Best 10 Linux Firewall Solutions in 2022
Every IT system requires protection. Online servers, like home computers, can be targeted for cyberattacks. You’ll need a technique to keep hackers and other unauthorized traffic out. This is when firewalls come into play. In a nutshell, what is a firewall? It stands between a computer and the «outside world». Technically, a firewall is a piece of software or hardware that blocks unauthorized network access. It examines incoming and outgoing traffic using a set of rules to detect and prevent threats.
Linux runs over 75% of the world’s servers, these solutions are critical for providing safe access to users and end consumers. Let’s begin with a definition of Linux to better comprehend the fundamentals of a Linux firewall. Linux is the most widely used and well-known open-source operating system. Linux is an operating system that lies below all other software on a computer, accepting requests from other applications and transmitting them to the hardware. A Linux firewall is a solution or service that controls, protects, and restricts network traffic flowing into and out of a Linux-based environment.
In this article, we are going to introduce the best 10 Linux firewalls.
- Zenarmor
- Endian Firewall
- Gufw Firewall
- IPFire
- Nebero Systems Linux Firewall
- Shorewall
- Untangle Next-Generation Firewall
- Vuurmuur
- VyOS
- Smoothwall Express
1. Zenarmor
Zenarmor, formerly Sensei, is a simple-to-install plugin that converts an open-source firewall into a Next-Generation Firewall. For open-source firewalls, Zenarmor provides cutting-edge, next-generation firewall features that aren’t currently accessible in solutions like OPNsense and pfSense® software. Zenarmor Release 1.8 has supported pfSense® since March 2021. The FreeBSD operating system underpins the pfSense® operating system. In this case, the Zenarmor FreeBSD 12 package for the pfSense® software 2.5.x release series can be used. Zenarmor is a robust and cost-effective firewall that includes features like Application Control, Network Analytics, and TLS Inspection, among others.
Figure 1. Zenarmor
Sunny Valley Networks wants its product to function in any networking environment that processes Layer 3-4 traffic, whether it’s a container, cloud, virtual, or bare-metal deployment (firewalls, switches, UTMs). As of March 2021, the platforms supported include OPNsense®/pfSense® firewalls, Centos, AlmaLinux, Debian, Ubuntu, and FreeBSD. To put it another way, Zenarmor gives IT managers a variety of platform options to choose from, based on their hardware, technical backgrounds, and budgets. They can choose the operating system and hardware for their firewall that best suits their demands.
The primary features of Zenarmor are listed below:
- Cloud Threat Intelligence
- Application Control
- Web Filtering
- Real-time auto-blocking of recent malware/phishing outbreaks.
- User-friendly web and application categorization system with a massive and up-to-date database.
- Centralized Cloud management is a very useful and appealing feature for security administrators who have a large number of firewalls to manage.
- Rich reporting and analytics which provides network visibility.
- User-based and device-based filtering is very useful for managing schools and campus networks.
- Time-scheduled policies are an extremely useful feature, particularly for managing internet bandwidth.
2. Endian Firewall Community (EFW)
Endian Firewall Community (EFW) is a turn-key Linux-based security software application for the home that can turn any underutilized hardware device into a fully functional Unified Threat Management (UTM) system. Endian Community was created with the goal of making security easy and assisting in the protection of home networks via the use of open-source software.
Figure 2. Endian Firewall CE dashboard
- A Powerful Firewall: Protect your network against Internet risks while allowing proper access to internal and external resources.
- VPN (SSL & IPSec): Give your staff remote access and link numerous offices with our easy and secure VPN connection.
- Email Security: Spam, phishing, and other dangerous email should all be removed from your network. Protect your company against all of the current email dangers.
- Antivirus: Detects and prevents infections in both web and email traffic at the gateway. Protect your network from the most recent Internet attacks.
- Intrusion Prevention (IPS): A robust shield that analyzes traffic flows to defend your network from internal and external attacks.
- Multi-WAN (Wide Area Network) (with Failover): Connecting several Internet connections to your network will make it more dependable. It’s possible to use it in a basic failover arrangement or all at once.
- Quality of Service (QoS): Take control of your network bandwidth use and prioritize business-critical apps such as VoIP, web, and email.
- Centralized Management: Endian Management Center (EMC) give opportunities to manage your Endian Appliances centrally.
- Reporting: View real-time and historical information for all of your critical network traffic, including web use reports for the day, week, and month.
You can deploy Endian on 3 different environments:
- Appliance Hardware: From branch offices and industrial facilities to big networks, a comprehensive variety of specially built gadgets that integrate with UTM software for security demands.
- Virtual: VMware, Xen/XenServer, Hyper-V, and KVM are examples of virtual appliances.
- Appliance Software: You may transform your gear into an Endian UTM appliance with full functionality.
3. Gufw Firewall
UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall) is an easy-to-use firewall with a lot of features for most users. It’s an interface for iptables, which is the traditional (and more difficult to master) technique of configuring network rules. GUFW is a graphical management tool for Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW).
You must have the Universe repository enabled in order to install Gufw. Use Synaptic or run the following comand from terminal to install: