ONAP
- Android app
- Not listed
- Free plan
- Yes
- Runs on
- api, Linux, self-hosted, Web
Summary
ONAP is an open-source platform for designing, orchestrating, observing, and automating network and edge services. It manages service lifecycles for physical, virtual, and cloud-native network functions using real-time, policy-driven capabilities. Its design and runtime functions cover service implementation, analytics, monitoring, alarm and event correlation, and closed-loop automation for ongoing optimization. The Portal Framework provides role-based access for service designers and operations personnel. ONAP is modular, allowing users to select individual orchestration functions, and its Operations Manager uses Kubernetes to deploy and manage components. Published blueprints include 5G, virtual CPE, broadband, VoLTE, and cross-domain VPN services. The 5G blueprint was developed with 3GPP, TM Forum, ETSI, and the O-RAN Software Community. A full deployment guide lists 224 GB RAM, 160 GB disk, and 112 vCores, though selecting components can substantially reduce requirements. The platform is free; Linux Foundation training includes both free introductory material and a paid fundamentals course.
Who it is for
ONAP is intended for network, software, IT, and cloud providers and developers, as well as network operators and enterprises. It suits teams needing service lifecycle management and orchestration for network functions.
What is good
- Supports physical, virtual, and cloud-native functions.
- Includes monitoring and closed-loop automation.
- Modular functions can be selected individually.
- Provides role-based access for design and operations.
What to know first
- Full deployment guide lists 224 GB RAM.
- Full deployment guide lists 160 GB disk.
- Full deployment guide lists 112 vCores.
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ONAP: the full review
ONAP offers modular network-service orchestration with lifecycle management, monitoring, and automation. Its listed full-deployment requirements are substantial, though selecting components can reduce them considerably.
ONAP is a modular platform for orchestrating network and edge services across physical, virtual, and cloud-native functions. It is best suited to network operators, cloud providers, enterprises, and developers with the capacity to deploy and operate a Kubernetes-based system. Its broad lifecycle automation is compelling for complex networks, but a full installation calls for substantial infrastructure.
Overview
ONAP brings service design, implementation, orchestration, analytics, and lifecycle management into a vendor-agnostic operating framework. Its policy-driven approach is aimed at coordinating services at scale, not automating everyday office workflows. Teams can adopt individual orchestration functions rather than deploying every component, which makes the platform more adaptable to a specific network environment.
Key features
ONAP supports synchronous orchestration of physical and virtual network functions, with configuration management, workflow orchestration, and network testing. Runtime monitoring, analytics, alarm and event correlation, and closed-loop automation help operations teams respond to service conditions and optimize services continuously. This makes ONAP a stronger fit for ongoing network operations than for one-off task automation.
The Portal Framework provides role-based access to design-time and runtime environments for service designers and operations staff. Published blueprints cover 5G, virtual CPE, broadband, VoLTE, cross-domain VPN, and multi-domain optical network services. The 5G blueprint was developed with 3GPP, TM Forum, ETSI, and the O-RAN Software Community, giving teams a standards-oriented foundation for that use case.
The Paris release supports generative AI solutions powered by large language models, along with work on intent-driven networks and Model-As-a-Service. These capabilities extend the platform's direction, but ONAP's established core remains network-service orchestration and lifecycle management.
Pricing
ONAP is open source and free. Its ONAP plan costs 0.00 USD per free and provides the software platform; there is no free trial because access is already free. There are no paid tiers or seat-based limits described. The trade-off is operational: users deploy and manage the platform themselves rather than buying a packaged service.
Deployment runs on Kubernetes through the ONAP Operations Manager. The full-deployment infrastructure guide calls for 224 GB RAM, 160 GB disk, and 112 vCores, although selecting components can reduce those requirements substantially. Kubernetes can run on bare metal or environments such as OpenStack, Azure, and AWS. This footprint and deployment work make ONAP a poor match for teams seeking lightweight, managed automation.
Platforms
ONAP supports API, Linux, self-hosted, and web environments. It orchestrates physical network functions, virtual network functions, and cloud-native network functions. The Operations Manager uses Kubernetes to deploy, monitor, and manage component lifecycles.
Who it's for
Network, software, IT, and cloud providers and developers are its core audience, along with network operators and enterprises managing complex services. It suits organizations that need policy-driven control across network domains and can dedicate engineering resources to deployment and operations. Teams after a general workflow tool or a low-overhead hosted service should look elsewhere.
Community participation is open, with documentation, developer guidance, mailing lists, project calls, and Technical Steering Committee meetings. The Linux Foundation offers free introductory eLearning and a paid ONAP Fundamentals course; ONAP does not describe a product support service.
Pros and cons
- Pro: Modular adoption lets teams select orchestration functions instead of committing to every component.
- Pro: Monitoring, event correlation, and closed-loop automation connect service orchestration with ongoing operations.
- Pro: Role-based access separates design and operations responsibilities.
- Con: A full deployment's stated resource requirements are large, and Kubernetes deployment adds operational responsibility.
- Con: Known issues and limitations are documented in individual project release notes, so teams need to review the relevant projects before adoption.
Security work in the Paris release includes HTTPS ports, removal of hard-coded passwords, non-root Kubernetes pods, CVE mitigation, and Istio and Ingress Gateway for secure component communications. The CPS and Policy Framework projects have OpenSSF Gold Badging, and ONAP adopted the OpenSSF Best Practice Badge Program. Vulnerability reports go to its security mailing list for confidential handling by trusted community security experts.
