# OPNsense

OPNsense GUI, API and systems backend

Repository: https://github.com/opnsense/core
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/opnsense
Homepage: https://opnsense.org/
Language: PHP
License: BSD-2-Clause
License Family: permissive
Topics: firewall, gui, api, ips, proxy, vpn, shaping, captive-portal, bsd, routing, hacktoberfest
Last push: 2026-08-26T17:33:29+00:00
Link (homepage): https://opnsense.org/
Link (site_page): https://opnsense.org/features
Link (site_page): https://docs.opnsense.org/

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 77/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4281, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 4653, forks 983 (observed 2026-08-28T04:08:55.637570+00:00)

## What it is
OPNsense is an open-source, FreeBSD-based firewall and routing platform with a web GUI, REST API, and extensible plugin system. It provides commercial-firewall features such as stateful filtering, VPN, intrusion prevention, traffic shaping, and high availability.

## Use cases
- build a home or office firewall router
- set up a VPN server with WireGuard or OpenVPN
- run intrusion detection and prevention on my network
- manage multi-WAN load balancing and failover
- create a captive portal for guest Wi-Fi
- replace a pfSense or commercial firewall appliance

## When to choose
- you want a full-featured, actively maintained open-source firewall OS
- you need VPN, IDS/IPS, shaping, and HA in one platform
- you prefer a web GUI plus REST API for automation

## When to avoid
- you need a lightweight software firewall on generic Linux servers
- you want a pure CLI/config-file firewall without a web interface
- your hardware is not FreeBSD-compatible

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: security, networking, vpn, proxy, routing, api-framework, gui, self-hosted
- domain: security, networking, self-hosted, infrastructure-as-code
- platform: bsd, self-hosted, php
- tags: firewall, router, intrusion-prevention, captive-portal, traffic-shaping, freebsd, multi-wan, wireguard, openvpn, ipsec, high-availability, web-server

## Member repositories
- opnsense/core (main) score 77
- opnsense/plugins (plugin) score 77

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:55.637570+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:19:29.336111+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/opnsense/core (fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:55.637570+00:00, sha 262a4f83861b)
  - homepage: https://opnsense.org/ (fetched 2026-08-29T09:04:02.550716+00:00, sha 92c1aefe3aad)
  - site_page: https://opnsense.org/features (fetched 2026-08-29T09:04:02.553538+00:00, sha e84b077fe78c)
  - site_page: https://docs.opnsense.org/ (fetched 2026-08-29T09:04:02.555214+00:00, sha e53fb98e2793)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.