NetBSD vs HardenedBSD

Struggling to choose between NetBSD and HardenedBSD? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

NetBSD is a Os & Utilities solution with tags like opensource, portable, bsdbased, cryptography.

It boasts features such as Portable - runs on many hardware platforms, Focuses on correctness, standardization and proactive security, Supports cryptographic hardware acceleration, Supports SMP and many ARM platforms, Includes advanced networking and firewall capabilities and pros including Very portable and runs on many architectures, Strong security and cryptography support, Actively developed and maintained, Free and open source, Supports latest hardware and standards.

On the other hand, HardenedBSD is a Os & Utilities product tagged with security, hardening, fork, freebsd.

Its standout features include Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR), Control Flow Guard (CFG), Stack-clash protection, Fortified malloc, Read-only relocations (RELRO), Position Independent Executables (PIE), Non-executable stack and heap, Integrity checking of binaries, and it shines with pros like Improved security over vanilla FreeBSD, Mature and stable codebase, Good for servers and firewalls, Free and open source.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

NetBSD

NetBSD

NetBSD is a free and open-source Unix-like operating system based on the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD). It supports a variety of hardware platforms and focuses on portability, standardization, correctness, proactive security and integrated cryptography.

Categories:
opensource portable bsdbased cryptography

NetBSD Features

  1. Portable - runs on many hardware platforms
  2. Focuses on correctness, standardization and proactive security
  3. Supports cryptographic hardware acceleration
  4. Supports SMP and many ARM platforms
  5. Includes advanced networking and firewall capabilities

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Very portable and runs on many architectures

Strong security and cryptography support

Actively developed and maintained

Free and open source

Supports latest hardware and standards

Cons

Not as user-friendly as some commercial OSes

Smaller user base than major commercial OSes

Less commercial application support than commercial OSes


HardenedBSD

HardenedBSD

HardenedBSD is a security-enhanced fork of FreeBSD. It includes additional exploit mitigations like Address Space Layout Randomization and Control Flow Guard, and improves the security of existing mitigations. It's designed for hostile environments like servers and firewalls, and follows FreeBSD's stability and software support.

Categories:
security hardening fork freebsd

HardenedBSD Features

  1. Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR)
  2. Control Flow Guard (CFG)
  3. Stack-clash protection
  4. Fortified malloc
  5. Read-only relocations (RELRO)
  6. Position Independent Executables (PIE)
  7. Non-executable stack and heap
  8. Integrity checking of binaries

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Improved security over vanilla FreeBSD

Mature and stable codebase

Good for servers and firewalls

Free and open source

Cons

Not as widely used as FreeBSD

Some performance impact from additional security features

Requires more configuration than vanilla FreeBSD