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pfSense (virtual router/firewall)

pfSense is a mature and stable platform, especially useful for teams that value predictable operations.

When to choose pfSense

  • You need high operational stability
  • Your team prefers traditional GUI-driven workflows
  • You want clear firewall and NAT policy management
  • 2-3 vNICs:
  • WAN
  • LAN
  • Optional DMZ
  • CPU: 2-4 vCPU, RAM: 4 GB recommended
  • Disk: 16-32 GB

Baseline setup

  1. Assign interfaces and gateways.
  2. Build network aliases for cleaner policy definitions.
  3. Apply zone-based firewall rules (LAN/DMZ/WAN).
  4. Keep outbound NAT and port forwards minimal.
  5. Enable NTP, DNS Resolver and regular backups.

Good practices

  • Prefer aliases over one-off IP rules.
  • Label rules by service/owner for auditing.
  • Validate changes during maintenance windows.
  • Monitor firewall states and resource usage.

Operational checklist

  • Is WAN closed by default?
  • Do LAN/DMZ policies follow least privilege?
  • Is backup/restore fully validated?
  • Does the team have a clear outage runbook?