--- title: Simplify netlab Topologies with Link Groups «... description: netlab release 1.5.1 introduced link groups, a feature that reduces topology file duplication when multiple links share the same attributes. Instead of... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/simplify-netlab-topologies-with-link-groups-ipspace-net-blog-2ag7krzqc twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Simplify netlab Topologies with Link Groups « ipSpace.net blog | daily.dev og:description: netlab release 1.5.1 introduced link groups, a feature that reduces topology file duplication when multiple links share the same attributes. Instead of... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/simplify-netlab-topologies-with-link-groups-ipspace-net-blog-2ag7krzqc og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/2AG7kRzQC.png og:image:alt: Simplify netlab Topologies with Link Groups « ipSpace.net blog og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Simplify netlab Topologies with Link Groups « ipSpace.net blog **[ipSpace.net Blog](https://daily.dev/sources/ipspace)** · 3 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary netlab release 1.5.1 introduced link groups, a feature that reduces topology file duplication when multiple links share the same attributes. Instead of repeating attributes like `unnumbered: true`, `ospf.cost`, and `role` on every individual link, you define a group with a `group` attribute, shared attributes, and a `members` list. netlab then expands the group into individual links before topology transformation, with per-link attributes taking precedence over group attributes. Upgrading is done via `pip3 install --upgrade networklab`. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How do I apply the same attributes to multiple links in a netlab topology file? Use link groups, introduced in netlab 1.5.1. In the `links` list, define an entry with a `group` attribute (its name), the shared attributes (e.g., `unnumbered: true`, `ospf.cost: 100`, `role: core`), and a `members` list of links in simplified format. netlab expands these into individual link dictionaries before topology transformation, with per-link attributes taking precedence over group-level ones. _Network engineers building complex lab topologies track netlab releases and patterns on daily.dev._ ### How do I upgrade netlab to get link groups support? Link groups were introduced in netlab release 1.5.1. To upgrade, run `pip3 install --upgrade networklab`. After upgrading, link groups can be defined in the `links` section of any topology file using the `group`, shared attributes, and `members` fields. _Keeping lab tooling current matters — netlab release notes and upgrade tips surface on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Compress netlab Lab Topologies with Dot Notation « ipSpace.net blog](https://daily.dev/posts/compress-netlab-lab-topologies-with-dot-notation-ipspace-net-blog-johomwxka) · ipSpace.net Blog · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#networking](https://daily.dev/tags/networking) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/simplify-netlab-topologies-with-link-groups-ipspace-net-blog-2ag7krzqc) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Simplify netlab Topologies with Link Groups « ipSpace.net blog","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/simplify-netlab-topologies-with-link-groups-ipspace-net-blog-2ag7krzqc","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/simplify-netlab-topologies-with-link-groups-ipspace-net-blog-2ag7krzqc"},"datePublished":"2026-08-11T08:56:03.007Z","dateModified":"2026-08-11T09:20:53.061Z","description":"netlab release 1.5.1 introduced link groups, a feature that reduces topology file duplication when multiple links share the same attributes. 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