flexiWAN
flexiWAN is an open source, modular software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) platform focused on disaggregating Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) software from underlying hardware and enabling third-party application integration.
- Open source, modular SD-WAN software platform (networking)
- Disaggregated architecture separating SD-WAN software from white-box or commodity hardware (networking)
- Support for centrally managed branch and edge connectivity with traffic steering and policy control (networking)
- Application framework and APIs for integrating third-party networking and security functions (networking, security)
- Cloud-hosted and self-hosted management options for multi-site Wide Area Network (WAN) deployments (network management)
More About flexiWAN
flexiWAN provides an open source SD-WAN (networking) platform designed for enterprises, service providers, and managed service providers that want software-based control over branch and edge connectivity without lock-in to proprietary hardware. Its architecture separates the SD-WAN software stack from the underlying hardware, allowing deployment on x86-based white-box appliances, virtual machines, or cloud instances. This disaggregation aligns with network function virtualization practices, where routing, Traffic Engineering (TE), and security services are implemented as software functions.
The platform typically sits between enterprise branch sites, data centers, and cloud environments, using encrypted tunnels and overlay networks to connect locations over public or private WAN links. flexiWAN leverages standard IP routing, Virtual Private Network (VPN) tunneling, and traffic-policy constructs to manage application flows across multiple underlay transports such as broadband, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), or Long Term Evolution (LTE). Centralized management provides configuration, policy definition, and monitoring for distributed edge devices, enabling IT teams or service providers to manage multi-site topologies from a single control plane.
flexiWAN emphasizes a modular architecture in which the core SD-WAN capabilities can be extended with applications integrated through an application framework and APIs (networking, security). This design allows third parties and customers to add functions such as traffic optimization, security inspection, or analytics as software modules running on the same platform, rather than requiring separate proprietary appliances. In marketplace and directory terms, flexiWAN aligns with SD-WAN, virtual Customer Premises Equipment (CPE), and software-based edge networking categories.
Compared with traditional hardware-centric WAN solutions, flexiWAN belongs to a group of SD-WAN and SASE-aligned platforms that use software overlays and centralized control to manage branch connectivity and security. The open source model and disaggregated approach position it for organizations that value transparency into the code base and flexibility in hardware sourcing. Enterprises may use flexiWAN to build managed SD-WAN services or to operate their own WAN infrastructure, while service providers can package the software as part of a managed connectivity offering.
From a technology stack perspective, flexiWAN typically integrates with standard IP networking protocols, VPN technologies, and monitoring interfaces that align with existing enterprise network operations practices. Its support for cloud-hosted management as well as self-hosted deployment options allows it to fit into hybrid environments where control-plane components may run in public cloud or on-premises (on-prem) data centers while data-plane nodes operate at branches and edges. In an enterprise IT directory, flexiWAN is categorized under SD-WAN platforms, open source networking software, and edge/branch Network Virtualization (NV).