Hi everyone! I'm new here and honestly a bit nervous to post, but I've been reading a lot and want to dive in. I'm trying to learn about firewalls and network security, and everyone keeps mentioning pfSense and OPNsense as the go-to open-source options.
I've set up a basic home lab with an old PC and a managed switch, so I can run VMs or install directly. I really want to understand the practical differences between these two platforms—not just the history/fork drama, but how they feel to use day-to-day.
Could you suggest a good, contained 'first lab' project that would highlight their differences? I'm thinking something that would let me compare:
* The installation process and initial setup wizards.
* How the web interfaces are organized (menu layout, workflow).
* Setting up a basic set of rules (like allowing/blocking specific traffic).
* Maybe installing a common package or add-on?
I'm hoping for a project that's not too complex for a beginner, but meaningful enough that I actually learn something about their design philosophies. Should I try replicating my home network setup on each, or is there a better, more focused exercise?
Thanks in advance for guiding a newbie! 😅
Replicating your home network is a waste of time for this. It's too forgiving.
Do a proper lab. Set up a segmented test environment where you have to create:
- A VLAN for a "guest" network.
- A strict outbound firewall rule blocking everything but DNS and HTTP/HTTPS.
- A port forward for a fake internal service.
The differences will slap you in the face immediately. pfSense's rule logic is cryptic by default. OPNsense tries to be more intuitive. You'll spend an hour figuring out where each hides the setting for the implicit deny rule.
Then install the Sensei plugin on OPNsense and the Squid plugin on pfSense. The package management experience alone will tell you which project still cares about user experience.