This application discloses a service level configuration methods and apparatuses, and belongs to the field of communications network technologies. According to an example method, a target service level used by a first forwarding node to forward a data flow is directly determined based on a transmission parameter of the data flow and service level information of the first forwarding node, and service level configuration is performed on the first forwarding node. Because a transmission parameter of the target service level of the first forwarding node and the transmission parameter of the data flow meet a first target condition, if the first target condition is a delay requirement required by a special service and the first forwarding node transmits the data flow by using the target service level, transmission of the data flow may meet the delay requirement required by the special service.