M0n0wall
m0n0wall is a free, open source firewall software that can turn old PCs into dedicated firewall appliances. It is based on FreeBSD and provides advanced networking and security features.
firewall
networking
security
m0n0wall: Free Open Source Firewall for Old PCs
FreeBSD-based firewall software turning old PCs into dedicated firewalls, offering advanced networking and security features.
What is M0n0wall?
m0n0wall is a free, open source firewall software that can turn old PCs into dedicated firewall appliances. It provides a web-based interface for configuring various network services and security policies.
Some key features of m0n0wall include:
- Standard and proxy-based firewall rules
- NAT and port forwarding
- Virtual Private Networks (VPN)
- Traffic shaping and quality of service
- Captive portal for wireless networks
- Dynamic DNS client
- Package manager for additional software
m0n0wall is based on FreeBSD and is known for its small footprint, stability and performance compared to consumer routers. It can run on older PCs with just 128MB of RAM and a compact flash card. This makes it economical to build dedicated firewall appliances.
With its extensive feature set and active development community, m0n0wall is popular for small business, home and even enterprise usage scenarios where open source and customization is preferred.
M0n0wall Features
Features
- Stateful packet inspection firewall
- Traffic shaping and QoS
- Captive portal
- VPN capabilities
- Web interface for configuration
- Plugin architecture for extensibility
Pricing
- Open Source
- Free
Pros
Free and open source
Runs on commodity hardware
Regular updates and security patches
Good performance
Extensive documentation and community support
Cons
Limited scalability compared to commercial solutions
No official technical support
Requires some technical expertise to setup and manage
Lack of GUI can make configuration challenging for novices
Official Links
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