In contrast to the abstract term control plane, which refers to the process of determining how packets are forwarded, the abstract term “data plane” refers to the process of the actual forwarding of packets. That’s why the data plane is typically referred to as the forwarding plane. Both terms are interchangeable and mean the same thing.

Think of the control plane as the traffic signs and stoplights operating at the intersections of a city’s road network. Meanwhile, the forwarding plane (the data plane) is represented by the vehicles that drive on the roads and obey all traffic signs. For example, if a street has a “do not enter” sign, cars do not use it; if the stoplight is green at an intersection, cars cross without stopping. On the road, vehicles move according to the traffic signs in the same way that packets move across the network according to the routing tables determined by the control plane.