Firewall Lab
AI-generated Palo Alto and Fortinet firewall labs in the browser.
Describe firewall zones, NAT, and policies in plain English, and AI deploys real Palo Alto and Fortinet labs (BYOI) in minutes.
What makes NetPilot different for firewall labs
GNS3, EVE-NG, and physical appliances can all run Palo Alto and FortiGate. NetPilot combines AI-generated firewall configs + mixed-vendor cloud topology + one-shot deployment in a single product.
Cloud-native firewall lab
Browser only. BYOI the PAN-OS / FortiGate image once — cloud-hosted ContainerLab handles the rest.
The alternative
GNS3 / EVE-NG firewall labs require a 16-32 GB RAM server + QEMU/VM setup + manual image management per firewall instance.
AI-generated firewall configs
Describe zones, NAT, and security policies in plain English. AI writes correct Palo Alto and Fortinet CLI simultaneously.
The alternative
Every other option (GNS3, EVE-NG, physical) is manual CLI in each vendor's syntax. No AI, no natural-language policy design.
Multi-turn policy iteration
"Add a DMZ zone and allow HTTPS from untrust to DMZ" — AI updates zone configs and policies across the firewall.
The alternative
GNS3 / EVE-NG / physical: hand-edit every policy change on the firewall CLI per iteration.
Minutes vs hours per lab
Minutes from prompt to working multi-vendor firewall lab.
The alternative
GNS3: 2-4 hrs (QEMU + networking). EVE-NG: 1-2 days (server + images). Physical: hours to rack + cable + license.
See It in Action
Deploy a firewall alongside Cisco routers — AI configures zones, NAT, and security policies automatically.
Why AI-Powered Firewall Labs?
Setting up a firewall lab in GNS3 or EVE-NG takes hours. Describe what you need and get a working firewall topology in minutes.
AI Generates Policies
Describe your security requirements — the AI generates zone configs, NAT rules, security policies, and routing integration automatically.
No Hardware Required
No $1,000+ appliances. No server with 32GB RAM. Upload your firewall image once — labs deploy to the cloud.
Mixed Vendor Topologies
Your Palo Alto or Fortinet firewall images (BYOI) alongside Cisco routers and Arista cEOS (also BYOI), plus built-in Nokia switches — all in a single topology with real CLIs.
What You Can Practice
Real firewall CLIs with AI-generated configurations — from basic zone setup to advanced threat prevention.
Zone & Policy
- Security Zones
- Inter-Zone Policies
- Application-Based Rules
- URL Filtering
- Threat Prevention
NAT
- Source NAT (SNAT)
- Destination NAT (DNAT)
- Bidirectional NAT
- NAT Overload / PAT
- Policy-Based NAT
VPN & HA
- IPSec Site-to-Site VPN
- GlobalProtect (Palo Alto)
- SSL VPN (Fortinet)
- Active/Passive HA
- Active/Active HA
Integration
- OSPF with Firewall
- BGP with Firewall
- Static Routing
- Cisco + Firewall Topology
- Multi-Vendor Security
How It Works
Upload Your Image
Upload Palo Alto PAN-OS or Fortinet FortiGate via BYOI. One-time upload — NetPilot builds the Docker image automatically.
Describe Your Lab
“Set up a Palo Alto firewall between two Cisco segments with NAT and security policies” — AI generates everything.
SSH Into Real CLIs
Your firewall lab deploys to cloud ContainerLab. SSH into Palo Alto or Fortinet alongside Cisco routers — real CLIs, real behavior.
NetPilot vs every other firewall lab option
Head-to-head across GNS3, EVE-NG, physical appliances, and NetPilot.
Where NetPilot fits vs firewall-lab alternatives
Pick GNS3 / EVE-NG / physical firewall labs when you need:
- •Physical appliances are right when you specifically need hardware-accelerated throughput or vendor-certified production testing
- •GNS3 is right if you need fully offline operation on your own workstation
- •EVE-NG is right if you have a shared team lab server already running
- •You need a licensing or compliance environment that requires on-prem-only operation
Pick NetPilot when you need:
- •AI-generated zone configs, NAT rules, and security policies from plain English
- •Mixed-vendor topology in one shot: Palo Alto + Fortinet + Cisco + Nokia + Arista
- •BYOI PAN-OS / FortiGate once — cloud handles Docker image building + deployment
- •Minutes from prompt to working firewall lab vs hours of QEMU / vrnetlab setup
- •Multi-turn policy iteration: "add a DMZ zone and allow HTTPS from untrust to DMZ"
Verdict:GNS3, EVE-NG, and physical firewalls remain the right choice for specific offline or hardware-accelerated needs. NetPilot is the cloud + AI-built firewall-lab choice for teams who want AI-generated Palo Alto and Fortinet configs in a mixed-vendor cloud topology — minutes, not days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about firewall labs
Practice Firewalls Without the Hardware
Palo Alto and Fortinet configurations generated by AI, deployed to cloud labs with real CLIs — free to start.