Input Data Formats

This section explains the various input data formats used in the NGFW Policy as Code project. It covers all types of objects defined in the ngfw/objects folder.

Object Types:

• Service Objects
• External Dynamic Lists (EDLs)
• Address Objects
• Custom URL Categories
• Application Groups
• Security Profiles
• Tags
• Decryption Profiles
• Custom Applications
• Custom Vulnerability Signatures
• Custom Spyware Signatures
• Data Patterns

Overview

The NGFW Policy as Code project uses various input data formats to define objects that will be created on the Palo Alto Networks firewall. These objects are used to build security policies that enforce your organization’s security requirements.

Each object type has its own specific format and requirements, which are detailed in the respective sections. Most object types are defined in CSV files, while some use JSON or other formats.

Common Patterns

Many of the object types follow common patterns in their implementation:

1. File Parsing: Most object types are defined in CSV files that are parsed using the parse_metadata_from_csv function.

2. Object Creation: The parsed data is used to create objects using the Palo Alto Networks SDK.

3. Deployment: The objects are deployed to the PAN-OS device using multi-config API calls.

For detailed information about each object type, please refer to the specific documentation pages linked above.