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OPNsense is at the heart of my home network. It manages my firewall, handles reverse proxies, virtual private network access, virtual local area networks (VLANs), tracker and advertisement blocking, DHCP leasing, and more. It’s much more than a simple firewall firmware, and the entire process of going from an ISP-provided router to a custom DIY firewall solution can take around ten minutes. If you want more control over how your network operates and enjoy open-source software, OPNsense is the way to go.

One part of OPNSense that has put some off is the frequent update release schedule. It’s my favorite OPNsense feature and is a large reason why I switched from pfSense. I prioritize security, active development, and new features over waiting for prolonged periods between major updates, and OPNSense provides just that for my home network. While not for everyone, I’m able to overlook the bugs and potential system issues through frequent backups and only updating when the network is at its quietest.

OPNsense is my favorite firewall

It does it all brilliantly

From installing OPNsense to firing it up for the first time to installing community plugins and securing your home network, I’ve never had a single issue with this firewall firmware. Starting in 2015, OPNsense was forked from pfSense, which caused some drama and saw many jump ship to the new open-source alternative. What set OPNsense (and the new company) apart was the community-driven development and strong open backing, with all code available for everyone to inspect and help shape.

This allows for a frequent release cycle where minor patches are rolled out every few weeks and major versions come twice per year. It’s a security-first approach, ensuring that everything remains modular and a user-friendly GUI is at the heart. While this does mean some bugs may be found in a particular release, the team is always quick to compile a list of revisions and implement them within a fair amount of time. So long as frequent backups are taken (and you are backing up your network, right?), I never encounter any network-breaking issues that cannot be reverted.

First up, we have security patches. These are critical vulnerabilities that are patched almost immediately. Then we have minor feature updates, which can vary from improvements to specific plugins and firewall rules, to the user interface, and even something like the built-in VPN support. Lastly, we have major releases that change a lot about OPNsense and can often include architectural improvements with new functionality altogether. This is where things can get a little exciting when updating a firewall in a live environment without deploying a test instance.

We covered OPNsense 25.7, where it had a fair number of minor issues that caused problems for those who unknowingly loaded up the release without reading through the changelog and making appropriate preparations. But that’s the great thing about OPNsense. You don’t have to update. You can be notified with a handy pop-up that shows off what’s included in this new release, but it’s down to you when you wish to upgrade and if you should as a whole. And like everything else with OPNsense, it’s fairly secure out of the box.

Why frequent updates are great

Security patches and then some

I’m a big fan of keeping everything patched to its latest version. It’s why I use a rolling release distro like Arch, and OPNsense almost follows suit. I get to enjoy zero-day vulnerabilities being patched promptly, which helps to keep my entire network safe. It’s important to remember that the firewall (and your router as a whole) is the first line of defence for the network. It’s what handles all inbound and outbound traffic, checking to make sure everything is secure before passing it on. Having OPNsense updated frequently maintains that shielding.

And because there’s an active community backing OPNsense, you can bet new features, such as VPN improvements, IPS enhancements, and other parts of the OS, will be rolled out quickly. Then there’s the plugin ecosystem, which is robust and continues to evolve quickly. But these updates would mean nothing if they weren’t communicated well to end users, and that’s something OPNsense handles extremely well. A pop-up will show some information about a potential update that may be available. Upon confirming, a full changelog can be provided without leaving the GUI.

If you wanted to, you could audit the patches yourself by cross-referencing what’s noted in the update notes against what actually changes on your installation after the process has completed. I get why some may be hesitant about upgrading their firewall, but this is one of the primary concerns we have with ISP-provided routers. They aren’t guaranteed to be supported forever, which means you may eventually reach a point where updates stop, or at least they may not be automatically applied. With OPNsense, I have full control over what packages are installed.

I’ve lost count of how many patches have been rolled out, many of which would have a direct impact on my network security. I always found it rather frustrating that it felt like no one was directly involved. My ISP would send a router, but everything would be handled by the manufacturer of the device. Depending on who you end up with, that could be a blessing or a curse, but mostly somewhere in between. Having full control of the hardware and software allows me to ensure 99% uptime across the LAN without a single threat passing through.