Open Virtual Network vs OpenDaylight
Open Virtual Network
ovn.orgOpenDaylight
opendaylight.orgSide by side
| Figure | Open Virtual Network | OpenDaylight |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Data Center Fabric Software | 7.3 (#5) | 7.6 (#3) |
| Spec score · Software-Defined Networking Software | 7.3 (#13) | 7.6 (#7) |
| Architecture | OVN translates virtual network configurations into OpenFlow and provides a higher-level abstraction based on logical routers and switches. | Its modular architecture uses YANG models and MD-SAL to connect applications with network hardware through northbound REST APIs and southbound plugins. |
| Purpose | OVN is a system that supports logical network abstraction in virtual machine and container environments. | OpenDaylight is an open source SDN controller for centralized, programmable network control and monitoring. |
| Release support | Standard term releases receive full bug-fix support for one year after initial release; LTS releases receive bug-fix support for two years and another year of critical and security fixes after a new LTS is released. | The downloads page lists Chromium-SR0, Vanadium-SR1, and Titanium-SR3 under supported releases. |
| Runtime | OVN is written in platform-independent C, runs entirely in userspace, and requires no kernel modules to be installed. | The site's setup instructions require Java 21 or later and state that OpenDaylight runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows. |
| Security | OVN’s security process directs vulnerability reports to the ovs-security mailing list for coordinated handling. | The AAA project provides authentication, authorization, accounting, and role-based access control for OpenDaylight northbound interfaces. |
Plans
In their own words
Open Virtual Network
Open Virtual Network (OVN) provides logical networking for virtual machine and container environments, intended for cloud management software. It converts virtual network configurations into OpenFlow and organizes them around logical routers and switches. Listed capabilities include distributed virtual routers and logical switches, access control lists, DHCP, and a DNS server. Tunnels or other encapsulations isolate logical networks from physical and virtual networks, allowing overlapping address spaces. Virtual machines can move between physical machines without network disruption, and gateways connect tunnel-based logical networks to physical networks. Examples of cloud-management integrations include OpenStack Neutron’s ml2/ovn plugin and ovn-kubernetes. OVN runs in userspace, needs no kernel modules, and is written in platform-independent C; its generic build guide covers Linux, FreeBSD, and NetBSD hosts. It is free under the Apache 2 license, with on-premises deployment, a centralized control plane, and a Linux and self-hosted platform listing. OpenSSL libssl is optional but recommended for secure connections to OVN database servers.
OpenDaylight
OpenDaylight is a free, open-source SDN controller for centralized, programmable network control and monitoring. Its modular design uses YANG models and MD-SAL to connect applications with network hardware through northbound REST APIs and southbound plugins. Listed protocol support includes OpenFlow, NETCONF, BGP-LS, PCEP, OVSDB, LISP, and SNMP, among others. Clustering, sharded data stores, and leader-based consensus support scaling across nodes. The project describes uses in optical transport, service-provider WAN automation, data center SDN, network telemetry, enterprise network control, and ONAP. Its AAA project provides authentication, authorization, accounting, and role-based access control for northbound interfaces. OpenDaylight is self-hosted and runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows; setup requires Java 21 or later. The downloads page identifies Chromium-SR0 as the current release and lists Vanadium-SR1 and Titanium-SR3 under supported releases. Documentation, Zulip chat, mailing lists, a wiki, and weekly Technical Steering Committee meetings are listed as community resources.