To be a successful Linux administrator, ensuring the security of Linux systems or network infrastructure plays an important role. To create a robust security administration, you must use certain rules in your Linux firewall. This Linux firewall controls and manages inbound and outbound network traffic and allows only legitimate communication between internal and external networks.

Therefore, Linux firewall acts as a network security program that ultimately checks the connections and determines whether or not they are valid (unwanted intrusions). Although Linux distributions come with default firewall protection via iptables, it's nice to have some additional options for a system administrator.

1- Iptables

Iptables ou Netfilter est le pare-feu Linux open source le plus populaire et le plus rapide. De nombreux administrateurs système préfèrent qu'il protège leur serveur car il joue la première ligne de défense du serveur Linux.

  


IPv4 and IPv6 are protected with iptables and ip6tables accordingly. You can add, view, edit, or delete rules from the packet filter rule set.

2- IPCop Firewall

If you want firewall protection for your home or small office surroundings, IPCop firewall is the one for you. IPCop is an open source Linux firewall distribution that runs on an older computer with fewer resources and acts as a secure VPN for network connection.

  


IPCop is a stable, easy-to-use, secure and highly configurable firewall system for Linux server. Manage and set rules for this Linux firewall with an intuitive, well-designed, and easy-to-use web interface.

3- Shorewall, Iptables Made Easy

Shorewall or Shoreline is another popular and free open source Linux firewall. This firewall protection software is based on the built-in Linux kernel iptables / ipchains Netfilter. It also supports IPV6.

   


If you are having difficulty using Iptables firewall or configuration rules, you should try Shorewall firewall. It supports a wide range of gateway, router and firewall applications.