# FireHOL

> iptables stateful firewall

**Wikidata**: [Q5451278](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5451278)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FireHOL)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/firehol

## Summary
FireHOL is a free, open-source firewall for Linux designed to create stateful iptables firewalls. It is written in shell script and licensed under the GNU General Public License, version 2.0 or later.

## Key Facts
- **Entity Type:** Firewall / Free Software
- **Primary Function:** iptables stateful firewall
- **Operating System:** Linux
- **Programming Language:** Shell script
- **License:** GNU General Public License, version 2.0 or later
- **Website:** https://firehol.org/
- **Source Code Repository:** https://github.com/firehol/firehol (hosted on GitHub)
- **Latest Stable Version:** 3.1.8 (released March 15, 2025)
- **Wikipedia Title:** FireHOL
- **Wikidata Description:** iptables stateful firewall
- **Freebase ID:** /m/063b_5
- **Open Hub ID:** firehol
- **OSDN Project:** freshmeat_firehol
- **Pro-linux.de DBapp ID:** 11191
- **Repology Project Name:** firehol
- **Free Software Directory Entry:** Firehol
- **Copyright Status:** Copyrighted
- **Wikipedia Languages:** English (en), Marathi (mr)

## FAQs
### Q: What is FireHOL?
FireHOL is a free software firewall for Linux systems. It functions as an iptables stateful firewall, written in shell script.

### Q: What license does FireHOL use?
FireHOL is licensed under the GNU General Public License, version 2.0 or later.

### Q: Where can I find FireHOL packages?
FireHOL is available in various package repositories including Arch User Repository (firehol-git, firehol), Debian Stable (firehol), Gentoo (net-firewall/firehol), and openSUSE (firehol).

### Q: When was the latest version of FireHOL released?
The latest stable version is 3.1.8, released on March 15, 2025.

## Why It Matters
FireHOL matters as a security tool that simplifies the complex task of configuring iptables, the standard firewall utility for Linux. By providing a shell script-based interface, it allows administrators to define stateful firewall rules, which track the state of active connections to determine which network packets are allowed through. As an open-source project hosted on GitHub and available across multiple Linux distributions, it provides a flexible and accessible security solution for maintaining network integrity and controlling traffic based on predetermined security rules.

## Notable For
- Being an iptables stateful firewall designed specifically for Linux operating systems.
- Being written entirely in shell script.
- Availability across multiple major Linux distributions including Arch, Debian, Gentoo, and openSUSE.
- An extensive release history spanning from 2008 to 2025.
- Being free software licensed under the GNU General Public License v2.0 or later.

## Body
### Overview and Functionality
FireHOL is a free software firewall application designed for the Linux operating system. Its primary technical description is an "iptables stateful firewall." This means it utilizes the iptables utility to manage network traffic while tracking the state of active connections (such as TCP streams or UDP communication) to make decisions about which packets to allow or block. The software is written in the shell script programming language.

### Development and Version History
The development of FireHOL has been active for over a decade, with its source code repository hosted on GitHub. The project has seen numerous releases, indicating ongoing maintenance and feature updates.

Notable historical releases include:
- **Early Versions:** Releases such as 1.273 (July 31, 2008) and 1.296 (September 25, 2013).
- **Version 2.0 Series:** Major releases in this series include v2.0.0 (October 24, 2014) through v2.0.4 (January 10, 2016).
- **Version 3.0 Series:** This series began with v3.0.0 (December 20, 2015) and concluded with v3.0.3 (January 10, 2017).
- **Version 3.1 Series:** Starting with v3.1.0 (November 28, 2016), the series progressed through several iterations including v3.1.6 (August 13, 2018).
- **Latest Stable Release:** The current stable version is **3.1.8**, which was released on March 15, 2025. The previous version, 3.1.7, was released on December 31, 2020.

### Licensing and Copyright
The software is copyrighted and distributed under the **GNU General Public License, version 2.0 or later**. This licensing ensures that FireHOL remains free software, granting users the freedom to run, study, share, and modify the software.

### Distribution and Availability
FireHOL is widely accessible across the Linux ecosystem through various distribution-specific package repositories:
- **Arch Linux:** Available in the Arch User Repository (AUR) under the names `firehol-git` and `firehol`.
- **Debian:** Available in the stable repositories as `firehol`.
- **Gentoo:** Available as the package `net-firewall/firehol`.
- **openSUSE:** Available as the package `firehol`.

The project is also tracked on Repology under the project name `firehol` and listed in the Free Software Directory as "Firehol." It has a presence on Open Hub with the ID `firehol` and is associated with the OSDN project `freshmeat_firehol`.

