some_fk', name=_('My Model')),
        FieldSet('description', 'tags', name=_('Other')),
    )

    class Meta:
        model = MyModel
        fields = ('name', 'some_fk', 'description', 'owner', 'comments', 'tags')

File: netbox/<app>/forms/filtersets.py (for the filter form)

class MyModelFilterForm(PrimaryModelFilterSetForm):
    model = MyModel
    fieldsets = (
        FieldSet('q', 'filter_id', 'tag'),
        FieldSet('some_fk_id', name=_('Related')),
    )
    some_fk_id = DynamicModelMultipleChoiceField(
        queryset=RelatedModel.objects.all(),
        required=False,
        label=_('Related Model'),
    )
    tag = TagFilterField(model)

Match the form base class to the model's base: PrimaryModelFilterSetForm, OrganizationalModelFilterSetForm, NestedGroupModelFilterSetForm, or NetBoxModelFilterSetForm (all in netbox.forms).

Bulk Edit Form — netbox/<app>/forms/bulk_edit.py

class MyModelBulkEditForm(PrimaryModelBulkEditForm):
    model = MyModel
    description = forms.CharField(max_length=200, required=False)
    some_fk = DynamicModelChoiceField(queryset=RelatedModel.objects.all(), required=False)

    fieldsets = (
        FieldSet('some_fk', 'description', name=_('My Model')),
    )
    nullable_fields = ('description', 'some_fk')

Bulk Import Form — netbox/<app>/forms/bulk_import.py

class MyModelImportForm(PrimaryModelImportForm):
    some_fk = CSVModelChoiceField(
        queryset=RelatedModel.objects.all(),
        to_field_name='name',
        required=False,
    )

    class Meta:
        model = MyModel
        fields = ('name', 'some_fk', 'description', 'comments', 'tags')

Use the matching Primary… / Organizational… / NestedGroup… / NetBoxModel… variants of …ImportForm and …BulkEditForm for non-PrimaryModel bases.

Export each new form from netbox/<app>/forms/__init__.py.

5. Create the Table

File: netbox/<app>/tables/<module>.py

class MyModelTable(PrimaryModelTable):
    name = tables.Column(linkify=True)
    some_fk = tables.Column(linkify=True)
    tags = columns.TagColumn(url_name='<app>:mymodel_list')

    class Meta(PrimaryModelTable.Meta):
        model = MyModel
        fields = ('pk', 'id', 'name', 'some_fk', 'description', 'tags', 'created', 'last_updated')
        default_columns = ('pk', 'name', 'some_fk', 'description')

Use custom columns provided by NetBox where appropriate. Otherwise, export from the tables package's __init__.py.

6. Add Views

File: netbox/<app>/views.py

Common imports:

from extras.ui.panels import CustomFieldsPanel, TagsPanel
from netbox.ui import layout
from netbox.ui.panels import CommentsPanel
from netbox.views import generic
from utilities.views import register_model_view

@register_model_view(MyModel, 'list', path='', detail=False)
class MyModelListView(generic.ObjectListView):
    queryset = MyModel.objects.all()
    table = tables.MyModelTable
    filterset = filtersets.MyModelFilterSet
    filterset_form = forms.MyModelFilterForm

@register_model_view(MyModel)
class MyModelView(generic.ObjectView):
    queryset = MyModel.objects.all()
    template_name = 'generic/object.html'  # opt out of model-specific template lookup
    layout = layout.SimpleLayout(
        left_panels=[panels.MyModelPanel(), TagsPanel(), CustomFieldsPanel()],
        right_panels=[CommentsPanel()],
    )

@register_model_view(MyModel, 'add', detail=False)
@register_model_view(MyModel, 'edit')
class MyModelEditView(generic.ObjectEditView):
    queryset = MyModel.objects.all()
    form = forms.MyModelForm

@register_model_view(MyModel, 'delete')
class MyModelDeleteView(generic.ObjectDeleteView):
    queryset = MyModel.objects.all()

@register_model_view(MyModel, 'bulk_import', path='import', detail=False)
class MyModelBulkImportView(generic.BulkImportView):
    queryset = MyModel.objects.all()
    model_form = forms.MyModelImportForm

@register_model_view(MyModel, 'bulk_edit', path='edit', detail=False)
class MyModelBulkEditView(generic.BulkEditView):
    queryset = MyModel.objects.all()
    filterset = filtersets.MyModelFilterSet
    table = tables.MyModelTable
    form = forms.MyModelBulkEditForm

@register_model_view(MyModel, 'bulk_delete', path='delete', detail=False)
class MyModelBulkDeleteView(generic.BulkDeleteView):
    queryset = MyModel.objects.all()
    filterset = filtersets.MyModelFilterSet
    table = tables.MyModelTable

path='import'/'edit'/'delete' keep URLs short and match existing apps. If the model has a name field amenable to find/replace, also register a bulk_rename view (generic.BulkRenameView, path='rename').

