ipfirewall or ipfw is a
FreeBSD IP,
stateful firewall
In computing, a stateful firewall is a network-based firewall that individually tracks sessions of network connections traversing it. Stateful packet inspection, also referred to as dynamic packet filtering, is a security feature often used in ...
,
packet filter
In computing, a firewall is a network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules. A firewall typically establishes a barrier between a trusted network and an untrusted n ...
and traffic accounting facility. Its ruleset logic is similar to many other packet filters except
IPFilter. ipfw is authored and maintained by FreeBSD volunteer staff members. Its syntax enables use of sophisticated filtering capabilities and thus enables users to satisfy advanced requirements. It can either be used as a
loadable kernel module or incorporated into the
kernel
Kernel may refer to:
Computing
* Kernel (operating system), the central component of most operating systems
* Kernel (image processing), a matrix used for image convolution
* Compute kernel, in GPGPU programming
* Kernel method, in machine learn ...
; use as a loadable kernel module where possible is highly recommended. ipfw was the built-in firewall of
Mac OS X
macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and la ...
until Mac OS X 10.7 Lion in 2011 when it was replaced with the OpenBSD project's
PF. Like FreeBSD, ipfw is
open source. It is used in many FreeBSD-based firewall products, including
m0n0wall
m0n0wall was an embedded firewall distribution of FreeBSD, one of the BSD operating system descendants. It provides a small image which can be put on Compact Flash cards as well as on CD-ROMs and hard disks. It runs on a number of embedded pla ...
and
FreeNAS.
A port of an early version of ipfw was used since
Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, w ...
1.1 as the first implementation of firewall available for Linux, until it was replaced by
ipchains
Linux IP Firewalling Chains, normally called ipchains, is free software to control the packet filter or firewall capabilities in the 2.2 series of Linux kernels. It superseded ipfirewall (managed by ipfwadm command), but was replaced by iptables ...
.
A modern
port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...
of ipfw and the ''dummynet'' traffic shaper is available for Linux (including a prebuilt package for
OpenWrt
OpenWrt (from ''open wireless router'') is an open-source project for embedded operating systems based on Linux, primarily used on embedded devices to route network traffic. The main components are Linux, util-linux, musl, and BusyBox. All ...
) and
Microsoft Windows. wipfw is a Windows port of an old (2001) version of ipfw.
Alternative user interfaces for ipfw
See also
*
netfilter/iptables
Netfilter is a framework provided by the Linux kernel that allows various networking-related operations to be implemented in the form of customized handlers. Netfilter offers various functions and operations for packet filtering, network addres ...
, a Linux-based descendant of
ipchains
Linux IP Firewalling Chains, normally called ipchains, is free software to control the packet filter or firewall capabilities in the 2.2 series of Linux kernels. It superseded ipfirewall (managed by ipfwadm command), but was replaced by iptables ...
*
NPF, a NetBSD packet filter
*
PF, another widely deployed BSD firewall solution
References
External links
ipfw sectionof the FreeBSD Handbook.
The dummynet project- including versions for Linux, OpenWrt and Windows
wipfwWindows port of an old (2001) version of ipfw
{{FreeBSD
Firewall software
BSD software