Popular pfSense Plus use cases include load balancing, traffic shaping, captive portal, UTM device, DNS/DHCP Server, IDS/IPS, transparency caching proxy, web content filtering, failover WAN, and much more.
The pfSense project is a free network firewall distribution, based on the FreeBSD operating system with a custom kernel and including third party free software packages for additional functionality. pfSense software, with the help of the package system, is able to provide the same functionality or more of common commercial firewalls, without any of the artificial limitations. It has successfully replaced every big name commercial firewall you can imagine in numerous installations around the world, including Check Point, Cisco PIX, Cisco ASA, Juniper, Sonicwall, Netgear, Watchguard, Astaro, and more.
pfSense software includes a web interface for the configuration of all included components. There is no need for any UNIX knowledge, no need to use the command line for anything, and no need to ever manually edit any rule sets. Users familiar with commercial firewalls catch on to the web interface quickly, though there can be a learning curve for users not familiar with commercial-grade firewalls.
Here are some open-source alternatives to pfSense:
1. **OPNsense** OPNsense is a highly regarded fork of pfSense and is also based on FreeBSD. It provides features like firewalling, VPN, intrusion detection, and traffic shaping. Its modern interface and focus on security updates make it a strong contender.
2. **IPFire** IPFire is a Linux-based open-source firewall and router platform. It offers modular design, advanced logging, and features such as proxy servers, IDS/IPS, and VPN support. It is known for its simplicity and flexibility.
3. **Untangle NG Firewall** Untangle NG Firewall has an open-source version known for its user-friendly interface. It provides features like web filtering, spam blocking, and threat management. Although there is a paid version, the community edition is free and robust.
4. **VyOS** VyOS is a router and firewall platform based on Debian Linux. It is feature-rich, supporting NAT, firewalling, VPNs, and advanced routing protocols. It’s commonly used in enterprise and cloud environments.
5. **OpenWrt** OpenWrt is a highly customizable Linux-based firmware for routers. While primarily designed for embedded devices, it can be used as a firewall and router on compatible hardware.
6. **ClearOS** ClearOS is an open-source, CentOS-based platform that serves as a gateway, firewall, and server. It is targeted at small businesses and home users and provides a graphical interface for managing network services.
7. **Zeroshell** Zeroshell is a Linux distribution aimed at providing network services like VPN, NAT, QoS, and firewalling. Though its development is less active now, it’s still a valid choice for specific needs.
8. **Endian Firewall Community** Endian offers a community version of its firewall, focusing on UTM (Unified Threat Management). Features include VPN, antivirus, spam blocking, and more, with a simple web-based UI.
9. **Smoothwall Express** Smoothwall is a long-standing open-source firewall platform. While it’s lightweight and easy to set up, it doesn’t include some of the advanced features of pfSense or OPNsense.
10. **Sophos UTM (Free Home Edition)** While not entirely open-source, the free version of Sophos UTM offers extensive firewall, VPN, and security features for home users.
Each alternative has unique strengths, and the best choice depends on your requirements, such as ease of use, features, and hardware compatibility.
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 a network. It can be configured and upgraded through a web-based interface, and requires no knowledge of the underlying FreeBSD system to manage.