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Advanced Policy Firewall
Advanced Policy Firewall · Austin, TX · founded 2002
What it is
Advanced Policy Firewall is a free GNU GPL firewall system for Internet-deployed Linux servers. It uses iptables/netfilter with static rules, stateful connection policies, and checks for attack patterns and forged source addresses. Administrators can set granular inbound and outbound controls, including rules based on users and applications. Additional controls include reactive address blocking, GeoIP country filtering, and Spamhaus and DShield block lists. IPv6 dual-stack filtering can create ip6tables rules automatically. Documentation describes fast-load snapshots that load more than 1,000 rules in under one second, plus integrations with BFD, cron, systemd, Docker/Kubernetes, and logrotate. APF requires Linux with iptables/netfilter and Bash, supporting legacy and nft backends. Listed systems include RHEL/Rocky/AlmaLinux 8 and 9, CentOS 6 and 7, Debian 12, and Ubuntu 12.04, 20.04, and 24.04. By default, only SSH port 22 is open; several filtering features are disabled. Development mode flushes the firewall every five minutes during initial setup.
For and against
For
- Granular inbound and outbound filtering
- IPv6 dual-stack support
- GeoIP and threat block lists
- Integrations with system and container tools
- GNU GPL distribution
Against
- Linux, iptables/netfilter, and Bash required
- Only SSH port 22 opens by default
- Several controls are disabled initially
- Development mode flushes every five minutes
The verdict
Advanced Policy Firewall offers extensive server filtering and blocking controls without a paid tier. Initial configuration requires attention because defaults restrict access and development mode periodically flushes the firewall.
Who it suits
APF suits administrators managing supported Linux servers who need inbound and outbound firewall controls. It is self-hosted and free, with no paid tiers or enterprise editions.
Plans and prices
Advanced Policy Firewall
GNU GPL v2 · no paid tiers or enterprise editions
Read 8 Oct 2026 · rfxn.com
On the record
- Application rules
- Yesrfxn.com · read 22 Sep 2026
- Blocking
- Features include reactive address blocking, GeoIP country filtering, and Spamhaus and DShield block lists.rfxn.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Configuration limit
- Only SSH port 22 is open by default, while outbound filtering, reactive address blocking, and virtual network policies are disabled by default.rfxn.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Filtering
- Its filtering combines static rules, connection-based stateful policies, and sanity checks for attack patterns and source IP forgery.rfxn.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The documentation describes integration with BFD, cron, systemd, Docker/Kubernetes, and logrotate.rfxn.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- IPv6
- APF supports IPv6 dual-stack filtering with automatic ip6tables rules.rfxn.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- License and price
- APF is distributed under GNU GPL without restrictions on use or redistribution, and R-fx Networks says its projects have no paid tiers or enterprise editions.rfxn.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Outbound control
- advancedrfxn.com · read 22 Sep 2026
- Performance
- The documentation says fast-load snapshots can load more than 1,000 rules in under one second.rfxn.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- APF is an iptables/netfilter-based firewall system designed for Internet-deployed Linux servers.rfxn.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Requirements
- APF requires a Linux system with iptables/netfilter and Bash; the documentation supports both legacy and nft iptables backends.rfxn.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Rule direction
- bothrfxn.com · read 22 Sep 2026
- Safety behavior
- Development mode is enabled by default and flushes the firewall every five minutes to help prevent lockout during initial configuration.rfxn.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Security reporting
- R-fx Networks asks for vulnerability reports to be sent privately and says it will acknowledge receipt within 48 hours.rfxn.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Support
- The maker directs users to the APF source repository and invites bug reports and feature requests through its issue tracker.rfxn.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Supported systems
- The documentation lists RHEL/Rocky/AlmaLinux 8 and 9, CentOS 7 and 6, Debian 12, and Ubuntu 20.04, 24.04, and 12.04.rfxn.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Traffic controls
- It supports granular inbound and outbound filtering, including user- and application-based outbound rules.rfxn.com · read 8 Oct 2026
