Chapter 2: Think Like a Programmer Before You Write Like One

What is Pseudocode?

Pseudocode, also called pseudo-language, is a simple and clear way to describe what a computer program or algorithm is supposed to do. It uses straightforward language and formatting that make it easy for anyone, even those new to programming, to understand.

Pseudocode isn’t an actual programming language, so you can’t run it like a program.

Instead, think of it as a plan, a rough outline that helps you map out the logic behind your code before you start writing it in a programming language. It’s a handy tool for figuring out the steps you need to take to solve a problem, and it doesn’t get bogged down in the specific rules of any one programming language.

Because pseudocode is written in a way that people can easily read, it’s perfect for sharing with a team of designers, programmers, and other folks. This makes it easier to check that everyone’s on the same page and that the coding matches what the design is supposed to be. Catching mistakes at this early stage is also cheaper and easier than finding them later on in the development process. Once everyone agrees on the pseudocode, it can be turned into the actual code using a programming language.

Why Pseudocode Matters for Network Engineers

Before jumping into Python scripts, YAML files, or Jinja2 templates, every network automation journey should start with one thing: clear thinking.

That’s where pseudocode comes in.

For network engineers, coding isn’t about building software from scratch but creating tools and workflows to make the network smarter, faster, and more reliable. Whether you're automating interface checks, validating routing adjacencies, pushing BGP policies, or pulling telemetry from hundreds of devices, the logic behind what you're doing must be sound.

For beginners, pseudocode can be the perfect bridge between how you think as an engineer and how you’ll express that logic in code. It’s human-readable. It's platform-agnostic. And it forces you to design automation workflows that are understandable, modular, and resilient, before a single line of code is ever written.

Too often, beginner engineers try to jump straight into syntax. However, without a plan, that’s simply copying and pasting from GitHub and hoping it works. Pseudocode helps you step back and architect your logic like you would a network topology, clean, clear, and with purpose.

In this chapter, you’ll see how classic programming structures like conditionals, loops, functions, and sequences look when applied to real network tasks. From inventory systems to interface validations, we’ll use pseudocode to map out solutions in a language every network engineer can understand, even before they’re fluent in Python.

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