| dc.description.abstract | This bachelor thesis concerns the development of the web application ACLgen. ACLgen is a
system for managing and generating access control lists for firewalls. The reason behind the
project is expressed as a need for a modern take on an already existing application that is outof-
date and no longer being maintained, to improve the day-to-day workflow for a network
engineer. The goal is to build the foundation for a web application that meets this need, with
further development in mind.
With ACLgen, a network engineer can generate rules and create abstract objects such as
hosts and services for re-usability through a web-based user interface. Changes are saved locally
and are visually tracked in the user interface, so that the user may see new additions and
changes before committing them to the server. The system supports storing rules along with
their related objects in a database, to persist the data. It also allows for managing multiple
networks by creating additional repositories and making separate sets of firewall rules.
The team takes advantage of modern technologies and development methods such as
Next.js, Django REST framework, and Scrum for agile development. Using these technologies
has allowed the team to build expandable core systems and a user interface with solid
interaction mechanisms to prevent creating invalid rules and objects.
This report focuses on exploring the possibilities and problems related to adapting and
improving a native legacy application into a web-based solution utilizing a modern software
stack without compromising on functionality. Research and development methods were
adapted in accordance with the environment constraints and a small user base. As a result,
the team has come up with solutions and suggestions on the uncovered challenges of the
legacy software adaptation. | |