Define MyModelPanel as an ObjectAttributesPanel subclass in netbox/<app>/ui/panels.py (see netbox/dcim/ui/panels.py for examples and the field summary in add-model-field).

7. Add URL Routes

File: netbox/<app>/urls.py

from utilities.urls import get_model_urls

urlpatterns = [
    # ...existing routes...
    path('my-models/', include(get_model_urls('<app>', 'mymodel', detail=False))),
    path('my-models/<int:pk>/', include(get_model_urls('<app>', 'mymodel'))),
]

get_model_urls() auto-generates routes for all registered views. detail=False covers the list/create routes; the second path covers detail/edit/delete routes.

8. REST API

Serializer

Each app has a netbox/<app>/api/serializers_/ package (note the trailing underscore — it's a directory). Add a new module like mymodel.py and re-export from serializers_/__init__.py (netbox/<app>/api/serializers.py star-imports each submodule).

class MyModelSerializer(PrimaryModelSerializer):
    some_fk = RelatedModelSerializer(nested=True, required=False, allow_null=True)

    class Meta:
        model = MyModel
        fields = [
            'id', 'url', 'display_url', 'display',
            'name', 'some_fk',
            'description', 'owner', 'comments', 'tags', 'custom_fields',
            'created', 'last_updated',
        ]
        brief_fields = ('id', 'url', 'display', 'name', 'description')

NetBox serializers use a single FK field with nested=True — no separate _id companion. Pass nested=True when the related serializer is referenced by another serializer; the framework renders it as a brief representation when reading and accepts a primary key (or brief object) when writing. Match the base class to the model: PrimaryModelSerializer, OrganizationalModelSerializer, NestedGroupModelSerializer, NetBoxModelSerializer.

ViewSet

File: netbox/<app>/api/views.py

class MyModelViewSet(NetBoxModelViewSet):
    queryset = MyModel.objects.all()
    serializer_class = serializers.MyModelSerializer
    filterset_class = filtersets.MyModelFilterSet

Skip prefetch_related() on the queryset — NetBoxModelViewSet resolves prefetches dynamically based on the serializer.

API URL Route

File: netbox/<app>/api/urls.py

router.register('my-models', views.MyModelViewSet)

9. GraphQL

Filter

File: netbox/<app>/graphql/filters.py

@strawberry_django.filter_type(models.MyModel, lookups=True)
class MyModelFilter(PrimaryModelFilter):
    name: StrFilterLookup[str] | None = strawberry_django.filter_field()
    some_fk: Annotated['RelatedModelFilter', strawberry.lazy('<app>.graphql.filters')] | None = strawberry_django.filter_field()
    some_fk_id: ID | None = strawberry_django.filter_field()

Add 'MyModelFilter' to __all__ at the top of the file.

Type

File: netbox/<app>/graphql/types.py

@strawberry_django.type(
    models.MyModel,
    fields='__all__',
    filters=MyModelFilter,
    pagination=True,
)
class MyModelType(PrimaryObjectType):
    some_fk: Annotated['RelatedModelType', strawberry.lazy('<app>.graphql.types')] | None

Add 'MyModelType' to __all__.

Schema

File: netbox/<app>/graphql/schema.py

@strawberry.type
class MyAppQuery:
    # ...existing fields...
    my_model: MyModelType = strawberry_django.field()
    my_model_list: list[MyModelType] = strawberry_django.field()

Note: GraphQL unit tests may fail citing null values on a non-nullable field if related objects are prefetched. Fix by using = strawberry_django.field(select_related=['some_fk']) instead.

10. Register in Search

File: netbox/<app>/search.py

@register_search
class MyModelIndex(SearchIndex):
    model = models.MyModel
    fields = (
        ('name', 100),
        ('description', 500),
        ('comments', 5000),
    )
    display_attrs = ('some_fk', 'description')

Field weights: lower = higher priority in results. Typical: name=100, description=500, comments=5000.

11. Add Navigation Menu Entry

File: netbox/netbox/navigation/menu.py

Find the relevant MenuGroup and add:

get_model_item('<app>', 'mymodel', _('My Models')),

The model name must be lowercase (not the URL slug). This auto-links to the list view.

12. Add Documentation

File: docs/models/<app>/<modelname>.md (filename is the lowercase model name with no separators, e.g. virtualchassis.md).

Include at minimum:

• A description of what the model represents
• A ## Fields section with a subsection per field (see docs/models/dcim/site.md for the canonical structure)

Then register the page in two indexes:

• mkdocs.yml — add a line under the appropriate nav: group (e.g. - MyModel: 'models/<app>/mymodel.md')
• docs/development/models.md — add to the relevant model-type list under "Models Index" (Primary, Organizational, Nested Group, etc.)

There is no per-app index.md under docs/models/ — mkdocs.yml is the single source of truth for navigation.

13. Write Tests

API Tests

File: netbox/<app>/tests/test_api.py

class MyModelTest(APIViewTestCases.APIViewTestCase):
    model = MyModel
    brief_fields = ['description', 'display', 'id', 'name', 'url']

    @classmethod
    def setUpTestData(cls):
        # Create 3+ instances for list/bulk tests
        my_models = (
            MyModel(name='My Model 1', ...),
            MyModel(name='My Model 2', ...),
            MyModel(name='My Model 3', ...),
        )
        MyModel.objects.bulk_create(my_models)

        cls.create_data = [
            {'name': 'My Model 4', ...},
            {'name': 'My Model 5', ...},
            {'name': 'My Model 6', ...},
        ]

View Tests

File: netbox/<app>/tests/test_views.py

class MyModelTestCase(ViewTestCases.PrimaryObjectViewTestCase):
    model = MyModel

    @classmethod
    def setUpTestData(cls):
        my_models = (
            MyModel(name='My Model 1', ...),
            MyModel(name='My Model 2', ...),
            MyModel(name='My Model 3', ...),
        )
        MyModel.objects.bulk_create(my_models)

        cls.form_data = {
            'name': 'My Model X',
            # all required form fields
        }
        cls.bulk_edit_data = {
            'description': 'New description',
        }
        cls.csv_data = (
            'name',
            'My Model 4',
            'My Model 5',
            'My Model 6',
        )

FilterSet Tests

File: netbox/<app>/tests/test_filtersets.py

from utilities.testing import ChangeLoggedFilterSetTests

class MyModelFilterSetTestCase(TestCase, ChangeLoggedFilterSetTests):
    queryset = MyModel.objects.all()
    filterset = MyModelFilterSet

    @classmethod
    def setUpTestData(cls):
        # Create diverse test data

    def test_name(self):
        params = {'name': ['My Model 1', 'My Model 2']}
        self.assertEqual(self.filterset(params, self.queryset).qs.count(), 2)

    def test_some_fk(self):
        # Test FK and FK_id filters

ChangeLoggedFilterSetTests provides standard tests for id, created, last_updated, q search, etc. Always mix it in.

Common Gotchas

• Never write migrations manually. Always run python netbox/manage.py makemigrations and let Django generate them. Set DEVELOPER = True in configuration.py to enable this.
• FK filters need explicit _id variants in FilterSets. Meta.fields does not auto-generate them.
• manage.py lives in netbox/, not the repo root.
• Brief fields in API serializers must be declared explicitly via brief_fields on the Meta class; they are used for nested representations.
• GraphQL null prefetch failures: if tests fail on non-nullable fields, add select_related=[...] to the strawberry_django.field() call.
• Template: by default generic.ObjectView auto-resolves to <app>/<model>.html. If you only define a panel-driven layout, set template_name = 'generic/object.html' on the view to opt out of that lookup. Add a real per-model template only when you need markup that panels can't express.
• Serializer FK fields: write a single field like some_fk = RelatedModelSerializer(nested=True, ...) — do not add a separate some_fk_id companion. The framework accepts a PK or brief object on write.
• Modern pattern check: cargo-culting older nested serializer code (NestedFooSerializer(read_only=True) plus _id field) is wrong for new code — use the nested=True form.
• PrimaryModel already has description, comments, owner. Don't re-add them.
• No ruff format on existing files. Use ruff check only.

References

• Model base classes: netbox/netbox/models/__init__.py
• Concrete example (VirtualChassis): netbox/dcim/models/devices.py, netbox/dcim/filtersets.py, netbox/dcim/api/, netbox/dcim/graphql/, netbox/dcim/tests/
• Contributing guide: docs/development/adding-models.md
• Navigation menu: netbox/netbox/navigation/menu.py