A device configuration method, apparatus, and system based on Network Configuration Protocol (NETCONF), and belong to the field of communications technologies. The method includes establishing, by a network management device, a model of configuration data using a predefined Yet Another Next Generation (YANG) model, and sending the configuration data to a managed device based on NETCONF. The predefined YANG model includes n reference fields and one or more object fields separately corresponding to each reference field. Hence, resolves problems that when an extension field is added to a NETCONF message to indicate a target lower-level device of configuration data in the NETCONF message in a device cascading scenario, solution universality is relatively poor, configuration processing efficiency is relatively low, and a data storage processing procedure is relatively complex.