Virtual eXtensible LAN (VXLAN) is an IETF submitted protocol that uses an encapsulation mechanism to enable Layer 2 overlay on Layer 3 networks. VXLAN is used to support elastic virtual datacenters across different networks.

VXLAN is designed to be deployed seamlessly on existing networks, requiring few changes on the physical network. VXLAN requires deployment of IP multicast across the physical network infrastructure by enabling IGMP (v1, v2, and v3) snooping on physical switches and PIM for multicast routing.