Add plan and reference card for UniFi Express 7 Pulumi stack

Documents the approach for bringing the home WiFi router under IaC control using filipowm/unifi Terraform provider via pulumi package add. Includes network segmentation goals, topology diagram, and prerequisites checklist. Execution deferred until switches arrive and cabling is done. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-02-10 15:36:14 -08:00 · 2026-02-10 15:34:59 -08:00 · 2026-02-10 15:34:59 -08:00
commit 5002987024
7 changed files with 307 additions and 1 deletions
--- a/docs/changelog.d/feature-unifi-pulumi.doc.md
+++ b/docs/changelog.d/feature-unifi-pulumi.doc.md
@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Add plan and reference card for UniFi Express 7 Pulumi IaC management.
--- a/docs/how-to/how-to.md
+++ b/docs/how-to/how-to.md
@ -53,3 +53,4 @@ Migration and transition plans for upcoming infrastructure changes.
 |------|-------------|
 | [[plans]] | Index of all plans |
 | [[migrate-forgejo-from-brew]] | Transition Forgejo from Homebrew to source-built binary |
+| [[add-unifi-pulumi-stack]] | Add Pulumi IaC for UniFi Express 7 |
--- a/docs/how-to/plans/add-unifi-pulumi-stack.md
+++ b/docs/how-to/plans/add-unifi-pulumi-stack.md
@ -0,0 +1,225 @@
+---
+title: "Plan: Add UniFi Pulumi Stack"
+tags:
+  - how-to
+  - plans
+  - networking
+  - pulumi
+---
+
+# Plan: Add UniFi Pulumi Stack
+
+> **Status:** Planned (not yet executed)
+> **Blocked by:** Ethernet switch purchase and cabling
+
+## Background
+
+The UniFi Express 7 (UX7) is the home WiFi router, currently unmanaged. This plan adds a Pulumi stack (`pulumi/unifi/`) to bring it under IaC control, following the same conventions as `pulumi/tailscale/` and `pulumi/gandi/`.
+
+### Why IaC for the Router?
+
+- **Reproducibility** — WiFi networks, firewall rules, and DHCP settings are declared in code
+- **Audit trail** — changes go through PR review like all other infrastructure
+- **Consistency** — joins the existing Pulumi stacks for Tailscale ACLs and DNS
+- **Network segmentation** — declare main/guest/IoT WiFi networks with proper firewall zones
+
+### Why This Is Blocked
+
+The UX7 has one LAN port, currently connected to [[sifaka]]. Modifying WiFi settings over WiFi would sever the management connection mid-apply. We need:
+
+1. **Two switches** (UniFi Switch Flex Mini recommended) daisy-chained:
+   - Switch A by the router: connects UX7, sifaka
+   - Switch B on the desk (~12ft cable): connects indri, ringtail, and optionally gilbert
+2. **Cat6 Ethernet cables**: one ~12ft run between switches, plus short cables for each device
+
+```
+UniFi Express 7 [LAN port]
+  └── Switch A (by router/sifaka)
+       ├── sifaka (short cable)
+       └── ~12ft Cat6 ──→ Switch B (on desk)
+                            ├── indri (Cat6)
+                            ├── ringtail (Cat6)
+                            └── (gilbert via USB-C adapter, optional)
+```
+
+Daisy-chaining is standard Layer 2 networking — no speed loss per device, no subnet impact. The only shared bottleneck is the 1 Gbps uplink between the two switches, which is more than adequate for homelab use. UniFi Flex Minis will appear in the UX7's controller for monitoring and eventual Pulumi management.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+Before starting the execution session:
+
+- [ ] Purchase 2x UniFi Switch Flex Mini (USW-Flex-Mini)
+- [ ] Purchase Cat6 cables: 1x ~12ft, 3-4x short (~3ft)
+- [ ] Cable everything up and verify all devices have network connectivity
+- [ ] Verify indri has an active wired Ethernet connection: `networksetup -getinfo "Ethernet"` should show an IP address
+- [ ] Create an API key on the UX7 via `https://192.168.1.1` → Settings → Control Plane → API (preferred over username/password for IaC)
+- [ ] Store UniFi credentials in 1Password: vault `blumeops`, item `unifi - blumeops`, fields `api_key` and `url`
+- [ ] Verify Pulumi CLI version is >= v3.147.0 (`pulumi version`)
+
+## Provider: filipowm/unifi via `pulumi package add`
+
+We use `pulumi package add terraform-provider filipowm/unifi 1.0.0` to consume the [filipowm fork](https://github.com/filipowm/terraform-provider-unifi) of the UniFi Terraform provider directly from Pulumi. This approach:
+
+- **Generates a local Python SDK** in `./sdks/unifi/` and adds a package reference to `Pulumi.yaml`
+- **Supports zone-based firewalls** — needed for main/guest/IoT WiFi segmentation and a dedicated blumeops services subnet
+- **Supports API key authentication** — cleaner than username/password for IaC
+- **Actively maintained** — v1.0.0, 520+ commits, not the abandoned upstream
+- **Uses Pulumi Cloud state** — same as existing stacks, free tier
+- **No fork/bridge maintenance** — just re-run `pulumi package add` on new provider versions
+
+### Why Not pulumiverse_unifi?
