Anuket

Anuket is an open-source reference infrastructure project under LF Networking that delivers guidelines, specifications, and conformance programs for cloud-native and virtualized network functions in telecom and service provider environments (network infrastructure standardization).

• Common cloud infrastructure specifications and reference models for Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and cloud-native workloads (network infrastructure standardization).
• Reference implementations for telecom-focused cloud platforms, integrating virtualization and container orchestration (cloud infrastructure platform).
• Conformance and verification programs for network functions and cloud infrastructures (compliance and certification).
• Test frameworks and methodologies to validate interoperability and performance of network services (testing and validation).
• Collaborative framework aligning operators, vendors, and open-source projects on shared cloud infrastructure requirements (industry collaboration framework).

More About Anuket

Anuket is a project hosted by LF Networking that focuses on defining and validating common cloud infrastructure for NFV and cloud-native network functions in telecom and service provider domains (network infrastructure standardization). It aligns operators, vendors, and open-source communities around shared specifications and reference implementations for running virtualized and containerized network workloads. The project emerged by consolidating earlier efforts in reference architectures and verification under a unified framework.

The project publishes formal reference models and reference architectures that describe how cloud infrastructure for network functions should be structured, including compute, storage, networking, and management layers (cloud architecture specification). These documents address requirements such as performance, resiliency, scalability, and multi-tenancy that are present in carrier-grade networks. Anuket defines profiles and capabilities that support both virtual machines and containers, and it integrates with standard technologies such as Kubernetes and OpenStack where applicable (cloud infrastructure platform).

Anuket also maintains reference implementations that Marketing Automation Platform (MAP) its specifications onto concrete stacks (reference implementation). These blueprints demonstrate how to deploy and operate telecom-oriented cloud platforms using open-source components and automation. They provide example configurations, deployment tools, and guidance that operators and vendors can adopt or adapt for production environments. This helps create a common baseline for hosting virtualized network functions and cloud-native network functions.

A central function of Anuket is its conformance and verification framework (compliance and certification). The project defines test suites, methodologies, and tooling that check whether a cloud infrastructure implementation aligns with Anuket specifications. These verification programs are used by operators and vendors to validate interoperability between network functions and infrastructure platforms and to reduce integration complexity. The test framework supports automated validation, enabling repeated checks during upgrades or platform lifecycle operations.

In enterprise and operator environments, Anuket is used as a reference for designing, procuring, and validating network cloud platforms (enterprise architecture guidance). Service providers can reference Anuket documents when specifying infrastructure requirements to vendors, while vendors can use the reference models and test suites to align product designs. The project operates within the broader LF Networking ecosystem and coordinates with related initiatives to ensure consistency across network automation, orchestration, and infrastructure projects.

From a directory and taxonomy perspective, Anuket fits into categories such as network cloud reference architecture, NFV and CNF infrastructure standards, and conformance and testing frameworks for telecom-grade cloud platforms. Its materials are relevant to enterprise architects, platform engineering teams, network engineering groups, and vendors that need a common baseline for cloud infrastructure supporting virtualized and cloud-native network functions.