Instead of OpenDaylight
OpenDaylight alternatives
OpenDaylight provides a free, open-source control plane for centralized software-defined networking. Its YANG and MD-SAL architecture connects applications with hardware through REST APIs and southbound plugins, supporting protocols such as OpenFlow, NETCONF, BGP-LS, PCEP, OVSDB, LISP, and SNMP. Clustering, sharded data stores, and leader-based consensus support multi-node scaling. It also covers configuration management, workflow orchestration, telemetry, and network testing across Linux, macOS, Windows, API, and self-hosted deployments.
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ManageEngine Network Configuration Manager
Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+4Device configuration, backups, and compliance — ManageEngine focuses on configuration backups, change tracking, compliance, and firmware vulnerability details rather than SDN control.
Free plan · 30-day trial Visit site - 2
Containerlab
Free plan Open source APIExtensionLinux+4Declarative container-based networking labs — Containerlab orchestrates disposable networking labs and topologies, while OpenDaylight controls operational networks.
Open source Visit site - 3
ONOS
Free plan APILinuxMac+2Distributed software-defined network control — ONOS offers Kubernetes-oriented microservices, P4/P4Runtime and gNMI interfaces, and dynamic scaling alongside traditional southbound protocols.
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Cisco pyATS
Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hostedPython network testing and validation — pyATS is a Python testing framework with reusable Genie libraries and XPRESSO dashboards, not a centralized SDN controller.
Free plan Visit site - 5
Nautobot
Free plan APILinuxSelf-hosted+1Network inventory and automation source of truth — Nautobot manages devices, IPs, circuits, and VLANs with Jobs and APIs instead of directly providing SDN control.
Free plan Visit site - 6
ONAP
Free plan APILinuxSelf-hosted+1Policy-driven network-service orchestration — ONAP manages service design, lifecycle, analytics, and closed-loop orchestration for physical and virtual network functions.
Open source Visit site - 7
Arista NG Firewall
by Arista NG FirewallFree plan WebBasic firewall security and connectivity — Arista NG Firewall provides web-based firewall security and connectivity, whereas OpenDaylight provides programmable network control.
Free plan · paid from $25/mo · 30-day trial Visit site - 8
Open Virtual Network
Free plan LinuxSelf-hosted - 9
Cisco Catalyst Center
Paid APILinuxMac+3 - 10
Netris
Paid APILinuxSelf-hosted+1 - 11
Broadcom SANnav Management Portal
Paid LinuxWeb - 12
Arista CloudVision
Paid Web - 13
Aviz ONE
Paid - 14
Dell SmartFabric Manager
Paid LinuxWeb - 15
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Dell Active Fabric Manager
Paid Web - 17
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Nokia Fabric Services System
Paid Web - 19
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NVIDIA NetQ
Paid LinuxWeb - 21
NVIDIA Unified Fabric Manager (UFM)
Paid Web - 22
Pica8 AmpCon Network Controller
Paid Web - 23
Readers may prefer another product when they need device configuration workflows, a declarative lab, a network inventory, service lifecycle orchestration, or focused validation instead of a general SDN controller. OpenDaylight is self-hosted, requires Java 21 or later, and has no free trial; those requirements can affect adoption. Compare each option’s role, device and protocol coverage, automation scope, interfaces, deployment environment, and operational focus. Some alternatives specialize in a narrower job, while others overlap with OpenDaylight’s distributed control and orchestration capabilities.
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