Data plane
In computing, the data plane is the part of the software that processes the data requests. By contrast, the control plane is the part of the software that configures and shuts down the data plane.
The conceptual separation of the data plane from the control plane has been done for years. An early example is Unix, where the basic file operations are open, close for the control plane and read, write for the data plane.
The distinction has proven useful in the networking field where it originated, as it separates the concerns: the data plane is optimized for speed of processing, and for simplicity and regularity. The control plane is optimized for customizability, handling policies, handling exceptional situations, and in general facilitating and simplifying the data plane processing.
