inverse-inc/packetfence
PacketFence is a fully supported, trusted, Free and Open Source network access control (NAC) solution. Boasting an impressive feature set including a captive-portal for registration and remediation, centralized wired and wireless management, powerful BYOD management options, 802.1X support, layer-2 isolation of problematic devices; PacketFence can be used to effectively secure networks small to very large heterogeneous networks. observed · 2026-08-28
Health v2 · maintenance only
88/100
- Activity 99
- Release rhythm 67
- Longevity 100
How is this computed?
round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10) — computed 2026-09-03. Adoption (stars, forks) is never an input.
- gap_med: 185.0
- age_days: 5298
- days_rel: 9
- days_push: 7
- n_releases_24m: 5
Adoption not part of the score
1678 stars · 322 forks observed · 2026-08-28
What it is AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, 2026-08-30, confidence not recorded
PacketFence is a free and open source network access control (NAC) solution with a captive portal for registration and remediation, 802.1X support, centralized wired and wireless management, and BYOD handling. It enforces access policies via SNMP, RADIUS, or inline modes and can isolate non-compliant devices on heterogeneous networks of any size.
Use cases
- control who connects to my network and what they can access
- set up a captive portal for guest wifi registration
- enforce 802.1X authentication across wired and wireless networks
- quarantine non-compliant or infected devices on the LAN
- manage BYOD onboarding for employee personal devices
- assign VLANs dynamically based on user identity or device type
- integrate IDS and vulnerability scanning into network access decisions
When to choose
- you need enterprise-grade NAC for campuses, hospitals, or large heterogeneous networks
- you want a self-hosted, GPL-licensed alternative to commercial NAC products
- you need broad switch and wireless controller support with multiple enforcement modes
- you require guest, BYOD, and compliance workflows in one system
When to avoid
- you only need a simple firewall or VPN rather than device-level access control
- you cannot run a dedicated Linux server or manage a complex Perl-based deployment
- you need a lightweight tool for a small home network without policy enforcement
Facets
application · maturity stable
auth authorization security networking self-hosted monitoring api-framework security networking self-hosted developer-tools self-hosted cloud network-access-control nac captive-portal 8021x byod radius vlan-enforcement guest-network ids-integration perl linux web-server
5 sources
- readme: https://github.com/inverse-inc/packetfence · fetched 2026-08-28 · 7099b6033eb3
- homepage: https://packetfence.org · fetched 2026-08-29 · 8231ccb90541
- site_page: https://www.packetfence.com/docs · fetched 2026-08-29 · 9c7bf322f977
- site_page: https://www.packetfence.com/features · fetched 2026-08-29 · a12a50aee467
- site_page: https://www.packetfence.com/pricing · fetched 2026-08-29 · 8db20f289fb8
Member repositories
| Repository | Role | Health v2 |
|---|---|---|
| inverse-inc/packetfence | main | 88 |
For agents
markdown · JSON · MCP: product_card(name="inverse-inc/packetfence")
Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00 · Report a problem