ExaBGP Process Package

This application is a simple API that interfaces with the ExaBGP service.

Each time this app receives a new command, it forwards the command to ExaBGP via stdout. The registered ExaBGP service monitors the stdout of this API application.

Installation

Install the package using pip:

pip install exabgp-process

Alternative installation methods:

# Using uv
uv pip install exabgp-process

# Using Poetry (create a new project first)
poetry new my-exabgp-project
cd my-exabgp-project
poetry add exabgp-process

Configuration

1. Generate Configuration File

After installation, generate the configuration file:

exabgp-process --generate-config > process.conf

2. Edit Configuration

Open process.conf and configure according to your needs:

For RabbitMQ (recommended for production):

[api]
type = rabbitmq

Don't forged to set you rabbitmq host, username, password etc.

For HTTP (development/testing only - no security layer):

[api]
type = http

You can then configure the server IP and PORT if you need.

3. Set Up Log Directory

Ensure the log directory exists and is writable by the ExaBGP process:

# Create the log directory specified in your config
sudo mkdir -p /var/log/myapp
sudo chown exabgp:exabgp /var/log/myapp  # Adjust user/group as needed

4. Install Configuration

Copy the configuration file to the appropriate location:

sudo mv process.conf /etc/exabgp/process.conf

The application searches for configuration files in the following locations (in order):

• api.conf (current directory)
• process.conf (current directory)
• /etc/exabgp_process/process.conf
• /etc/exabgp/process.conf
• /usr/local/etc/exabgp_process/process.conf

Integration with ExaBGP

Add the following to your ExaBGP configuration file:

process flowspec {
    run /usr/local/bin/exabgp-process;
    encoder json;
}

Note: The exact path to exabgp-process may vary depending on your installation. You can find it using:

which exabgp-process

Usage

Standalone Mode (for testing)

You can run the process directly for testing:

exabgp-process

Message Format

The application expects JSON messages with the following structure:

{
    "author": "username",
    "source": "application_name",
    "command": "announce route 192.0.2.1/32 next-hop 192.0.2.254"
}

• author: For logging purposes (who initiated the command)
• source: For logging purposes (which application sent the command)
• command: The actual ExaBGP command to execute

RabbitMQ Setup

When using RabbitMQ, ensure your RabbitMQ server is running and accessible with the credentials specified in your configuration file.

HTTP Setup

Security Warning: The HTTP version has no authentication or encryption. Only use it for development/testing, and restrict access to localhost only. It also uses only Flask development server, that is also not recomended for production usage.

Development and Testing

For development and testing, the HTTP version is available. However, please note that this web app lacks any security layer. Therefore, it's recommended to:

• Restrict access to localhost only
• Use RabbitMQ for production environments
• Never expose the HTTP API to public networks

For more information, refer to the ExaBGP documentation.

Troubleshooting

Package Not Found

If exabgp-process command is not found after installation:

# Verify installation
pip show exabgp-process

# Find the executable
which exabgp-process

# If using a virtual environment, make sure it's activated
source venv/bin/activate

Permission Errors

Ensure the log directory has proper permissions:

sudo chown -R <exabgp-user>:<exabgp-group> /var/log/myapp

Connection Issues with RabbitMQ

• Verify RabbitMQ is running: sudo systemctl status rabbitmq-server
• Check credentials and vhost configuration
• Ensure the queue exists or the user has permissions to create it

Changelog

• 1.0.4 - Fixed template for config file
• 1.0.3 - New format of message from server - JSON with keys: author, source, command. Author and source are for logging purposes, command is sent to the process
• 1.0.2 - Switch to pyproject.toml for better description

License

See LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.