Reconfigurable optical networks have emerged as a promising technology to serve the fast-growing traffic produced by the digital society. In this area exam we consider reconfigurable optical networks and their interfaces to higher layers of the networking stack. To this end, we explore the challenges for implementing a vertically programmable network. First, we survey modeling work which is essential for efficiently utilizing reconfigurable optical networks given limited resources. Then, we discuss practical implementations for reconfigurable optical networks including hardware technologies and systems implementations. Finally, we explore exciting applications for future work in this field, including network simulation, measurement, traffic engineering, and cybersecurity.