VyOS
VyOS is an open-source router and firewall platform designed for managing and securing network infrastructure.
| Category | Network Security |
|---|---|
| Last Commit | 1 year ago |
| This page updated | 22 days ago |
| Pricing Details | Free to use with community support; subscription required for LTS releases and support services. |
| Target Audience | Network administrators, IT professionals, and organizations looking for a robust open-source networking solution. |
VyOS addresses the complex challenge of managing and securing network infrastructure by providing a robust, open-source router and firewall platform. At its core, VyOS is built on a Linux distribution, specifically Debian, and is designed to be highly configurable and scalable.
The technical architecture of VyOS is characterized by its support for multiple dynamic routing protocols such as BGP, OSPF, and IS-IS, as well as various VPN technologies including IPsec, WireGuard, and OpenVPN. It also features a stateful firewall, zone-based firewall capabilities, and extensive NAT support. The platform uses a layered architecture with unified and documented internal APIs, making it highly customizable and automation-friendly with native support for tools like Ansible, SaltStack, and Terraform.
Operationally, VyOS is notable for its high availability features, including VRRP for IPv4 and IPv6, ECMP, and stateful load balancing. The platform offers a Junos-style CLI with commands for configuration management, including commit, rollback, and versioning, which simplifies network administration. Additionally, VyOS integrates with monitoring tools like Zabbix, FastNetMon, and Prometheus/Grafana, ensuring comprehensive network visibility.
However, there are operational considerations to note. VyOS relies on community contributions and has a funding model based on cloud marketplace images, prebuilt LTS image subscriptions, and support services. This means that while nightly builds are available for testing the latest features, they are not hand-tested and may introduce instability. For production environments, the LTS releases are more stable but require a subscription or contribution to the project.
In terms of specific technical details, VyOS can be optimized to achieve high-performance routing, such as 100Gbps, and supports various platforms including amd64, AWS, Azure, and VMware. The latest version, VyOS 1.4.0, is based on Debian 12 and includes features like SSTP VPN servers, IPoE servers, and enhanced support for WWAN interfaces and MPLS.