+
+The `pulumiverse_unifi` PyPI package bridges from `paultyng/terraform-provider-unifi`, which is in maintenance mode. It lacks zone-based firewalls, API key auth, and many newer resource types. The filipowm fork is the active community successor.
+
+## Network Segmentation Goals
+
+Once the stack is operational, we plan to configure these network zones:
+
+| Network | VLAN | Subnet | Purpose |
+|---------|------|--------|---------|
+| Default LAN | 1 | `192.168.1.0/24` | Main network (indri, gilbert, ringtail, sifaka) |
+| Guest | TBD | `192.168.2.0/24` | Guest WiFi, internet-only |
+| IoT | TBD | `192.168.3.0/24` | Smart devices, isolated from LAN |
+
+Zone-based firewall rules will enforce:
+
+- Guest → Internet only (no LAN, no IoT)
+- IoT → Internet + limited LAN access (e.g., mDNS)
+- LAN → full access
+
+These will be declared after the initial import is stable.
+
+## Pulumi Stack Structure
+
+Following the conventions of `pulumi/tailscale/` and `pulumi/gandi/`:
+
+```
+pulumi/unifi/
+├── Pulumi.yaml                  # name: blumeops-unifi, python runtime, uv toolchain
+│                                # includes parameterized package reference for filipowm/unifi
+├── Pulumi.home-network.yaml     # Stack config: router_url, site
+├── pyproject.toml               # Python >=3.11, pulumi>=3.0.0
+├── sdks/unifi/                  # Generated Python SDK from pulumi package add
+│   └── ...                      # (auto-generated, committed to repo)
+├── __main__.py                  # Main program with safety guard
+├── .gitignore                   # .venv/, __pycache__/, *.py[cod]
+└── uv.lock                     # Generated by uv sync, committed
+```
+
+### Provider Configuration
+
+**Authentication** (via environment variables in mise tasks):
+
+| Variable | Value | Notes |
+|----------|-------|-------|
+| `UNIFI_API_KEY` | from 1Password | API key created in UX7 control plane |
+| `UNIFI_API` | `https://192.168.1.1:443` | No `/api` suffix — SDK auto-discovers `/proxy/network` for UniFi OS |
+| `UNIFI_INSECURE` | `true` | UX7 uses a self-signed TLS certificate |
+
+### Safety Guard
+
+The `__main__.py` must fail fast before creating any Pulumi resources if:
+
+1. **Wrong host** — `platform.node()` is not `indri`
+2. **No wired connection** — `networksetup -getinfo "Ethernet"` shows no active Ethernet
+
+This prevents accidentally running the stack from gilbert over WiFi.
