Software-Defined Networking separates the control plane from the data plane and exposes a centralized API. This chapter explains controllers, southbound vs northbound APIs, and intent-based software-defined fabrics.
Traditional networking puts both control and data planes inside every device. SDN extracts the control plane to a centralized controller — devices receive ready-made forwarding state and focus on data-plane operations.
A controller has two API surfaces. Southbound APIs (NetConf/YANG, OpenFlow, REST) program the network devices. Northbound APIs (REST/GraphQL) expose the network as a service to applications, dashboards, and automation.
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