The NetConf protocol defines a simple mechanism through which a network device can be managed, configuration data information can be retrieved, and new configuration data can be uploaded.

NetConf uses a simple RPC-based mechanism to communicate between a client and a server. The client can be a script or application typically running as part of a network manager. The server is usually a network device.

A NetConf session is the logical connection between a network administrator or network configuration application and a network device. A device must support at least one NetConf session and can support multiple sessions. Global configuration attributes can be changed during any session and the effects are visible in all sessions. The candidate and running and startup configuration are shared across all the sessions.