Alternatives
For a different orchestration focus, Kestra is a free, open-source option with a free plan and trial across API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web, and Windows environments. Windmill is worth considering if its free and open-source plan fits: it includes 3 workspaces, 50 users, and 10 GiB of workspace object storage, with a free trial and support for API, Linux, self-hosted, web, and Windows.
Orkes Conductor offers a free Developer Edition with Conductor OSS and enterprise features, early access, workflow templates, and community support. AWS Step Functions has a free tier that does not expire after the 12-month AWS Free Tier term, while Google Cloud Workflows offers an Always Free allowance of 5,000 internal and 2,000 external steps, plus a pay-as-you-go plan at 0.01 USD per month.
StackStorm is another free, open-source option with API, Linux, self-hosted, and web platforms and no paid products. For enterprise workload automation with a free trial, consider HCL Workload Automation, which uses custom pricing. ActiveBatch is also a paid alternative with custom pricing.
For category comparisons, see IT Orchestration Software and Network Automation Software.
Verdict
Choose ONAP if your organization needs modular, policy-driven orchestration and closed-loop lifecycle management across network functions, and can take on Kubernetes deployment and operations. Its breadth and free open-source model are meaningful advantages for that work. Look elsewhere if your needs are general-purpose workflow automation or a full deployment's infrastructure demands outweigh its network-specific capabilities.
ONAP plans and pricing
All plansCompared on network automation software
Facts
- What it does
- ONAP is an open source platform for real-time, policy-driven orchestration and automation of physical and virtual network functions, supporting service lifecycle management.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- The platform is intended for network, software, IT, and cloud providers and developers; the homepage also names network operators, cloud providers, and enterprises.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Design and operations
- ONAP provides service design, implementation, analytics, lifecycle management, and synchronous orchestration of physical and virtual network functions.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Automation features
- Its runtime includes monitoring, analytics, alarm and event correlation, and closed-loop automation for ongoing service optimization.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Access controls
- The design-time and runtime environments use the Portal Framework, with role-based access for service designers and operations personnel.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Integrations and standards
- The 5G blueprint was developed in cooperation with 3GPP, TM Forum, ETSI, and the O-RAN Software Community.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Example use cases
- Published blueprints include 5G, virtual CPE, broadband service, VoLTE, cross-domain VPN, and multi-domain optical network service.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Deployment requirements
- The current OOM infrastructure guide lists 224 GB RAM, 160 GB disk, and 112 vCores for a full deployment, and says deploying only selected components can reduce those requirements substantially.docs.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Security
- The Paris release highlights describe HTTPS ports, removal of hard-coded passwords, non-root Kubernetes pods, CVE mitigation, and Istio and Ingress Gateway for secure component communications.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Security reporting
- ONAP directs code vulnerability reports to its security mailing list and says trusted community security experts handle reports confidentially.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Security practices
- The ONAP Software page says the CPS and Policy Framework projects achieved OpenSSF Gold Badging and that ONAP adopted the OpenSSF Best Practice Badge Program.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Limitations
- The ONAP Software page directs users to each project’s release notes for known issues and limitations.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Training and support
- ONAP links to free Linux Foundation eLearning courses and a paid ONAP Fundamentals course; the page does not describe a product support service.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Project origin
- The Linux Foundation announced ONAP’s formation in February 2017 through the merger of the open source ECOMP and OPEN-O projects.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- ONAP provides design, orchestration, observability, and automation of network and edge services for operators, cloud providers, and enterprises.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Service lifecycle
- Its real-time, policy-driven, and AI-assisted capabilities support orchestration of physical, virtual, and cloud-native network functions and service lifecycle management.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Architecture
- ONAP provides a vendor-agnostic operating framework for policy-driven service design, implementation, analytics, and lifecycle management at large scale.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Cloud deployment
- ONAP is a cloud-native application, and its Operations Manager uses Kubernetes to deploy, monitor, and manage component lifecycles.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Automation
- The runtime environment supports closed-loop automation, monitoring, analytics, and alarm and event correlation.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Access control
- The Portal Framework provides access to design-time and runtime environments with role-based access for service designers and operations personnel.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Use cases
- Published blueprints include 5G, virtual CPE, broadband service, VoLTE, and cross-domain VPN use cases.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Standards and ecosystem
- The 5G blueprint was developed in cooperation with standards and open-source organizations including 3GPP, TM Forum, ETSI, and the O-RAN Software Community.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Modular components
- The Paris release describes ONAP as individual, modular network orchestration functions that users can select and adopt.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- AI capabilities
- The Paris release supports generative AI solutions powered by large language models and enhancements for intent-driven networks and Model-As-a-Service.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Training
- The Linux Foundation lists free ONAP introductory eLearning and a paid ONAP Fundamentals eLearning course.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Support and participation
- Community participation is open to all, with developer guidance, documentation, mailing lists, project calls, and regular Technical Steering Committee meetings.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
- Known limitations
- ONAP states that known issues and limitations are documented in the release notes for each project.onap.org · 4 Oct 2026
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Sources
- onap.org/about· checked 4 Oct 2026
- onap.org/architecture· checked 4 Oct 2026
- onap.org/architecture/use-cases-blue-prints· checked 4 Oct 2026
- docs.onap.org/projects/onap-oom/en/latest/sections/gu· checked 4 Oct 2026
- onap.org/software· checked 4 Oct 2026
- onap.org/about/reporting-security-issues· checked 4 Oct 2026
- onap.org/resources/onap-training· checked 4 Oct 2026
- onap.org/announcement/2017/02/23/the-linux-found· checked 4 Oct 2026
- onap.org· checked 4 Oct 2026
- onap.org/home/community· checked 4 Oct 2026