Why CloudRouter?

Owned by Jay Turner
Last updated: Sept 07, 2016 by Scott Haines
2 min read

Since the launch of CloudRouter, a common question has been "Why use CloudRouter instead of <blah>?"  As is typical with open source software, and the communities which stand behind OSS projects, the answer is honestly "It depends on the application, goals, desires, etc."  For example, a customer/enterprise looking to migrate off Brocade's Vyatta platform might find the VyOS offering a good fit, given VyOS was initially forked from the Vyatta codebase.  Meanwhile a customer/enterprise looking to dip a toe in the SDN waters with his/her first exposure to software defined networking, might find the CloudRouter Project offering to have a very low barrier to entry.  This resulting from the myriad of supported distribution formats (VM, Docker, OSv.)  CloudRouter even has a live USB image, allowing a user to quickly boot into a functioning routing and SDN environment and play around with no impact to the underlying system.  Once the user is ready to return to the old system, he/she merely shuts the machine off, removes the USB device, then boots up again.


Rather than exhaustively trying to compare and contrast (sounds like a great job for the community!), below is a list of key features of CloudRouter as well as the project goals.  Use this information in making your own decisions as to the best tool for the job at hand.


  • The CloudRouter Project was founded by a group of open source industry veterans, and initially sponsored by Console, Inc., the global software-defined interconnection company.   The Project is a response to industry demand for a secure, high-quality SDN and router distribution which enables migration to the cloud without giving up control over network routing and governance.
  • CloudRouter is engineered for the cloud.  It is designed for public and private cloud deployments.
  • CloudRouter was initially conceived with containers in-mind.  As this emerging technology continues to evolve, CloudRouter will adopt and support new container formats.
  • Security is priority 0.  A security response team was present from the beginning, and the team continually monitors, reports, and resolves issues as they arise.  In fact, the head of the Security Response Team for CloudRouter is also the security response lead for the OpenDaylight Project, and the ONOS Project.
  • CloudRouter is a Fedora Remix.  This decision reflects the project goal to rapidly incorporate the latest developments in the Linux, SDN, and NFV communities.  The CloudRouter Project aims to make these new technologies available to the community as quickly as possible, thus further increasing the velocity of new innovation.
  • Lastly, the CloudRouter Project is working closely with these emerging technology leaders with the goal of delivering higher quality, increased functionality, and increased stability on a much shorter development cycle.


The full set of CloudRouter features can be found at https://cloudrouter.org/features/

Want to participate?  Check out https://cloudrouter.org/community/

Just want to jump in and play with things?  Hit https://cloudrouter.org/getting-started/