A mechanism is disclosed for performing network embedded real time service level objective (SLO) validation. A first data packet is received as part of a data flow. The first data packet includes a SLO indicating a network service threshold, the SLO including a key performance indicator (KPI) indicating a network service metric to be compared to the network service threshold. A service provided by the network device is measured according to the network service metric indicated by the KPI to obtain a measured service result. The measured service result is compared to the network service threshold indicated by the SLO to determine when the service provided by the network device has violated the SLO. Based on the determination that the service has violated the SLO, a defined action is performed.