An open source firewall is protective software that allows free access to software and its code. It is easier to find on open source operating systems like Linux® and is built with the community in mind. Commercial systems like Windows® or MacOS® have free firewalls, but they are often not open source.
The term “open source firewall” is actually two different terms mixed together. A firewall is a software barrier to the outside world; blocks information that could be harmful to the computer system. Open source is both a type of software and a software movement that allows free access to software and the code in which it is written. In general, it is easier to find an open source firewall for a Linux® system, or a similar open source operating system, than for a commercial system such as Windows® or MacOS®.
Firewalls protect computer systems from harmful information. A firewall can be a piece of hardware or software, but “open source firewall” implies that it is software. A software firewall is a program installed on a computer, unlike a hardware firewall which typically exists separate from the computer. Firewalls are located between the local network and the external network. If your local network has multiple machines, only those that talk directly to the outside world need firewall software.
Open source describes both the origin of software and the mindset behind it. In all open source software, the code and licenses for use are publicly available. This allows other programmers to see exactly how a piece of software works, or even borrow code to use in their own projects. While the availability of source code appears to make an open source firewall more vulnerable, this is generally not the case. The community is constantly finding vulnerabilities and patches for them, often faster than commercial software companies.
With standard software, the ultimate goal is to make money, other goals often take second place to that. The end goal for open source developers isn’t always that clear. It is sometimes used as a self-promotion, as an open source product that works well with one of the company’s commercial products. Other times, it’s a small group that comes up with a product for recognition or to fill a void they see in the software community.
With all of that in mind, an open source firewall is protective software built with the community in mind. As with most open source software, it is most common on an open source operating system such as Linux®. Firewalls like Endian Firewall® or SmoothWall Express® are free, open source, and generally easy to use. While commercial operating systems, such as Windows® or MacOS®, have free firewalls, they are often not open source. These freeware firewalls are common on commercial systems, but don’t have the source code available to their users.
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