+
+## Execution Steps
+
+### Step 1: Create Stack Directory and Install Provider
+
+```fish
+mkdir -p pulumi/unifi
+cd pulumi/unifi
+# Create Pulumi.yaml, pyproject.toml, .gitignore, __main__.py
+pulumi package add terraform-provider filipowm/unifi 1.0.0
+# This generates sdks/unifi/ and updates Pulumi.yaml with package reference
+pulumi install
+uv sync
+```
+
+### Step 2: Create Stack Files
+
+Create `Pulumi.yaml`, `Pulumi.home-network.yaml`, `pyproject.toml`, `.gitignore`, and `__main__.py`. The main program should declare:
+
+- **Ethernet safety guard** (hostname + wired connection check)
+- **Default LAN network** resource (corporate, `192.168.1.0/24`, DHCP)
+- **WiFi WLAN** resources (commented out initially — need SSID names and IDs from the controller)
+- **Exports** for router IP, network ID, subnet
+
+### Step 3: Create Mise Tasks
+
+Create `mise-tasks/unifi-preview` and `mise-tasks/unifi-up` following the pattern from `tailnet-up`/`dns-up`:
+
+```bash
+UNIFI_API_KEY=$(op read "op://blumeops/unifi - blumeops/api_key")
+export UNIFI_API="https://192.168.1.1:443"
+export UNIFI_INSECURE="true"
+```
+
+### Step 4: Initialize Stack (on indri)
+
+```fish
+cd pulumi/unifi
+uv sync
+pulumi stack init home-network
+```
+
+### Step 5: Import Existing Resources
+
+Discover resource IDs from the UniFi controller API or web UI, then import:
+
+```fish
+# Import default network
+pulumi import unifi:index/network:Network default-lan <network-id>
+
+# Later, import WLANs
+pulumi import unifi:index/wlan:Wlan home-wifi <wlan-id>
+```
+
+Adjust `__main__.py` resource properties to match the actual controller state until `pulumi preview` shows no diff.
+
+### Step 6: Documentation Updates
+
+- Create `docs/reference/infrastructure/unifi.md` reference card
+- Update `docs/reference/infrastructure/hosts.md` — link UniFi row to `[[unifi|Details]]`
+- Update `docs/reference/reference.md` — add `[[unifi]]` to Infrastructure section
+- Add changelog fragment
+
+### Step 7: Verify
+
+- `mise run unifi-preview` shows no unexpected diffs
+- Pre-commit hooks pass
+- `docs-check-links` and `docs-check-index` pass
+
+## Known Limitations
+
+- **macOS-specific guard** — the `networksetup` check only works on macOS, which is fine since indri is permanently macOS
+- **User group ID discovery** — the provider may not expose a `get_user_group` data source. Must be discovered manually from the controller API (`/proxy/network/api/s/default/rest/usergroup`) and hardcoded
+
+## Future Considerations
+
+- **Firewall rules** — declare zone-based firewall rules after the initial import is stable
+- **UnPoller** — add Prometheus metrics exporter for UniFi gear, integrates with existing Grafana stack
+- **Switch management** — manage the USW-Flex-Minis via the same Pulumi stack once adopted into the UX7 controller
+- **Provider updates** — re-run `pulumi package add terraform-provider filipowm/unifi <new-version>` to update
+
+## Reference Pattern Files
+
+| File | Purpose |
+|------|---------|
+| `pulumi/tailscale/__main__.py` | Pulumi program pattern (resources, exports, data sources) |
+| `pulumi/gandi/__main__.py` | Config resolution pattern (`pulumi.Config().require()`) |
+| `pulumi/tailscale/Pulumi.yaml` | Project definition pattern |
+| `pulumi/gandi/Pulumi.eblu-me.yaml` | Stack config pattern |
+| `mise-tasks/tailnet-up` | Mise task credential pattern (`op read`) |
+| `docs/reference/infrastructure/gandi.md` | Infrastructure reference card pattern |
+
+## Related
+
+- [[hosts]] - Device inventory (UniFi Express 7)
+- [[unifi]] - Reference card
+- [[power]] - UPS power chain
+- [[indri]] - Server connected via Cat6 Ethernet
+- [[tailscale]] - Tailnet networking
--- a/docs/how-to/plans/plans.md
+++ b/docs/how-to/plans/plans.md
@ -14,3 +14,4 @@ Plans differ from regular how-to guides in that they describe work that has been
 | Plan | Status | Description |
 |------|--------|-------------|
 | [[migrate-forgejo-from-brew]] | Planned | Transition Forgejo from Homebrew to source-built binary with LaunchAgent |
+| [[add-unifi-pulumi-stack]] | Planned | Add Pulumi IaC for UniFi Express 7 home network |
--- a/docs/reference/infrastructure/hosts.md
+++ b/docs/reference/infrastructure/hosts.md
@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ All devices connected via [Tailscale](https://login.tailscale.com/) tailnet `tai
 | **Gilbert** | MacBook Air M4, 2025 - Workstation | [[gilbert|Details]] |
 | **[[sifaka|Sifaka]]** | Synology NAS - Storage & backups | [[sifaka|Details]] |
 | **Mouse** | MacBook Air M2 - Allison's laptop | - |
-| **UniFi** | UniFi Express 7 - Home WiFi | - |
+| **UniFi** | UniFi Express 7 - Home WiFi | [[unifi|Details]] |
 | **Dwarf** | iPad Air - Employer-provided, off tailnet | - |

 ## Related
--- a/docs/reference/infrastructure/unifi.md
+++ b/docs/reference/infrastructure/unifi.md
@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+---
+title: UniFi
+tags:
+  - infrastructure
+  - networking
+---
+
+# UniFi
+
+Home WiFi router and network controller, managed via Pulumi IaC.
