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Map Junos OS Configuration Statements to JSON

A configuration for a device running Junos OS is stored as a hierarchy of statements. The configuration statement hierarchy has two types of statements:

  • container statements—statements that contain other statements

  • leaf statements—statements that do not contain other statements

All of the container and leaf statements together form the configuration hierarchy.

The configuration hierarchy can be represented using JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) in addition to formatted ASCII text, Junos XML elements, and configuration mode set commands. Starting in Junos OS Release 14.2, you can view the configuration of a device running Junos OS in JSON format by executing the show configuration | display json command in the CLI. In addition, starting in Junos OS Release 16.1, you can load JSON-formatted configuration data on the device.

Note:

Starting in Junos OS Release 16.1, devices running Junos OS emit JSON-formatted configuration data using a new default implementation for serialization. You can explicitly configure the new default, ietf, or revert to the previous default, verbose, by configuring the appropriate statement at the [edit system export-format json] hierarchy level. You can configure the verbose statement starting in Junos OS Release 16.1R1, even though the statement is not exposed in the Junos OS CLI until a later release.

Note:

Starting in Junos OS Releases 16.1R4, 16.2R2, and 17.1R1, integers in Junos OS configuration data emitted in JSON format are not enclosed in quotation marks. In earlier releases, integers in JSON configuration data are treated as strings and enclosed in quotation marks.

The following sections describe the mapping between the formatted ASCII text and the default format used for Junos OS configuration statements in JSON:

Mapping for Hierarchy Levels and Container Statements

The Junos OS configuration hierarchy is represented in JSON by a JSON object with a single top-level member, or name/value pair, that has the field name set to "configuration" and a value that contains a JSON object representing the entire configuration. The configuration member corresponds to the [edit] hierarchy level in CLI configuration mode. Most statements at the next few levels of the configuration hierarchy are container statements.

In JSON, each Junos OS hierarchy level or container statement is a member of its parent object. The member, or name/value pair, has a field name corresponding to the name of the hierarchy or container. Its value is a JSON object that contains members representing the child containers and leaf statements at that hierarchy level. The object might also contain a member that holds the list of attributes, if any, associated with that hierarchy.

The following example shows the mapping between formatted ASCII text and JSON for two statements at the top level of the configuration hierarchy:

CLI Configuration Statements

JSON Syntax

Mapping for Objects That Have an Identifier

At some hierarchy levels, the same kind of configuration object can occur multiple times. Each instance of the object has a unique identifier to distinguish it from the other instances. In the CLI notation, the parent statement for such an object might consist of a keyword and identifier or just an identifier.

keyword is a fixed string that indicates the type of object being defined, and identifier is a unique name for an instance of that type. In the following example, user is a keyword, and username is the identifier.

In JSON, all instances of a configuration object are contained within a single name/value pair in which the field name generally matches the keyword string, and the value is an array of JSON objects, each of which is an instance of the configuration object. The JSON syntax differs from the CLI in its treatment of the identifier. In JSON, each instance of the configuration object uses a name/value pair for the identifier, where the field name distinguishes this data as the identifier, and the value is the actual unique identifier for the object. Most frequently, the field name is just name. Some objects have multiple identifiers, and might use a field name other than name. JSON data that specifies an identifier is always listed first within the corresponding object, but after any attribute list included for that object.

Note:

Junos OS reserves the prefix junos- for the identifiers of configuration groups defined within the junos-defaults configuration group. User-defined identifiers cannot start with the string junos-.

The configuration for most objects that have identifiers includes additional leaf statements, which represent other characteristics of the object. For example, each BGP group configured at the [edit protocols bgp group] hierarchy level has an associated name (the identifier) and can have leaf statements for other characteristics such as type, peer autonomous system (AS) number, and neighbor address. For information about the JSON mapping for leaf statements, see Mapping for Single-Value and Fixed-Form Leaf Statements.

The following example shows the mapping of formatted ASCII text to JSON for configuration statements that define two BGP groups named G1 and G2. In the JSON syntax, the group member’s value is an array that contains a separate JSON object for each BGP group.

CLI Configuration Statements

JSON Syntax

Mapping for Single-Value and Fixed-Form Leaf Statements

A leaf statement is a CLI configuration statement that does not contain any other statements. Most leaf statements define a value for one characteristic of a configuration object and have the following form:

Junos OS leaf statements are mapped to name/value pairs in JSON. In general, the field name is the same as the keyword string, and the value is the same as the value string.

The following example shows the JSON mapping for two leaf statements that have a keyword and a value: the message statement at the [edit system login] hierarchy level and the preference statement at the [edit protocols ospf] hierarchy level.

CLI Configuration Statements

JSON Syntax

Some leaf statements consist of a fixed-form keyword only, without an associated variable-form value. Junos OS represents such statements in JSON by setting the value in the name/value pair to [null]. The following example shows the JSON mapping for the disable statement at the [edit forwarding-options sampling] hierarchy level.

CLI Configuration Statements

JSON Syntax

Mapping for Leaf Statements with Multiple Values

Some Junos OS leaf statements accept multiple values, which can be either user-defined or drawn from a set of predefined values. CLI notation uses square brackets to enclose all values in a single statement, as in the following example:

As discussed in Mapping for Single-Value and Fixed-Form Leaf Statements, leaf statements are mapped to name/value pairs in JSON, where the field name is the same as the keyword string. To represent multiple values, the value portion of the JSON data uses an array of comma-separated strings.

The following example shows the JSON mapping for a CLI statement with multiple user-defined values. The import statement imports two routing policies defined elsewhere in the configuration.The formatted ASCII text uses a space-separated list of values, whereas the JSON data uses an array with a comma-separated list of strings.

