Procedures, methods, architectures, apparatuses, systems, devices, and computer program products directed to network programming are disclosed herein. In an embodiment, a method for operating a user network program on a WTRU/UPF, comprises: A method for operating a user network program on a WTRU/UPF, the method comprising: deploying a network program instance based on a network program including network information elements (IEs); receiving a data packet from a source; associating IEs with the data packet; forwarding the data packet to the network program instance; upon reception of a data packet from the network program instance, retrieving IEs associated with the data packet; and forwarding the data packet to a destination according to the IEs. forwarding the data packet to a destination according to the IEs.