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Palo Alto Networks from Policy to Code
Palo Alto Networks from Policy to Code

Palo Alto Networks from Policy to Code: Automate PAN-OS security policies with Python precision

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Profile Icon Nikolay Matveev Profile Icon Migara Ekanayake
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$31.99 $35.99
eBook Aug 2025 438 pages 1st Edition
eBook
$31.99 $35.99
Paperback
$44.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Renews at $19.99p/m
Arrow left icon
Profile Icon Nikolay Matveev Profile Icon Migara Ekanayake
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$31.99 $35.99
eBook Aug 2025 438 pages 1st Edition
eBook
$31.99 $35.99
Paperback
$44.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Renews at $19.99p/m
eBook
$31.99 $35.99
Paperback
$44.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Renews at $19.99p/m

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Palo Alto Networks from Policy to Code

Next-Gen Firewall Fundamentals

You may be familiar with conventional network firewalls, host-based firewalls, network access control lists, AWS security groups, and Azure network security groups. However, next-gen firewalls differ significantly from these in order to address the unique challenges organizations face in identifying and securing traffic in today’s networks.

To develop a robust firewall security policy, you must understand how firewalls identify network protocols and applications, the cybersecurity risks that modern enterprise networks encounter, the core firewall security features, and how all of this correlates with business requirements.

This chapter’s objective is to establish a technical foundation that will enable you to better understand what next-gen firewalls can do in the network security domain and how they accomplish this. It will also lay the essential groundwork for studying the building blocks that PAN-OS provides for creating a security...

Technical requirements

Access to a Palo Alto Networks firewall would be beneficial, but not necessary.

Networking 101

This section provides an overview of networking to the extent required to fully understand all network-related building blocks of the security policy of the next-gen firewalls.

If you have a solid networking and firewall background, feel free to skip most of this section but read the last subsection on load-balancing and name resolution. If you have some practical knowledge but prefer a brief theory refresher or are a beginner, please read on.

The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model

At the high level required to understand networking in the context of a next-gen firewall security policy, the way modern networks operate is relatively simple.

First, let us start by introducing the OSI reference model, a sound conceptual framework for understanding how network communication works. The model breaks down the process of sending and receiving data into seven distinctive layers of abstraction. Each layer serves a specific purpose, relies on...

How next-generation firewalls see network traffic

In the previous section, we learned networking basics in the context of firewalls. We became familiar with the Network, Transport, and Application layers of the OSI model and learned how they map onto matching criteria of a next-generation firewall security policy rule. We briefly discussed DNS and the potential implications of load balancing.

It is time to discuss how our next-generation firewalls work under the hood to identify applications and protocols.

How do they tell facebook-base from websocket, ldap from ftp, and web-browsing from ssl? And how does one make sense of thousands of these apps? How do they all work together in a security policy? How do we police this lot? Do we even have to?

Palo Alto Networks’ proprietary technology for distinguishing applications and network protocols is called App-ID (short for Application Identification). It is so deeply integrated into PAN-OS that you cannot imagine one...

Summary

In this chapter, you explored what sets Next-Generation Firewalls apart from traditional network security solutions. You reviewed the OSI model through the lens of firewall policy design and observed how NGFWs, unlike their predecessors, inspect traffic all the way up to the Application layer. This deeper visibility empowers you to create security policies that consider not only IPs and ports but also application identities and behaviors, providing you with much greater control over what’s allowed in your network.

You learned how NGFWs use stateful inspection, tracking each session’s life cycle using a six-tuple flow key made up of source and destination IPs, ports, zones, and protocol. Through a hands-on example involving Netcat and HTTP traffic, you followed how a session is created, matched to a policy, re-evaluated when application details become available, and even denied mid-stream if the application shifts unexpectedly. These mechanics showed you how...

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Key benefits

  • Streamline security policy deployment using Python and automation tools
  • Learn how PAN-OS processes and secures enterprise network traffic
  • Implement automated security actions for real-time threat mitigation
  • Get With Your Book: PDF Copy, AI Assistant, and Next-Gen Reader Free

Description

Palo Alto Networks firewalls are the gold standard in enterprise security, but managing them manually often leads to endless configurations, error-prone changes, and difficulty maintaining consistency across deployments. Written by cybersecurity experts with deep Palo Alto Networks experience, this book shows you how to transform firewall management with automation, using a code-driven approach that bridges the gap between powerful technology and practical implementation. You’ll start with next-gen firewall fundamentals before advancing to designing enterprise-grade security policies, applying threat prevention profiles, URL filtering, TLS decryption, and application controls to build a complete policy framework. Unlike other resources that focus on theory or vendor documentation, this hands-on guide covers best practices and real-world strategies. You’ll learn how to automate policy deployment using Python and PAN-OS APIs, structure firewall configurations as code, and integrate firewalls with IT workflows and infrastructure-as-code tools. By the end of the book, you’ll be able to design, automate, test, and migrate firewall policies with confidence, gaining practical experience in quality assurance techniques, pilot testing, debugging, and phased cutovers—all while maintaining security and minimizing business impact.

Who is this book for?

This book is for firewall engineers, security engineers, consultants, technical architects, and CISOs who want to enhance their network security expertise through Policy as Code on Palo Alto Networks firewalls. It's also perfect for those with working knowledge of Python programming and hands-on experience with Palo Alto Networks' Next-Gen firewalls, whether in business, government, or education. This book will help network engineers, security architects, and DevSecOps professionals simplify firewall management and reduce operational overhead.

What you will learn

  • Master next-generation firewall fundamentals
  • Design enterprise-grade security policies for the Internet gateway
  • Apply App-ID, URL filtering, and threat prevention
  • Automate policy deployment using Python, PAN-OS APIs, SDKs, and IaC tools
  • Customize response pages with Jinja2 and integrate them into service desk workflows
  • Test and validate with QA techniques and pilot testing
  • Migrate policies with confidence and zero downtime

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Publication date : Aug 29, 2025
Length: 438 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781835881293
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Product Details

Publication date : Aug 29, 2025
Length: 438 pages
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Table of Contents

17 Chapters
Part 1: Firewall Security Policy Fundamentals Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 1: Next-Gen Firewall Fundamentals Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 2: Navigating Real-World Firewall Management and Cyber Risks Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 3: PAN-OS Security Policy Features: Connection Matching Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 4: PAN-OS Security Policy Features:Connection Processing Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 5: Security Policy Design Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Part 2: Firewall Policy Automation Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 6: Firewall Automation and Management Choices Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 7: Setting Up Your Software Development Environment Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 8: Policy to Code: Foundations Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 9: Policy to Code: Advanced Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Part 3: Quality Assurance, Testing, and Go-Live Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 10: Quality Assurance, Customization, and Testing Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 11: Your First Cutover and Next Steps Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 12: Unlock Your Book’s Exclusive Benefits Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Other Books You May Enjoy Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
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