Software-defined networking (SDN) is a revolutionary technology that facilitates network management and enables programmatically efficient network configuration, thereby improving network performance and flexibility. However, as the application programming interfaces (APIs) of SDN are low-level or functionality-restricted, SDN programmers cannot easily keep pace with the ever-changing devices, topologies, and demands of SDN. By deriving motivation from industry practice, we define a novel network algorithm programming language (NAPL) that enhances the SDN framework with a rapid programming flow from topology-based network models to C++ implementations, thus bridging the gap between the limited capability of existing SDN APIs and the reality of practical network management. In contrast to several state-of-the-art languages, NAPL provides a range of critical high-level network programming features: (1) topology-based network modeling and visualization; (2) fast abstraction and expansion of network devices and constraints; (3) a declarative paradigm for the fast design of forwarding policies; (4) a built-in library for complex algorithm implementation; (5) full compatibility with C++ programming; and (6) user-friendly debugging support when compiling NAPL into highly readable C++ codes. The expressiveness and performance of NAPL are demonstrated in various industrial scenarios originating from practical network management.

软件定义网络（SDN）是一项革命性的技术，可促进网络管理并以编程方式实现高效的网络配置，从而提高网络性能和灵活性。但是，由于SDN的应用程序编程接口（API）是低级的或功能受限的，因此SDN程序员无法轻松地跟上SDN不断变化的设备，拓扑和需求。通过从行业实践中获得动力，我们定义了一种新颖的网络算法编程语言（NAPL），可通过从基于拓扑的网络模型到C ++实现的快速编程流程来增强SDN框架，从而弥合现有SDN API有限功能之间的差距以及实际网络管理的现实。与几种最先进的语言相比，NAPL提供了一系列关键的高级网络编程功能：（1）基于拓扑的网络建模和可视化；（2）网络设备的快速抽象和扩展及其约束；（3）快速设计转发策略的声明性范式；（4）内置库，用于复杂算法的实现；（5）与C ++编程完全兼容；（6）在将NAPL编译为可读性强的C ++代码时提供了用户友好的调试支持。NAPL的表现力和性能在源自实际网络管理的各种工业场景中得到了证明。（4）内置库，用于复杂算法的实现；（5）与C ++编程完全兼容；（6）在将NAPL编译成可读性强的C ++代码时提供了用户友好的调试支持。NAPL的表现力和性能在源自实际网络管理的各种工业场景中得到了证明。（4）内置库，用于复杂算法的实现；（5）与C ++编程完全兼容；（6）在将NAPL编译成可读性强的C ++代码时提供了用户友好的调试支持。NAPL的表现力和性能在源自实际网络管理的各种工业场景中得到了证明。