Shorewall

Shorewall is an open source firewall tool for Linux that builds upon the Netfilter (iptables/ipchains) system built into the Linux kernel, making it easier to manage more complex configuration schemes by providing a higher level of abstraction for describing rules using text files.

Shorewall
Developer(s)Thomas M. Eastep
Stable release
5.2.8[1] / 24 September 2020 (2020-09-24)[2]
Written inPerl
Operating systemGNU
Available inEnglish
LicenseGPLv2+[3]
Websiteshorewall.org

Configuration

It is not a daemon since it does not run continuously, but rather configures rules in the kernel that allow and disallow traffic through the system. Shorewall is configured through a group of plain-text configuration files and does not have a graphical user interface, though a Webmin module is available separately. A monitoring utility packaged with Shorewall can be used to watch the status of the system as it operates and to assist in testing.

Use

Shorewall is mainly used in network installations (as opposed to a personal computer firewall), since most of its strength lies in its ability to work with "zones", such as the DMZ or a 'net' zone. Each zone would then have different rules, making it easy to have for example relaxed rules on the company intranet, yet clamp down on traffic coming in from the Internet.

The plain-text configuration files are usually well-commented and easy to use, though Shorewall may be more difficult for new users to handle than other firewall systems with graphical front-ends.

Current version

The most recent stable version is 5.2.8. On 18 February 2019, primary developer Tom Eastep announced that he is retiring from the project, and 5.2.3 would be his final release.[4] Management of the Shorewall project was handed over to a Shorewall committee who would manage the future direction of the Shorewall project.[5] Tom Eastep however continues to be a major contributor to the Shorewall project as of September 2020.

Starting with version 4, Shorewall began using a Perl-based compiler frontend; previously it used a shell-based compiler frontend.[6] Support for IPv6 firewalling is included since version 4.2.4.[7]

See also

 Free software portal

References
  1. "Shoreline Firewall (Shorewall)". Shorewall.net. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  2. "SHOREWALL 5.2.8" (TXT). Shorewall.net. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  3. "Shorewall Notices". Shorewall.net. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  4. "Shoreline Firewall (Shorewall) / [Shorewall-users] The end of the road..." sourceforge.net. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  5. "Shoreline Firewall (Shorewall) / [Shorewall-announce] The Next Chapter for Shorewall". sourceforge.net. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  6. "R E L E A S E 4 . 4 H I G H L I G H T S" (TXT). Shorewall.net. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  7. "Shorewall IPv6 Support". shorewall.org. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
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