OPNsense, an open-source, FreeBSD-based firewall and routing platform designed for both small and large network environments, has just announced its latest update, version 25.7 “Visionary Viper,” introducing some substantial improvements and new features.
Most notably, the frontend code has undergone a complete overhaul, making it both reusable and more intuitive. Users can now benefit from experimental privilege separation for the GUI, which enhances overall security by isolating the interface. There is also a new SFTP backup plugin, offering a streamlined approach to data safety.
The setup wizard is completely reengineered, now built on modern MVC-based APIs, resulting in faster and more consistent configuration. Additionally, a strict Web UI mode has been introduced, enabling the interface to run with non-root privileges for enhanced operational security.
Users will also notice significant improvements in the dashboard, now powered by ChartJS 4, offering sharper insights and better performance across monitoring components.
User management has become more user-friendly with enhanced CSV import/export capabilities and new source-network constraints for easier administration.
It is also worth noting the introduction of JSON container support for aliases, which makes alias management much more efficient, especially when handling a large number of aliases simultaneously. The firewall automation GUI has received a facelift, bringing improved performance and usability.
On the networking capabilities side, Dnsmasq DHCP is now supported by default, replacing ISC DHCP for initial setups and resets, alongside the addition of Kea DHCPv6. Plus, performance enhancements have been implemented to handle numerous aliases effortlessly.
Under the hood, this release leverages FreeBSD 14.3, bringing numerous performance boosts and stability improvements. Further optimizations include streamlined kernel timestamp management, better logging, and several bug fixes in firewall and network components.
Lastly, for users interested in further customizing their setups, several plugins have been updated or introduced, including the new Google Drive backup support and legacy plugins for OpenVPN and IPsec.
Visit the release announcement for detailed information about all changes in the latest version. The full changelog is here. You can get OPNsense 25.7 from the project site’s download section.
