Content

Overview

The Debian / Ubuntu Linux kernel provides a packet filtering system called netfilter, the traditional interface for its management is the iptables command package. iptables offers a complete firewall solution that is both highly configurable and extremely flexible.

Getting proficient with iptables takes time, and getting started with the netfilter firewall using only iptables can be a daunting task. As a result, many frontends for iptables have been created over the years, each trying to achieve different results and targeting different user audiences.

Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW) is one such frontend for iptables and is particularly suitable for server-based firewalls. ufw provides a framework for managing netfilter as well as a command line also an interface to manage the firewall, which uses few and simple commands. ufw aims to provide an easy-to-use interface for those unfamiliar with firewall concepts, while simplifying complex iptables commands to help administrators who know what they're doing. UFW is an upstream software package for other distributions and graphical frontends as well.

The UFW firewall is available by default in Ubuntu systems since the 8.04 LTS release, it must be installed in Debian systems.

GUFW is a graphical version of the UFW firewall, which provides a more convenient interface for managing the firewall.