+
+## Quick Reference
+
+| Property | Value |
+|----------|-------|
+| **Model** | UniFi Express 7 (UX7) |
+| **LAN IP** | `192.168.1.1` |
+| **Management URL** | `https://192.168.1.1` |
+| **IaC** | `pulumi/unifi/` (planned) |
+| **Stack** | `home-network` (planned) |
+| **Power** | Battery-backed via UPS (see [[power]]) |
+
+## What It Does
+
+The UX7 is the home WiFi access point and network gateway. It provides:
+
+- WiFi (main, guest, IoT networks)
+- DHCP for `192.168.1.0/24`
+- Built-in UniFi controller for managing adopted devices (switches, APs)
+- Firewall and traffic management
+
+## Network Topology
+
+```
+ISP Modem
+  └── UniFi Express 7 [WAN]
+       └── [LAN port] ──→ Switch A (by router/sifaka)
+            ├── sifaka (Synology NAS)
+            └── ~12ft Cat6 ──→ Switch B (on desk)
+                                 ├── indri (Mac Mini, primary server)
+                                 ├── ringtail (Raspberry Pi)
+                                 └── (gilbert via USB-C adapter, optional)
+```
+
+All wired devices share the `192.168.1.0/24` subnet. The two daisy-chained UniFi Switch Flex Minis provide enough ports for all devices while using the UX7's single LAN port.
+
+## Pulumi Configuration (Planned)
+
+The Pulumi program will live in `pulumi/unifi/`:
+
+- `__main__.py` — declares networks, WLANs, and firewall zones
+- `Pulumi.home-network.yaml` — stack config (router URL, site)
+- `sdks/unifi/` — generated Python SDK from `pulumi package add terraform-provider filipowm/unifi`
+
+Provider: [filipowm/terraform-provider-unifi](https://github.com/filipowm/terraform-provider-unifi) v1.0.0, consumed via `pulumi package add terraform-provider`.
+
+See [[add-unifi-pulumi-stack]] for the full implementation plan.
+
+## Operations
+
+| Task | Command |
+|------|---------|
+| Preview changes | `mise run unifi-preview` (planned) |
+| Apply changes | `mise run unifi-up` (planned) |
+| Web management | `https://192.168.1.1` |
+
+## Authentication
+
+The provider uses an API key created in the UX7 control plane (Settings → Control Plane → API). The key is stored in 1Password (`op://blumeops/unifi - blumeops/api_key`) and injected via mise task environment variables.
+
+## Related
+
+- [[add-unifi-pulumi-stack]] - Implementation plan
+- [[hosts]] - Device inventory
+- [[power]] - UPS power chain
+- [[indri]] - Primary server (wired connection required for management)
+- [[tailscale]] - Tailnet networking
--- a/docs/reference/reference.md
+++ b/docs/reference/reference.md
@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ Host inventory and network configuration.
 - [[gilbert]] - Development workstation
 - [[tailscale]] - ACLs, groups, tags
 - [[gandi]] - DNS hosting for `eblu.me`
+- [[unifi]] - Home WiFi router (UniFi Express 7)
 - [[routing|Routing]] - DNS domains, port mappings
 - [[power]] - Battery-backed power chain
				`@ -0,0 +1 @@`
				`Add plan and reference card for UniFi Express 7 Pulumi IaC management.`