nova-ve¶
A clean-room network virtualization environment built with modern tooling.
Pre-Alpha Development Version
This project is not fit for actual lab use yet. Expect incomplete features, broken workflows, and data/runtime instability.
Quick install¶
On a fresh Ubuntu 26.04 LTS x86_64 host with sudo access:
The script provisions Docker, PostgreSQL, Caddy, the Python backend, the SvelteKit frontend, Guacamole for HTML5 consoles, and the privileged network helper — then drops systemd units and starts everything. It is idempotent: re-running fast-forwards the repo and restarts services without rotating existing secrets.
After install, open http://<host>/ and log in with the admin credentials printed at the end of the run (also written to nova-ve-install-summary.md in the directory you launched the installer from).
Docs are published at docs.nova-ve.com and mirrored to GitHub Pages.
Full quick-start walk-through → Migrating from EVE-NG? →
What is nova-ve?¶
nova-ve emulates a network of virtual devices (routers, switches, firewalls, hosts) on a single Linux host. Devices run as QEMU/KVM VMs or Docker containers. Networks between devices are Linux bridges or OVS bridges. The web UI gives you a topology editor that wires devices together, plus HTML5 consoles for each running device.
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Frontend | Svelte 5 + SvelteKit + Svelte Flow + Tailwind CSS |
| Backend | FastAPI + Pydantic + SQLAlchemy (async) |
| Database | PostgreSQL (app data) + JSON files (lab topology) |
| Virtualization | QEMU/KVM + Docker |
| Console | Apache Guacamole (HTML5) |
| Reverse proxy | Caddy |
| Base OS | Ubuntu 26.04 LTS |
Where next?¶
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Install nova-ve, log in, and orient yourself.
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Build your first lab, add nodes, wire them together, and open consoles.
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Migrate images and templates from an existing EVE-NG / PNETLab host.
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Back up labs, upgrade in place, and troubleshoot a stuck install.
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CLI flags, filesystem layout, glossary.
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Architecture, codebase tour, contributor flow.