Open Source Firewalls

Let’s sneak a peek at the top open source firewalls in this tutorial. A firewall is a security software program that monitors outgoing and incoming traffic of the network based on a set of network rules. It allows or obstructs the network traffic based on the set rules.

What is a Firewall?

A firewall program is an essential component in the computer network to safeguard against unauthorized access to a network resource in a network system. Malicious network intruders are supposed to be blocked with well-defined network rules.

 

 

Some of the firewall software programs are as follows:

• pfSense
• OPNsense
• Untangle
• IPCop Firewall
• Smoothwall
• iptables

pfSense

pfSense is free network firewall distribution based on the FreeBSD operating system. pfSense is a free, open-source firewall and router software based on FreeBSD, designed to provide powerful networking features through an easy-to-use web interface. It can be installed on physical hardware or run as a virtual machine. Developed by Netgate, pfSense is widely used by home users, small businesses, and large enterprises for robust network security and management.

Official website: https://www.pfsense.org

Untangle

Untangle NG(Next-Generation) firewall is an OSI layer 7 application layer firewall with built-in OpenVPN that filters traffic based on IP address and ports, Active Directory users and groups, etc.

Official website: https://www.untangle.com

Smoothwall

Smoothwall is a popular, Linux-based open-source firewall and web filtering solution designed to secure networks against unauthorized access, malware, and web threats. It provides both home and enterprise versions, offering strong protection and easy web interface controls.

iptables

iptables is a command-line utility in Linux used to configure the IP packet filter rules of the Linux kernel firewall. It helps system administrators manage network traffic, block unauthorized access, and enable security policies by controlling the incoming and outgoing network packets.