Python at Netflix

As many of us prepare to go to PyCon, we wanted to share a sampling of how Python is used at Netflix. We use Python through the full content lifecycle, from deciding which content to fund all the way to operating the CDN that serves the final video to 148 million members. We use and contribute to many open-source Python packages, some of which are mentioned below. If any of this interests you, check out the jobs site or find us at PyCon. We have donated a few Netflix Originals posters to the PyLadies Auction and look forward to seeing you all there.

Open Connect

Open Connect is Netflix’s content delivery network (CDN). An easy, though imprecise, way of thinking about Netflix infrastructure is that everything that happens before you press Play on your remote control (e.g., are you logged in? what plan do you have? what have you watched so we can recommend new titles to you? what do you want to watch?) takes place in Amazon Web Services (AWS), whereas everything that happens afterwards (i.e., video streaming) takes place in the Open Connect network. Content is placed on the network of servers in the Open Connect CDN as close to the end user as possible, improving the streaming experience for our customers and reducing costs for both Netflix and our Internet Service Provider (ISP) partners.

Various software systems are needed to design, build, and operate this CDN infrastructure, and a significant number of them are written in Python. The network devices that underlie a large portion of the CDN are mostly managed by Python applications. Such applications track the inventory of our network gear: what devices, of which models, with which hardware components, located in which sites. The configuration of these devices is controlled by several other systems including source of truth, application of configurations to devices, and back up. Device interaction for the collection of health and other operational data is yet another Python application. Python has long been a popular programming language in the networking space because it’s an intuitive language that allows engineers to quickly solve networking problems. Subsequently, many useful libraries get developed, making the language even more desirable to learn and use.

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