Automation Workflows

HopBox Cloud includes a powerful automation engine that lets you define workflows to manage your network devices without manual intervention. From scheduled configuration pushes to event-driven alerts, automation helps you scale your network operations.

Overview

Automation workflows in HopBox are built around three concepts:

Triggers — Events that start a workflow (e.g., device goes offline, firmware update available)
Conditions — Optional filters to narrow when a workflow runs (e.g., only for devices in a specific group)
Actions — What happens when the workflow executes (e.g., send alert, push config, restart service)

Creating a Workflow

Navigate to Automation → Workflows in the cloud dashboard
Click New Workflow
Configure your trigger, conditions, and actions
Save and enable the workflow

Example: Alert on WAN Failover

{
  "name": "WAN Failover Alert",
  "trigger": {
    "type": "event",
    "event": "wan_failover"
  },
  "conditions": [
    {
      "field": "device.group",
      "operator": "equals",
      "value": "branch-offices"
    }
  ],
  "actions": [
    {
      "type": "notification",
      "channel": "email",
      "recipients": ["netops@company.com"],
      "message": "WAN failover detected on {{device.name}} at {{event.timestamp}}"
    }
  ]
}

Available Triggers

Trigger	Description
`device_online`	Device connects to the cloud
`device_offline`	Device loses cloud connectivity
`wan_failover`	Active WAN link switches to backup
`firmware_available`	New firmware version is available
`config_change`	Device configuration is modified
`high_cpu`	CPU usage exceeds threshold
`high_memory`	Memory usage exceeds threshold
`tunnel_down`	VPN tunnel goes down

Available Actions

Action	Description
`notification`	Send email, webhook, or dashboard alert
`push_config`	Push a configuration template to the device
`restart_service`	Restart a specific service on the device
`update_firmware`	Trigger a firmware update on the device
`run_script`	Execute a custom script on the device

Scheduled Workflows

You can also create time-based workflows using cron-style schedules:

{
  "name": "Nightly Config Backup",
  "trigger": {
    "type": "schedule",
    "cron": "0 2 * * *"
  },
  "actions": [
    {
      "type": "run_script",
      "script": "backup_config.sh",
      "target": "all_devices"
    }
  ]
}

Workflow Logs

All workflow executions are logged under Automation → Logs. Each entry shows:

Workflow name and trigger event
Timestamp of execution
Target devices affected
Action results (success/failure)

Best Practices

Start simple — Begin with notification workflows before adding config push actions
Use device groups — Apply conditions based on groups to avoid unintended changes across your entire fleet
Test first — Use the Dry Run feature to preview what a workflow would do before enabling it
Monitor logs — Regularly review workflow logs to ensure automations are running as expected