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Software-Defined Networking (SDN) enables innovation in network management by giving a programmable controller direct control over the underlying switches through an open, standard API, like Open-Flow. However, existing SDN controllers offer programmers a low-level programming interface akin to assembly language. In this article, we present Pyretic, a programming platform that raises the level of abstraction and enables the creation of modular software, allowing programmers to create sophisticated SDN applications.

Managing today’s computer networks is a complex and error-prone task. These networks consist of a wide variety of devices, from routers and switches to firewalls, network-address translators, load balancers, and intrusion-detection systems. Network administrators must express policies through tedious box-by-box configuration, while grappling with a multitude of protocols and baroque, vendor-specific interfaces.