The 2025 Open Source Networking Study: The Role and Value of Open Source in the Networking Industry’s Software Stack
Stephen Hendrick, Ranny Haiby · 2025
LF Networking and LF Research collaborated to investigate trends and priorities in open source networking. The research team fielded a survey in early 2025 to those who are familiar with telecommunications, cloud, and enterprise networks, asking about open source use, opportunities, and challenges in the sector. Survey findings show that open source software (OSS) is considered critical to the future of networking, with 92% of organizations prioritizing it for agility, innovation, and vendor independence. Cloud native adoption, AI integration, and demand for modular blueprints are rising, while skills gaps, complexity, and security remain key challenges in OSS transformation.