Arista NG Firewall vs SELKS

Arista NG Firewall is network security software for managing and protecting traffic in hybrid deployments. Its software packages list firewall, intrusion prevention, web filtering, VPN, reporting and other apps. Listed VPN options include IPsec VPN, OpenVPN, Tunnel VPN and WireGuard VPN, and SSL Inspector is a featured capability. NG Firewall Complete provides control and visibility into network traffic and events. The free package offers basic security and connectivity, but limits Virus Blocker, Application Control, Spam Blocker and Reports, and does not provide centralized management for policies, alerts, reports or Networks. ETM Dashboard centrally manages network appliances and can deploy hardware appliances remotely. Other listed capabilities include configuration backup, directory integration, application rules, network discovery, policy automation, and wired and wireless access control. NG Firewall Complete is listed at $270 for a 12-month term, with licensed-device choices from 12 through unlimited. Monthly billing is available as a licensed-term option; annual billing advertises 10% savings, and the three-year option advertises 20% savings. A free plan and 30-day trial are listed.

SELKS is a free, open-source software package for network intrusion detection and prevention, network security monitoring, and threat hunting, built around Suricata. Its web interface manages Suricata rulesets, threat intelligence sources, custom rules, and IoC data files. Predefined filters and contextual views support threat hunting; thresholding and suppression can help reduce noisy alerts. SELKS 10 includes Suricata, Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana, Stamus Community Edition, and functionality from Arkime, Evebox, and CyberChef. It can capture packets tied to detection events and export session PCAP files for investigation or playback in SELKS or other tools. Deployment options include Docker Compose for Linux and Debian-based ISO images, with or without a desktop, on bare metal or a virtual machine. SELKS is licensed under GPL 3.0-or-later. Stamus Networks says it stopped actively enhancing the legacy product on January 1, 2025, and has no future releases planned. The maker says SELKS was not designed for enterprise deployment.