Automate your network documentation - Transceiver API access

We are excited to announce two new features that many of you have been waiting for. With the Transceiver Lookup and the Serial Number API, you can now access detailed information about your FLEXOPTIX devices directly – and feed that data straight into tools like NetBox or any other inventory and automation platform you rely on.

Start Here: The Transceiver Lookup

The quickest way to explore serial number data is the Transceiver Lookup. Once logged in, simply enter a serial number manually or scan the label with your camera. You instantly get key details about your transceiver: F-Series, form factor, part number, compatibility, wavelength, reach, bandwidth, temperature range, and current programming - without having to physically insert the transceiver into your FLEXBOX.

From Conversation to NetBox Plugin: How Moritz Put the API to Work

The Serial Number API did not start in a vacuum. It started with a conversation.

Moritz Frenzel of EdgeOps GmbH approached our CTO Thomas Weible with a straightforward question: could FLEXOPTIX provide a way to automatically retrieve cable information based on a serial number? His goal was to integrate this data directly into NetBox and eliminate manual inventory maintenance. He also offered to test an early beta version in his own environment and share his findings with us.

We took him up on it.

With beta access in place, Moritz went further than a basic integration – he developed a dedicated NetBox plugin that queries product specs from the Serial Number API and feeds it directly into his inventory system. The plugin is available on GitHub and should be considered a "working proof of concept rather than a production-ready solution", but it already demonstrates what becomes possible with the Serial Number API in place.

No copy-pasting, no drift between what is deployed in the field and what is documented in NetBox - just a scalable workflow that keeps inventory accurate without additional effort.

Interested in building on it? Find the plugin here:
https://github.com/EdgeOps-GmbH/netbox-flexoptix-api

Serial numbers registered from November 15, 2024 onward are currently available via the Serial Number API. We are actively working on backfilling serial numbers dating back to January 2014, which we expect to complete within the next two weeks. In addition, we will be incorporating the last configured programming into the API response output — this is already in progress and will be rolled out as part of an upcoming update.

Get Started

To keep things clean and secure, we recommend not running serial number queries through your personal account. Instead, create a dedicated API User – purpose-built for programmatic access only, with no login access and no ability to place orders. Access tokens are valid for one hour, so your automation workflow should request a fresh token before each session.

Ready to go further? API access can be requested directly from within the Transceiver Lookup, or directly via our Service Desk. Once granted, create your dedicated API User and start querying your device data programmatically.

The full API documentation is available here (upon feature activation): API Documentation

For questions or clarifications, we are of course happy to assist you.

Best regards,
Your FLEXOPTIX Team