Linux/Unix distribution ratings updated on 2019-05-27
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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.
Unlike most common commercial firewalls offerings, the pfSense project is just the software portion of the firewall. This means you get to tailor the hardware you choose to meet your environment’s specific needs. You can use the live CD or memstick to test out your hardware without installing to the hard drive, or install to a compact flash card for embedded systems.