# Resources

This is a collection of my favorite tools, applications, learning platforms and more that I use in my day-to-day life as a Network Engineer.

# Terminal

SecureCRT - Still the best Terminal emulator in the game in my opinion. Has every feature you could possibly look for and then some. It's subscription-based for updates, but once your subscription is up, you can continue using the version you're on indefinitely.
iTerm2 - Replaces the default terminal on Mac. Offers more options, flexibility, and customization. However, just like SecureCRT, I've probably utilized 10% of what it is actually capable of.
MobaXterm - Not a program I've used recently but a very solid choice when it comes to a full-featured terminal emulator. Windows only.

Visio - As I work primarily on a MacBook, I no longer use Visio. However when it comes to power and flexibility, Visio is still king. My best looking diagrams have come from Visio but the learning curve is higher and there's an infinite amount of customization you can do. That power can be useful — but may be overkill for many diagrams.
draw.io - I've moved to draw.io as my diagram solution of choice since it's FOSS, supports exporting to several formats, is sufficiently powerful, and supports git. In a world where everything is a subscription, great quality free software is gold. I recommend any prospective network engineer learn how to make great diagrams, and draw.io is a wonderful application to learn.
Lucid Chart - Great solution for cross-platform diagrams, but it comes at the cost of a monthly subscription. Gentler learning curve than Visio, but capable of similarly in-depth diagrams.
Excalidraw - The king of quick diagrams and white-boarding sessions. If I need visualize something quickly or I'm asked to provide a diagram for something small, Excalidraw is my first choice.

Obsidian - My note-taking program and personal knowledge-base. It's cross-platform, incredibly polished, and highly extensible with plugins. All notes are stored in markdown local to your machine. One of my all time favorite apps.
Raindrop.io - I use this to store bookmarks on the web so I'm not locked into a single web browser.
Visual Studio Code - My personal favorite text editor. Well-supported, powerful, and extensible with Github integration. There's an awesome Containerlab plugin that will free you from the Linux command line, generate diagrams, and more.
Wireshark - Needs no introduction. It's an engineers best friend and one of the best ways to really learn how this all works.
Claude - My LLM of choice. I've found Claude especially reliable when it comes to technical accuracy — great for reviewing configs, logic, and documentation.

Containerlab - The platform that inspired me to create this site in the first place. Network Emulators like VIRL, GNS3, and EVE-NG were game changers for learning networking, as you no longer had to have a stack of hardware running in your office. In my opinion, Containerlab is an evolution and the next best thing.