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==============
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About the Fork
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==============
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Welcome to about the fork. This page is intended to explain the original motivation
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for forking, but keep in mind that currently less than 10% of the original legacy code
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base remains. As it stand today, OPNsense has evolved from being a fork to a whole new
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security platform with leading innovations such as weekly security updates for
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all components, a REST API, inline Intrusion Prevention and intuitive modern user
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interface.
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-------------------
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Debunking the Myths
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-------------------
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There are some myths surrounding our project offered mostly by pfSense enthusiasts,
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if you have read their comments on us then we'd recommend to just ignore them and
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install OPNsense, if you have not already done so.
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.. sidebar:: Lets fork and lift the project!
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.. image:: images/fork-lift_new.jpg
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-------------------
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So why did we fork?
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-------------------
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Back in 2014, after having sponsored pfSense® for years we felt there was no other
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option than fork the project and keep the spirit of the - original m0n0wall based
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fork - alive. Below you can read about our original motivations and the birth of
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OPNsense®.
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Technical
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---------
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We had technical reasons to fork.
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As much as we love the functionality/feature set of pfSense, we do not enjoy the
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:doc:`code quality </development/guidelines/basics>` and dispersed development method. We like structure, achievable
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goals set forth in a `roadmap <https://opnsense.org/about/road-map/>`__ with
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regular releases and a decent :doc:`framework </development/architecture>`.
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Security
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--------
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On the security part the main issue was the need to separate logic. The GUI
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should not perform tasks that require root access and potential security issues
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should be fixed before they become a real problem.
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Quality
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-------
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As for quality, all new features will be built using a solid :doc:`framework </development/architecture>` with a
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Model View Controller. For this purpose we choose `Phalcon <https://phalconphp.com/nl/>`__ as it is the fastest
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open source PHP framework available. And we will gradually migrate parts inherited
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from pfSense to the new framework to avoid a big-bang approach.
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Community
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---------
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A thriving community can only exist when people are willing to share. We want to
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make it easier for people to join and help to build the community. With pfSense
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this has been rather difficult as the tools to build it are difficult to use and
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often do not work in the first few attempts. And since 2014 year they are not
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freely available any more, you need to apply for access with ESF. We believe a
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good open source project has nothing to hide so access to the sources should be
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there for all. It will remain a mystery why ESF made that move as commit rights
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and read rights are totally different.
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.. Note::
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ESF has since changed their policy several times with different license models,
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including the ESF 6 clause license and the latest being a Apache style license.
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Transparency
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-------------
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A real concern with pfSense is transparency. Since Netgate bought
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the majority share of pfSense and renamed the company to ESF it has been
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difficult to understand the direction they want the project to go. Removing the
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tools from github without prior warning and using the brand name to fence off
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competitors has scared quite a lot of people. Also the license had changed for
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no apparent reason…
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Restore a firm open source project
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----------------------------------
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With OPNsense we have restored a stable project with clear goals and a very simple
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license that is suitable for forking and making OEM versions. We think a community
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project is there for all to use and work with.
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-------------
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First Release
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-------------
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Much work had already been done before the `first official release <https://opnsense.org/opnsense-version-15-1-released/>`__:
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* The build-tools had been completely rewritten from the ground up
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with clear and easy to read build scripts that are portable and small,
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* OPNsense is now a package that can be installed on top of our custom FreeBSD
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build (you can literally do pkg remove opnsense and are left with an almost
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standard FreeBSD base system),
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* The firmware upgrade process is now done with pkgng,
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* Captive portal has been rewritten and does not make use of kernel patches anymore,
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* New features (captive portal) have been implemented with a clear structure,
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* The check_reload_status functionality, effectively the backend daemon starting
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and stopping components, has been fully rewritten in Python (configd),
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* Fully reworked the GUI to a modern Bootstrap based one that is also easier to
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customize if you want to.
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--------------------------
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Future Development & Focus
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--------------------------
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Moving forward the focus will remain on code quality and security.
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.. Note::
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A lot of work has been done to improve the code quality and with weekly
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updates we have proven to be able to act quickly on known security threats.
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For current status of the project and future development see our `roadmap <https://opnsense.org/about/road-map/>`__.
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Deciso's involvement
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--------------------
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That being said it is important to know that `Deciso <https://www.deciso.com/about-deciso/>`__ has been a long time sponsor
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of pfSense and invested a lot of time and money into the project. Deciso helped
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to make it a success in Europe. Until Netgate bought the company there was room
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for many others like us, but that has changed unfortunately.
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Closing thoughts
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----------------
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In the end it all boils down to the direction we will go both technical as well
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as community involvement and transparency.
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You are invited! Try OPNsense, be part of the community and help the project move
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forward. OPNsense is rapidly becoming the number one open source firewall platform!
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