### Documentation and Community
Information about FireHOL is maintained across several platforms:
- **Official Website:** https://firehol.org/
- **Wikipedia:** An article exists under the title "FireHOL," available in English and Marathi.
- **ArchWiki:** A dedicated article is available on ArchWiki (English, page ID 24263).
- **External Databases:** The software is listed in the pro-linux.de database with app ID 11191.

## References

1. [Source](https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Firehol#tab=Details)
2. [The firehol Open Source Project on Open Hub: Languages Page. Open Hub](https://www.openhub.net/p/firehol/analyses/latest/languages_summary)
3. [Release 1.273. 2008](https://github.com/ktsaou/firehol/releases/tag/v1.273)
4. [Release 1.296. 2013](https://github.com/ktsaou/firehol/releases/tag/v1.296)
5. [Release 1.296. 2016](https://github.com/firehol/firehol/releases/tag/v1.296)
6. [Release 1.297. 2013](https://github.com/ktsaou/firehol/releases/tag/v1.297)
7. [Release 1.297. 2016](https://github.com/firehol/firehol/releases/tag/v1.297)
8. [Release 2.0.0. 2014](https://github.com/ktsaou/firehol/releases/tag/v2.0.0)
9. [Release 2.0.0. 2016](https://github.com/firehol/firehol/releases/tag/v2.0.0)
10. [Release 2.0.1. 2015](https://github.com/ktsaou/firehol/releases/tag/v2.0.1)
11. [Release 2.0.1. 2016](https://github.com/firehol/firehol/releases/tag/v2.0.1)
12. [Release 2.0.2. 2015](https://github.com/ktsaou/firehol/releases/tag/v2.0.2)
13. [Release 2.0.2. 2016](https://github.com/firehol/firehol/releases/tag/v2.0.2)
14. [Release 2.0.3. 2015](https://github.com/ktsaou/firehol/releases/tag/v2.0.3)
15. [Release 2.0.3. 2016](https://github.com/firehol/firehol/releases/tag/v2.0.3)
16. [Release 2.0.4. 2016](https://github.com/ktsaou/firehol/releases/tag/v2.0.4)
17. [Release 2.0.4. 2016](https://github.com/firehol/firehol/releases/tag/v2.0.4)
18. [Release 3.0.0. 2015](https://github.com/ktsaou/firehol/releases/tag/v3.0.0)
19. [Release 3.0.0. 2015](https://github.com/firehol/firehol/releases/tag/v3.0.0)
20. [Release 3.0.1. 2016](https://github.com/ktsaou/firehol/releases/tag/v3.0.1)
21. [Release 3.0.1. 2016](https://github.com/firehol/firehol/releases/tag/v3.0.1)
22. [Release 3.0.2. 2016](https://github.com/ktsaou/firehol/releases/tag/v3.0.2)
23. [Release 3.0.2. 2016](https://github.com/firehol/firehol/releases/tag/v3.0.2)
24. [Release 3.0.3. 2017](https://github.com/ktsaou/firehol/releases/tag/v3.0.3)
25. [Release 3.0.3. 2017](https://github.com/firehol/firehol/releases/tag/v3.0.3)
26. [Release 3.1.0. 2016](https://github.com/ktsaou/firehol/releases/tag/v3.1.0)
27. [Release 3.1.0. 2016](https://github.com/firehol/firehol/releases/tag/v3.1.0)
28. [Release 3.1.1. 2017](https://github.com/ktsaou/firehol/releases/tag/v3.1.1)
29. [Release 3.1.1. 2017](https://github.com/firehol/firehol/releases/tag/v3.1.1)
30. [Release 3.1.2. 2017](https://github.com/ktsaou/firehol/releases/tag/v3.1.2)
31. [Release 3.1.2. 2017](https://github.com/firehol/firehol/releases/tag/v3.1.2)
32. [Release 3.1.3. 2017](https://github.com/ktsaou/firehol/releases/tag/v3.1.3)
33. [Release 3.1.3. 2017](https://github.com/firehol/firehol/releases/tag/v3.1.3)
34. [Release 3.1.4. 2017](https://github.com/ktsaou/firehol/releases/tag/v3.1.4)
35. [Release 3.1.4. 2017](https://github.com/firehol/firehol/releases/tag/v3.1.4)
36. [Release 3.1.5. 2017](https://github.com/ktsaou/firehol/releases/tag/v3.1.5)
37. [Release 3.1.5. 2017](https://github.com/firehol/firehol/releases/tag/v3.1.5)
38. [Release 3.1.6. 2018](https://github.com/firehol/firehol/releases/tag/v3.1.6)
39. [Release 3.1.7. 2020](https://github.com/firehol/firehol/releases/tag/v3.1.7)
40. [Release 3.1.8. 2025](https://github.com/firehol/firehol/releases/tag/v3.1.8)