A graphical network design and configuration tool provides an administrator graphical user interface (GUI) with icons that represent virtual network elements, physical network elements, and links used to deliver network-based services and associates, via the administrator GUI, the icons with network element properties based on user input. A design GUI is provided including a design canvas to arrange and connect the icons. User input is received via the design GUI to arrange the icons on the design canvas to provide a design for a network-based service. A design template for the network-based service is generated based on the second user input. A configuration GUI solicits location-specific network level attributes for network elements in the design template and creates an instance of the design template based on the network level attributes. Configuration files are automatically generated for the physical network elements represented in the instance of the design template.