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opnsense

opnsense/core

Open-source firewall and router platform based on FreeBSD, providing the GUI, API and system backend for OPNsense.

Open-source alternative to:pfSenseFortinet FortiGate

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What is it?

This repository holds the core of OPNsense, an open-source firewall and routing distribution built on FreeBSD. It contains the web GUI, the REST-style API layer and the system management backend that configure and run the firewall.

The codebase is written mainly in PHP and follows an MVC structure, with the project gradually moving toward a new architecture rather than a full rewrite. Plugins extend the base system, and the repository includes Makefile targets for packaging, updating, linting, style checks and sanitizer runs.

Developers who want to contribute or build their own variant can use the build tools in the separate tools repository. Topics associated with the project include firewall, VPN, captive portal, routing, traffic shaping, proxy and intrusion prevention.

Key features

  • 01Web GUI for configuring firewall rules, routing and system settings
  • 02API layer for managing the system programmatically
  • 03Built on FreeBSD with PHP-based MVC application code
  • 04Supports VPN, captive portal, traffic shaping and proxy features
  • 05Makefile targets for packaging, linting and style checks

Use cases

  • Running a self-hosted firewall and router for a home or small office network
  • Developing or extending OPNsense plugins and the web interface
  • Building a custom OPNsense package from source
  • Setting up VPN gateways or guest captive portals on a network edge

Quick start

  1. 1

    Clone the repository from GitHub

  2. 2

    Build the package with make (requires OPNsense build tools from the tools repository)

    make package
  3. 3

    Install the built package on an OPNsense system with make upgrade

    make upgrade

Things to know

  • Built for FreeBSD and OPNsense systems, so it is not a general-purpose application you can run on any platform.
  • Building requires the separate OPNsense tools repository and several system packages.

Topics

#firewall#networking#freebsd#php#vpn#routing#network-security#api#bsd#captive-portal

FAQ

What is core?
Open-source firewall and router platform based on FreeBSD, providing the GUI, API and system backend for OPNsense. This repository holds the core of OPNsense, an open-source firewall and routing distribution built on FreeBSD. It contains the web GUI, the REST-style API layer and the system management backend that configure and run the firewall.
Is core free to use? What license does it have?
core is open source under the BSD-2-Clause license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is core still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to core was on Oct 23, 2026.
What can I use core for?
Running a self-hosted firewall and router for a home or small office network Developing or extending OPNsense plugins and the web interface Building a custom OPNsense package from source Setting up VPN gateways or guest captive portals on a network edge
How do I install core?
Clone the repository from GitHub Build the package with make (requires OPNsense build tools from the tools repository): make package Install the built package on an OPNsense system with make upgrade: make upgrade
Where can I get core?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/opnsense/core

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