Free Open Source Firewalls: Protect Your Network with Confidence

In today's digital age, protecting your network and data from threats is more important than ever. Hackers, malware, and other cyber threats are constantly evolving, and traditional security measures are often insufficient to keep up. Fortunately, there is a powerful and cost-effective solution available: free open source firewalls.

A free open source firewall is a software application that provides network security by monitoring and controlling incoming and outgoing network traffic. It is open source, which means that the source code of the software is available for users to view, modify, and distribute freely. Free open source firewalls offer several advantages over commercial firewalls. They are often more customizable, more transparent, and more cost-effective. Additionally, because the source code is available for review, users can be confident in the security and privacy of the software.

But with so many options available, choosing the right free open source firewall for your needs can be a daunting task. That's why we've compiled a list of the 10 best free open source firewalls and their key features to help you make an informed decision. From pfSense and Untangle NG Firewall to IPFire and OpenWrt, each of these free open source firewalls has its own unique strengths and weaknesses, making it important to understand which one is right for you.

Whether you're a business owner looking to enhance your network security, or an individual interested in protecting your personal data, a free open source firewall can provide you with the peace of mind you need. So without further ado, let's dive into the world of free open source firewalls and discover the best options available today.

What is Open Source Firewall?

An Open Source Firewall is a powerful and highly customizable network security tool that is freely available to everyone. It is a type of software that is designed to monitor and control incoming and outgoing network traffic based on a set of predetermined rules. With its open source nature, it provides users with complete control over its functionality, allowing them to tailor it to their specific security needs.

A Free Open Source Firewall is a cost-effective solution that is perfect for both individuals and businesses. It offers robust protection against cyber attacks, malware, and other security threats, while also being highly scalable and adaptable. It is an ideal choice for those who want to take their network security to the next level without breaking the bank.

The beauty of a Free Open Source Firewall is that it is constantly being improved and updated by a dedicated community of developers. This means that it is always up-to-date with the latest security patches and features, ensuring that your network is protected at all times. Plus, with its customizable interface and easy-to-use configuration tools, you can easily set it up to meet your unique security needs.

So if you're looking for a powerful, customizable, and cost-effective solution to protect your network from cyber threats, look no further . It's the perfect choice for those who want peace of mind when it comes to their network security, without having to spend a fortune.

Are Open-Source Firewalls the Best?

An open-source firewall is distributed and developed under a general public license and other open-source licenses. One of the primary reasons they are the best firewalls is that anyone can access the source code for free. As a result, it enables a peer-review approach, which theoretically permits various individuals to identify and correct existing flaws in the software. Thus, it is often more secure and has better features than most available commercial firewall solutions.

Open-source firewalls are also best suited for individuals possessing high technical expertise. These include white hat, black hat hackers, and professionals that advocate for open-source operating systems. The most notable advantage is the cost, given that open-source programs are free and suitable for small businesses. Also, the open-source licenses used to develop and distribute an open-source firewall mean that anyone is free to copy, modify, study, and use it without restrictions.

Despite the benefits, some drawbacks come with using an open-source firewall. They include:

• They are not documented: Open-source firewall programs are free to develop, modify, and change to meet emerging security needs. While this is a good thing, developers may not be inclined or may lack time to prepare and document help files for open-source firewall products. Coupled with the inherently unintuitive interfaces, new users may find it challenging and frustrating to learn how to configure and set up an open-source firewall correctly.
• Hard to use: Accurately configuring an open-source firewall software requires users with a high level of expertise. Most of the available open-source firewalls are configured using obscure commands and command-line interfaces, in contrast to commercial products that come with easy-to-use interfaces. Learning the commands may pose a challenge to new users and home users, especially if they are not well-versed with the underlying operating system.
• Lack of real-time monitoring: A significant number of open-source firewalls lack extra features like real-time monitoring, alerting, and logging. Such features may appear insignificant for individual or home use but are crucial to a corporate organization or business environment. The lack of such critical features may prevent administrators from tracking security events, providing forensics data required to investigate a security incident, or justifying security decisions backed by documented information.

Although the disadvantages described above may make open-source firewalls less appealing, multiple open-source firewall solutions have gained traction and become immensely popular in different business settings. Therefore, it is worth identifying some of the most popular open-source firewalls for 2023.

Best Open Source Firewalls & Key Features

Each of these Open Source Firewalls has its own unique set of features, making it important to carefully evaluate your network security needs before choosing the right one for your organization. By selecting the right firewall, you can better protect your network and data from potential security threats.

1. Perimeter 81

Perimeter 81’s Firewall as a Service (FWaaS) is easy to configure and enables secure remote access to cloud-based resources outside of the corporate office. It also allows admins to segment access to specific network resources based on user or group identities. This means that administrators can easily control who in the organization can access which resource.

Unlike traditional firewalls, Perimeter 81’s FWaaS can be instantly deployed in the cloud. The granular permission-based policies and user segmentation included in FWaaS are extremely effective in securing both company resources and remote workers. It is also compatible with all devices (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux servers).

Key Features of Perimeter 81

• Secure remote access
• Cloud agnostic integration
• Easy to configure & maintain
• Granular user segmentation
• Easy to implement security policies
• Centralized management on a single platform
• Highly scalable              
• Better visibility

2.     PfSense

Most experts regard PfSense as the best open source firewall globally. PfSense is an open source, custom kernel based on FreeBSD, a free firewall that protects vital corporate networks against intrusions and attacks. Numerous organizations rely on PfSense to prevent unauthorized or malicious individuals from accessing sensitive information.

Additionally, PfSense enables secure connectivity and access to cloud networks. Essentially, PfSense developers built the product on the concept of a stateful firewall to ensure it contains packet filtering and features that are mostly found in the more expensive commercial firewalls.

In addition, PfSense enables companies to access a wide and comprehensive network of security solutions suited for different kinds of threat landscapes and environments. The PfSense open source firewall solution unlocks access to some of the most reliable platforms, engineered to provide the most robust levels of performance, stability, security, and confidence. PfSense also delivers valuable support through comprehensive documentation.

Key Features of PfSense

• Real-time monitoring
• Has a dynamic DNS by including multiple DNS clients
• Firewall capabilities like port/IP filtering, scrubbing and limiting network connections
• Inbuilt load balancing for distributing load to several backend servers
• Network address translation for port reflection and forwarding
• Failover to seconder in the event the primary fails, which ensures high availability
• A virtual private network that supports OpenVPN and IPsec
• Maintains a history of resource utilization to enable reporting

3. IPFire

IPFire is built on top of Netfilter and trusted by thousands of companies worldwide.

IPFire can be used as a firewall, proxy server, or VPN gateway – all depends on how you configure it. It got great customization flexibility.

IDS (intrusion detection system) is inbuilt, so attacks are detected and prevented from day one. And with the help of Guardian (optional add-on), you can implement automatic prevention.

You can get it started with IPFire in less than 30 minutes.

Key features of IPFire:-

• Time server
• DHCP server
• Dynamic DNS
• Catching name server
• Intrusion Detection System
• Wake-on-LAN

4. Untangle

Untangle is an advanced open-source firewall solution that provides a host of security functionalities and solutions to modern digital brands. Also, Untangle delivers a secure and powerful environment for company digital networks. The open-source firewall product is also dynamic since users can install it on a server, dedicated virtual appliance, public cloud, or virtual machine and use it to secure their networks, applications, and data.

Untangle is also dynamic since it can be downloaded in various formats to suit multiple deployment needs. For example, users can download Untangle as a VMware image, ISO image, or USB image. The company also provides the same open-source software package as a standalone hardware solution that users can connect to their networks as a hardware firewall.

Untangle open-source firewall is also designed to simplify network security to save users’ time. The firewall is built to strike a balance between; protection and performance; and productivity and policy. Thus, it is ideal for companies looking for a cost-effective, powerful network security product that can address any emerging security challenge. The firewall is applicable across diverse settings, including large distributed enterprises, schools, and small remote offices. Untangle comes with different software modules that can be disabled or enabled individually.

Key features of Untangle Firewall:-

• Spam Blocker Lite
• osint concept in cybersecurity. It describes techniques, risks, or controls that defenders and ethical hackers must understand to protect systems and conduct authorized security testing. Learning Phishing helps you recognize attacks in the wild and apply industry-standard mitigations aligned with frameworks like OWASP and NIST.">Phishing blocker
• Virus blocker
• OpenVPN
• Intrusion prevention
• Adblocker
• Restricted portal
• Web Monitor

5. OPNSense

OPNSense is a fork of pfSense and m0n0wall. GUI is available in multiple languages like French, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Russian, etc.

