National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) will be a 3-GeV, 792-m circumference third-generation synchrotron radiation facility with ultralow emittance and extremely high brightness. Front ends are required to transmit synchrotron radiation from the storage ring to the beam line while providing equipment and personnel protection. There will be up to 57 front ends in the NSLS-II facility with six in the baseline. Original designs are being developed and will be manufactured for three non-canted in-vacuum undulators, one canted in-vacuum undulator, one elliptically polarized undulator and one damping wiggler. Bending magnet and three-pole wiggler front ends are also being designed. Power densities range from 0.3 to 89.8 kW mrad−2, with total powers ranging from 0.34 to 64.5 kW. All components intercepting synchrotron radiation are water cooled and were analysed to confirm acceptable thermal limits.