CLI Configuration Statements

JSON Syntax

The following example shows the JSON mapping for a CLI statement with multiple predefined values. The permissions statement grants three predefined permissions to members of the user-accounts login class.

CLI Configuration Statements

JSON Syntax

Mapping for Multiple Options on One or More Lines

For some Junos OS configuration objects, the standard CLI syntax places multiple options on a single line, usually for greater legibility and conciseness. In most such cases, the first option identifies the object and does not have a keyword, but later options are paired keywords and values.

In JSON, the same configuration object maps to a name/value pair. The field name is the same as the object name, and the value is a JSON object containing the options, which are represented by name/value pairs. If the first option has no keyword in the CLI statement, the JSON mapping assigns a name, which is equivalent to the option name defined in the schema and used for the corresponding Junos XML tag name.

The following example shows the JSON mapping for a CLI configuration statement with multiple options on a single line. The JSON representation of the [edit system backup-router] statement uses name/value pairs for both options and assigns the field name address for the first option (10.0.0.1), which has no CLI keyword.

CLI Configuration Statements

JSON Syntax

The syntax for some configuration objects includes more than one multi-option line. In JSON, the configuration object maps to a name/value pair, as in the previous case. The field name is the same as the object name, and the value is a JSON object containing the options, which are represented by name/value pairs. For each option, the field name is the same as the option name, and the value is a JSON data structure that appropriately represents the configuration data for that option. When an option uses the same keyword but spans multiple lines, the JSON representation combines the options into a single name/value pair. In this case, the value is an array of JSON objects in which each option is mapped to a separate object.

The following example shows the JSON mapping for the traceoptions statement at the [edit protocols isis] hierarchy level. The traceoptions statement has three child statements, each with multiple options. The CLI notation displays the individual flag options on separate lines, but the JSON representation combines the flag details into a single name/value pair. The value is an array of objects where each object contains the details for one flag.

CLI Configuration Statements

JSON Syntax

Mapping for Attributes

The Junos OS configuration hierarchy can contain tags that modify a hierarchy or statement. For example, if you issue the deactivate command to deactivate a statement in the configuration, the inactive: tag is prepended to the item in the configuration to indicate this property. The Junos XML API represents this property as an attribute in the opening tag of the XML element.

The JSON representation of the Junos OS configuration uses metadata annotations to represent these properties. The metadata annotations are encoded as members of a single JSON object and include the "@" symbol as or within the name.

The metadata object representing the attribute list for a container statement is added as a new member of that object. The metadata object is placed directly inside the container object it modifies and uses a single "@" symbol as the member name. The metadata object representing the attribute list for a leaf statement is added as a sibling name/value pair that is placed directly after the statement it modifies and that has a member name that is the concatenation of the "@" symbol and the statement name. The metadata object value in both cases is an object containing name/value pairs that describe each of the attributes associated with that container or leaf statement.

In the following examples, both the [edit commit] hierarchy and the persist-groups-inheritance statement have been deactivated. In the CLI, the statements are preceded by the inactive: tag. The Junos XML representation includes the inactive="inactive" attribute in each of the opening tags for those elements. The JSON mapping stores the attributes in an attribute list. The attribute list for the [edit commit] hierarchy is indicated with "@", because it is a container statement. The attribute list for the persist-groups-inheritance statement is indicated using "@persist-groups-inheritance", because it is a leaf statement.

CLI Configuration Statements

XML Syntax

JSON Syntax

The attribute list for a specific instance of an object is similar to the attribute list for a container in that it is a name/value pair where the field name is a single "@" symbol, and the value is an object containing name/value pairs that describes each of the attributes. The attribute list is enclosed within the JSON object that identifies that instance and is the first member in the object, followed by the identifier for the object.

In the following example, the ge-0/0/0 interface is protected. In the CLI, the object is preceded by the protect: tag. The Junos XML representation includes the protect="protect" attribute in the opening tag for that object. The JSON mapping stores the "protect" : true attribute in an attribute list that is included in the JSON object identifying that specific interface.

CLI Configuration Statements

XML Syntax

JSON Syntax

Mapping for Configuration Comments

A Junos OS configuration can include comments that describe statements in the configuration. Configuration data formatted using ASCII text or Junos XML elements displays comments on the line preceding the statement that the comment modifies. In Junos XML format, the comment string is enclosed in a <junos:comment> element.

Comments are indicated using one of two delimiters: the paired strings /* and */ enclosing the comment, or the # character preceding the comment. You can use either delimiter in the comment string when you insert comments in the configuration. If you omit the delimiter, Junos OS automatically inserts /* and */.

Note:

Junos OS preserves any white space included in the comment.

Junos OS configuration data formatted using JSON maps a comment to a name/value pair that is stored as an attribute of the statement that it modifies. The field name is set to "comment", and the value is the comment text string. The comment text string can include either of the two delimiters that indicate a comment. If you omit the delimiter from the comment text string when you load the JSON configuration data, Junos OS automatically adds the /* and */ delimiters to the comment. You can also create multiline comments in JSON configuration data by inserting the newline character (\n) in the comment string.

The following example shows the formatted ASCII configuration and corresponding JSON syntax for three comments. The example associates one comment with a hierarchy, another comment with an object that has an identifier, and a third comment with a leaf statement.

CLI Configuration Statements

JSON Syntax

Release History Table
Release
Description
16.1R4
Starting in Junos OS Releases 16.1R4, 16.2R2, and 17.1R1, integers in Junos OS configuration data emitted in JSON format are not enclosed in quotation marks. In earlier releases, integers in JSON configuration data are treated as strings and enclosed in quotation marks.
16.1
Starting in Junos OS Release 16.1, devices running Junos OS emit JSON-formatted configuration data using a new default implementation for serialization.