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Faucet

Faucet is an open-source OpenFlow controller for operators managing production networks.

Place
#18 of 26
Score
5.2
Faucet's website

What Faucet is

Faucet is an open-source OpenFlow controller for operators managing production networks. It shifts control tasks such as routing, neighbor discovery, and switching algorithms from network hardware into vendor-independent server software, with a centralized control plane. It supports OpenFlow 1.3.x switches with multiple tables and group tables, plus VLANs, IPv4 and IPv6, static and BGP routing, access control lists, port mirroring, and switch stacking. Policy-based forwarding can hand processing to external systems, including 802.1X through hostapd. Configuration uses YAML, with a documented command to check it before loading. Installation options include pip3, apt-get, and Docker; the deployment guide describes a host setup alongside Gauge, Prometheus, and Grafana. Monitoring also includes InfluxDB time-series statistics. Switch control can use TLS, and redundant controllers can provide high availability, though they do not share state. Faucet is free and licensed under Apache-2.0. It supports Linux and self-hosted deployments.

Good

  • Supports VLANs, IPv4 and IPv6, routing, ACLs, and mirroring
  • Offers Prometheus, Grafana, and InfluxDB monitoring
  • Can install through pip3, apt-get, or Docker
  • Redundant controllers can provide high availability

Watch out

  • Vendor-specific pipelines such as Broadcom OFDPA are unsupported
  • No shared state between redundant controllers
  • Supports only a single RADIUS server
  • No RADIUS accounting or multiple RADIUS servers

Who it suits

Faucet suits network operators managing production networks with OpenFlow hardware. It is relevant to teams that want server-based network control and YAML configuration.

Verdict

Faucet brings a broad set of switching, routing, policy, and monitoring functions to OpenFlow 1.3.x networks. Check switch compatibility and its RADIUS limitations before choosing it.

The facts

Each one read from Faucet's own pages, with the date it was checked.

What it does

Availability
The site describes high availability using redundant controllers with the same configuration, without shared state or inter process communication.checked 7 Oct 2026
Configuration
Network configuration uses YAML, and the documentation provides a command to check configuration before loading it.checked 7 Oct 2026
Deployment model
The installation guide describes installing and configuring Faucet on a host alongside Gauge, Prometheus, and Grafana.checked 7 Oct 2026
Hardware support
Faucet supports OpenFlow 1.3.x switches with multiple tables and group tables; vendor-specific pipelines such as Broadcom OFDPA are not supported.checked 7 Oct 2026
High availability
The maker describes high availability by running redundant controllers on separate hardware with the same configuration, without state sharing between them.checked 7 Oct 2026
How it works
It moves network control functions such as routing, neighbor discovery, and switching algorithms to vendor independent server based software.checked 7 Oct 2026
Installation
The maker says Faucet can be installed with pip3, apt-get, or Docker.checked 7 Oct 2026
Integrations
The documentation lists integrations including doveSnap, pipette, Poseidon, DAQ, Forch, and a GNS3 Faucet appliance.checked 7 Oct 2026
Intended users
The maker presents Faucet for network operators managing production networks and OpenFlow hardware.checked 7 Oct 2026
License
The project repository identifies Faucet as licensed under Apache-2.0.checked 7 Oct 2026
Monitoring
Faucet supports Grafana dashboards, Prometheus monitoring and instrumentation, and InfluxDB time-series statistics.checked 7 Oct 2026
Network features
The listed features include VLANs, IPv4 and IPv6, static and BGP routing, ACLs, port mirroring, and switch stacking.checked 7 Oct 2026
Notable limit
Faucet connects to a single RADIUS server and does not support RADIUS accounting or multiple RADIUS servers.checked 7 Oct 2026
Policy forwarding
Policy-based forwarding can offload processing to external systems, including 802.1X via hostapd.checked 7 Oct 2026
Product
Faucet is an open-source OpenFlow controller for production networks that moves network control functions into vendor-independent server software.checked 7 Oct 2026
Security
The switch control channel can use TLS on a dedicated port, and switches can use fail-secure or fail-standalone behavior.checked 7 Oct 2026
Support
Users can ask questions and request features through the mailing list, and report issues through GitHub.checked 7 Oct 2026
Supported systems
The documentation lists Debian 10+, Raspbian 10+, Raspberry Pi OS 11+, and Ubuntu 18.04+ for its apt repository.checked 7 Oct 2026
Switching and routing
It supports VLANs, IPv4 and IPv6, static and BGP routing, access control lists, port mirroring, and switch stacking.checked 7 Oct 2026
Switch support
Faucet controls hardware supporting OpenFlow 1.3.x with multiple tables; vendor specific pipelines such as Broadcom OFDPA are not supported.checked 7 Oct 2026

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