OPNSense Project
I like custom and open source firmware, and that includes firewalls. OPNSense reached out to me as the easiest and simplest firewall to understand. PfSense has its own advantages, but it was not as intuitive for me to gain a grasp on. Alongside, it may have just been stubbornness to not have to learn something new. Either way, I understand I’m missing out on firewall solutions, but nonetheless OPNSense works well enough for me.
What is OPNSense?
OPNSense is an open source firewall solution built on a customized version of the Linux kernel. It has support for several community packages including VPN tunnels, VM guest plugins, dynamic DNS support, and ACME certification renewal. There’s plenty OPNSense can do.
OPNSense has a strong focus on security, which is why it has a full deny-all policy. This means that if no firewall rule exists, traffic is blocked. This is useful in mitigation the amount of research needed to figure out how to block malicious traffic. In this method, you only have to write rules to allow benign traffic.
Different Solutions
OPNSense can serve several functions and provide solutions to non-existent problems. I’m an expert when it comes to figuring out how to do something, and wasting hours on end trying to do something that seems impossible in that moment. For that reason, I have figured out how to do several things through OPNSense. I will provide insight into what has worked for me, what hasn’t, and what the community has provided me with to get here. It may not be all-inclusive, but it will be as thorough as I can make it.
Check out the links below to get started on OPNSense.