__NOTOC__
OPNsense is an open source,
FreeBSD-based firewall and routing software developed by Deciso, a company in the Netherlands that makes hardware and sells support packages for OPNsense. It is a
fork
In cutlery or kitchenware, a fork (from la, furca 'pitchfork') is a utensil, now usually made of metal, whose long handle terminates in a head that branches into several narrow and often slightly curved tine (structural), tines with which one ...
of
pfSense
pfSense is a firewall/ router computer software distribution based on FreeBSD. The open source pfSense Community Edition (CE) and pfSense Plus is installed on a physical computer or a virtual machine to make a dedicated firewall/router for ...
, which in turn was forked from
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 ...
built on
FreeBSD.
It was launched in January 2015.
When m0n0wall closed down in February 2015 its creator, Manuel Kasper, referred its developer community to OPNsense.
OPNsense has a web-based interface and can be used on the
x86-64
x86-64 (also known as x64, x86_64, AMD64, and Intel 64) is a 64-bit version of the x86 instruction set, first released in 1999. It introduced two new modes of operation, 64-bit mode and compatibility mode, along with a new 4-level paging ...
platform. Along with acting as a firewall, it has
traffic shaping
Traffic shaping is a bandwidth management technique used on computer networks which delays some or all datagrams to bring them into compliance with a desired ''traffic profile''. Traffic shaping is used to optimize or guarantee performance, impro ...
,
load balancing, and
virtual private network capabilities, and others can be added via plugins.
OPNsense offers
next-generation firewall capabilities utilizing Zenarmor, a NGFW plugin developed by OPNsense partner Sunny Valley Networks.
History
In November 2017, a
World Intellectual Property Organization
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO; french: link=no, Organisation mondiale de la propriété intellectuelle (OMPI)) is one of the 15 specialized agencies of the United Nations (UN). Pursuant to the 1967 Convention Establishi ...
panel found Netgate, the copyright holder of pfSense, used the domain opnsense.com in bad faith to discredit OPNsense, and obligated Netgate to transfer domain ownership to Deciso.
See also
*
Comparison of firewalls
Comparison or comparing is the act of evaluating two or more things by determining the relevant, comparable characteristics of each thing, and then determining which characteristics of each are similar to the other, which are different, and t ...
*
List of router and firewall distributions
This is a list of router and firewall distributions, which are operating systems designed for use as routers and/or firewall
Firewall may refer to:
* Firewall (computing), a technological barrier designed to prevent unauthorized or unwanted comm ...
References
Further reading
*
*Jack Wallen (18 April, 2019
"How to install the OPNsense Firewall/Router distribution" ''
TechRepublic
TechRepublic is an online trade publication and social community for IT professionals, providing advice on best practices and tools for the needs of IT decision-makers.
It was founded in 1997 in Louisville, Kentucky, by Tom Cottingham and Kim S ...
''.
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:OPNsense
2015 software
BSD software
Firewall software
Free routing software
FreeBSD
Gateway/routing/firewall distribution
Operating system distributions bootable from read-only media
Products introduced in 2015
Routers (computing)
Wireless access points
Free software
Open-source movement