OpenDaylight (ODL) is an open-source Software-Defined Networking (SDN) controller platform developed under the Linux Foundation.
It provides a modular and flexible platform that allows network administrators and developers to build, manage, and automate modern networks using open standards.
In simple terms —
👉 OpenDaylight acts as the “brain” of an SDN network, controlling how switches, routers, and other devices forward traffic.
⚙️ Why OpenDaylight?
OpenDaylight was created to promote:
- Network programmability (control via software instead of CLI)
- Vendor interoperability (support for multi-vendor devices)
- Open standards (no lock-in with a single vendor)
- Rapid innovation (community-driven development)
It supports various southbound and northbound APIs, making it adaptable to different types of networks (enterprise, data center, service provider).
🧩 OpenDaylight Architecture Overview
OpenDaylight follows the typical SDN 3-layer architecture:
| Plane | Function | Example Components |
|---|---|---|
| Application Plane | User applications that define network policies, monitoring, automation | Custom apps, analytics tools |
| Control Plane (ODL Core) | Makes decisions and manages network state | ODL Controller, MD-SAL, Protocol plugins |
| Data Plane | Network devices that forward packets | OpenFlow switches, routers, virtual switches (OVS) |
🧱 Key Components of OpenDaylight
- Model-Driven Service Abstraction Layer (MD-SAL)
- The core framework of ODL.
- Acts as a broker between applications and the network devices.
- Enables modularity and plug-in integration.
- Southbound Interfaces (SBIs)
- Used to communicate with network devices.
- Supports multiple protocols like:
- OpenFlow
- NETCONF
- BGP-LS
- PCEP
- SNMP
- Northbound Interfaces (NBIs)
- Used by applications to communicate with the controller.
- Typically REST APIs or YANG models.
- Network Services & Plugins
- Include features such as topology management, path computation, device discovery, and statistics collection.
- Karaf Container
- ODL runs inside the Apache Karaf OSGi container, which allows dynamic loading/unloading of components (bundles).
🧰 Supported Protocols
OpenDaylight supports many southbound protocols, including:
- OpenFlow – For flow-based control
- NETCONF/YANG – For configuration and device management
- BGP-LS & PCEP – For routing and traffic engineering
- OVSDB – For managing Open vSwitch instances
🚀 Features and Capabilities
- Centralized network management
- Dynamic path computation and optimization
- Multi-vendor interoperability
- Network virtualization support
- Extensible architecture (plug-in based)
- Integration with NFV (Network Function Virtualization)
💡 Use Cases
- Data Center SDN – Automate provisioning and scaling of network resources.
- WAN SDN – Implement centralized routing, TE (Traffic Engineering).
- Network Virtualization – Integrate with OpenStack, OVS, and cloud platforms.
- Service Provider Networks – Control and orchestrate large-scale multi-vendor networks.
🏗️ Example Workflow
- Network device (e.g., OpenFlow switch) connects to OpenDaylight controller.
- Controller discovers the topology and collects network state.
- Network applications send instructions via REST APIs (e.g., create a flow path).
- ODL controller pushes flow rules to the switches.
- Traffic flows according to software-defined policies.
🧩 Integration Ecosystem
- OpenStack Neutron (for cloud SDN)
- Mininet (for SDN simulation)
- Open vSwitch (OVS) (for virtualization)
- ONAP / ETSI MANO (for NFV orchestration)
🌍 Summary
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Project Type | Open-source SDN controller |
| Maintained by | Linux Foundation |
| Core Framework | MD-SAL |
| Container Platform | Apache Karaf |
| API Support | REST, YANG, OpenFlow, NETCONF |
| Goal | Enable programmable, vendor-neutral, and automated networks |
The Lazy Networker 
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