How do traditional versus software-defined networks compare?

Software-defined networks (SDNs) abstract the control plane from the data plane, allowing for programmatic control and automation through APIs, including Intent APIs which express desired network behavior. Traditional networks, in contrast, rely heavily on manual configuration of individual hardware devices and their specific operating systems.

Software-defined networks typically centralize control logic in a controller that then programs the distributed data plane, while traditional networks often involve distributed, per-device configurations.

While traditional networks can use dynamic access lists, the statement that 'software-defined networks need individual hardware to be programmed' is misleading as the SDN controller typically programs the hardware centrally, rather than requiring manual individual programming.

This statement is reversed; software-defined networks provide centralized management through a controller, while traditional networks often rely on device-by-device configuration.