OPNSense got many enterprise levels of security and firewall features like IPSec, VPN, 2FA, QoS, IDPS, Netflow, Proxy, Webfilter, etc.

It is compatible with 32bit or 64bit system architecture and available to download as ISO image and USB installer.

Key features of OPNSense Firewall:-

• Hardware failover and high availability
• DNS forwarder and DNS server
• Inline prevention and intrusion detection
• Built-in monitoring and reporting tools
• VPN solutions
• Supports various plugins

6. Endian

Endian Firewall Community (EFW) is a powerful, easy to install and use Linux based security product for home and small networks. It can transform a bare-metal hardware appliance into a powerful and effective unified threat prevention and management solution comprising of a firewall, an antivirus, VPN, and content filtering capabilities in a single box.

The stateful firewall allows you to protect your network from a wide range of attacks and threats in addition to offering a well-protected VPN to secure the environment for your remote employees.

Key features of Endian:-

• Email security
• Multi-WAN
• Intrusion Prevention
• Quality of service

7. ClearOS

The ClearOS open-source firewall is based on CentOS, and it is designed to transform a standard PC into a dedicated gateway/internet server and firewall solution. ClearOS comes in three editions- ClearOS community, ClearOS business, and ClearOS home. The ClearOS community edition comes as a free version, but users must purchase a subscription for the business and home edition.

The ClearOS firewall is suited for SMBs and startups. Also, ClearOS comes as a complete network firewall solution whose functionalities can be extended by installing various applications, among them being DNS server, DMZ, DHCP server, bandwidth manager, among others. The applications enable various functions that can be configured through a web-based interface.

Key features of ClearOS:-

• IPSEC
• PPTP
• OpenVPN
• Intrusion detection and prevention system
• Stateful firewall, networking, and security
• E-mail services
• Web proxy

8. Smoothwall

Smoothwall Express is a free solution with a simple web interface to configure, manage the firewall.

Smoothwall express supports LAN, DMZ, Internal, External network firewalling, web proxy for acceleration, traffic stats, etc.

Shutting down or rebooting is possible directly through the web interface.

Note: The following two programs are specific for Linux servers .

Key features of SmoothWall:-

• Outbound Filtering
• Modified time and Accessed time
• Simple to use and offers a great quality-of-service
• UPnP support
• List of wrong IP addresses to block

FAQ

What is a free open source firewall?

A free open source firewall is a software application that provides network security by monitoring and controlling incoming and outgoing network traffic. It is open source, which means that the source code of the software is available for users to view, modify, and distribute freely.

Why use a free open source firewall?

Free open source firewalls offer several advantages over commercial firewalls. They are often more customizable, more transparent, and more cost-effective. Additionally, because the source code is available for review, users can be confident in the security and privacy of the software.

What are some popular free open source firewalls?

Some popular free open source firewalls include pfSense, Untangle NG Firewall, OPNsense, IPFire, ClearOS, Zeroshell, Smoothwall, VyOS, Endian Firewall Community, and OpenWrt.

Can I install a free open source firewall on any computer?

Most free open source firewalls are designed to run on a dedicated hardware appliance, but many can also be installed on standard computer hardware. However, it is important to check the hardware requirements and compatibility before installation.

Do I need technical knowledge to use a free open source firewall?

While some technical knowledge may be required to install and configure a free open source firewall, many offer user-friendly web interfaces that make them accessible to users with varying levels of technical expertise. Additionally, many free open source firewall communities offer documentation and support to help users troubleshoot issues and get started with the software.

Conclusion

In conclusion, free open source firewalls offer a compelling alternative to their commercial counterparts, providing users with cost-effective, customizable, and transparent network security solutions. With a wide range of features and excellent community support, free open source firewalls can be an excellent choice for businesses and individuals looking to enhance their network security. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced user, there's a free open source firewall out there that can meet your needs. So why not give one a try today and experience the benefits for yourself? With the power of free open source software at your fingertips, you can take control of your network security and protect your data with confidence.