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SPECIFICTION
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ferm

github.com

Free plan Linux
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Spec score 7.9 #43 of 80 in Firewall Software

Spec sheet

Purpose
ferm is a frontend for iptables that reads firewall rules from a structured configuration file and inserts them into the running kernel.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com
Intended users
The README describes ferm as a tool for firewall administrators who want to write and read firewall rules more easily.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com
Supported platforms
linuxRead 22 Sep 2026 · github.com
Support
The documentation directs bug reports to the project's GitHub issues page.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com
License
The repository identifies ferm as GPL-2.0 licensed software.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com
Compilation
The README says the package does not need to be compiled.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com
Configuration language
ferm’s configuration language supports variables, functions, arrays, blocks, and including other files.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com
Dependencies
Installation requires Perl, iptables including iptables-save and iptables-restore, and a kernel supporting netfilter.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com
Documentation
The ferm(1) manual page provides documentation about ferm syntax, and the README suggests starting from example files.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com
Firewall domains
Since version 2.0, ferm supports ip, ip6, arp, and Ethernet bridging tables.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com
Goal
The project aims to make firewall rules easier to write and read.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com
Included files
Configuration can include individual files, directories, wildcard matches, or shell command output.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com
Installation
The README says the package does not need compilation and can be installed with make install.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com
Intended user
The README describes ferm as a tool for firewall administrators who want to spend more time developing rules than implementing them.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com
Interactive mode
The README recommends using interactive mode while applying rules to avoid locking yourself out of remote machines.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com
Migration
The included import-ferm script converts current firewall rules into a ferm configuration file.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com
Outbound control
advancedRead 22 Sep 2026 · github.com
Remote safety
Interactive mode asks for confirmation and restores the previous ruleset if there is no valid response before the timeout, which defaults to 30 seconds.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com
Requirements
The documentation lists Linux 2.4 or newer with netfilter support, iptables, and Perl 5.6 as requirements.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com
Reusable rules
Included files can be used to create libraries of commonly used structures and functions.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com
Rule direction
bothRead 22 Sep 2026 · github.com
Rule import
The import-ferm script converts existing firewall rules into a ferm configuration file.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com
Rule installation
Fast mode generates an iptables-save file and installs it with iptables-restore, and has been enabled by default since ferm 2.0.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com
Rule language
Its configuration language supports variables, functions, arrays, blocks, and included files.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com

Plans and prices

ferm Free No paid plans or usage limits stated on the project page Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com

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Where Specifiction places it

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