The Floodlight controller is an enterprise-class, Apache-licensed, Java-based OpenFlow Controller. It is supported by a community of developers including a number of engineers from Big Switch Networks.

OpenFlow is a open standard managed by the Open Networking Foundation (ONF). It specifies a protocol through switch a remote controller can modify the behavior of networking devices through a well-defined “forwarding instruction set”. Floodlight is designed to work with the growing number of switches, routers, virtual witches, and access points that support the OpenFlow standard.