1.1. Introduction to BIG-IP Next

1.1.1. Overview

F5® BIG-IP® Next™ is the next generation of BIG-IP software built to reduce operational complexity, improve performance, strengthen security, and enhance observability. A modernized software framework provides the foundation for significantly improved control plane scale and performance, rapid service upgrades, and reduced instance footprints in cloud environments. BIG-IP Next also reimagines operational workflows by introducing a centralized, API-centric, and automation-friendly framework, making it faster and easier for DevOps, NetOps, SecOps, and other BIG-IP reliant teams to deploy and manage critical application services. With an accelerated software development cadence, BIG-IP Next keeps pace with the evolving threat landscape by delivering new protective functionality and vulnerability patches faster than ever before, ensuring the security of your apps and environments. Carrying forward the comprehensive suite of advanced BIG-IP TMOS functionality developed over the past 20 years, BIG-IP Next continues to deliver everything from local and global traffic management and DNS Services to application security and access controls—along with the same breadth of deployment form factors and consumption models as its predecessor.

1.1.2. Benefits of BIG-IP Next

BIG-IP Next greatly simplifies day-to-day ADC operations and accelerates application time-to-market through automation, meaning you can spend less time on menial tasks and more on what really matters: getting your apps online and keeping them there. Beyond the capabilities already stated, BIG-IP Next provides the following additional benefits:

• Accelerated and automated application deployments
• Rapid, effortless software upgrades
• Superior control plane efficiency and scale
• Improved application resiliency
• Rapid security updates
• Faster vulnerability patches
• Security-centric software development
• Insightful application analytics and dashboards
• Third party telemetry streaming
• Centralized monitoring, alerting, and reporting
• Centralized control with BIG-IP Next Central Manager

1.1.3. The BIG-IP Next and Central Manager Architecture

Every BIG-IP Next deployment consists of two key components: BIG-IP Next instances and the F5® BIG-IP® Next™ Central Manager. BIG-IP Next instances are generally deployed close to applications, providing the data plane and control plane necessary to direct application traffic, block threats, and enforce specific policies. The BIG-IP Next Central Manager delivers the management plane, capable of centrally managing hundreds of BIG-IP Next instances to significantly reduce operational complexity. After BIG-IP Next instances have been deployed, the BIG-IP Next Central Manager is the sole interface for managing all connected BIG-IP Next instances, which can be accomplished via either the BIG-IP Next Central Manager's GUI, CLI, or API. BIG-IP Next Central Manager provides a centralized console for gaining insights into application and device health, automating application deployments and policy changes, and performing all instance lifecycle tasks for BIG-IP Next instances deployed anywhere across distributed environments.

Figure: BIG-IP Next and Central Manager Architecture