Name: FreeBSD
Rating: 9 (6 reviews)
Author: Open Source

Help Desk

Web and Video Conferencing

Customer Support

Bug  Tracking

Push Notifications

Software Repositories

WebOps

Development

Business Intelligence (BI)

Collaboration

Quality Management

Supply Chain Management

Workspace Planning

Enterprise

Accounting

Digital Banking

Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A)

Payment Orchestration

Revenue Management

Finance and Accounting

Applicant Tracking

Contractor Management

Corporate Learning Management

HR Management

Job Board

Leave Management

Payroll

Talent Intelligence

Talent Management

Workforce Analytics

Workforce Management

Human Resources

Application Server

Archiving

Block Storage

Browser

Cloud Storage

Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS)

Container Security

Data Center Backup

Data Center Infrastructure Management

Data Masking

Data Virtualization

Deception Technology

Fraud Detection

IT Operations Analytics

Infrastructure-as-a-Service

Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS)

Internet Security

Network Performance Monitoring

Process Mining

Security Awareness Training

Web Access Management

Information Technology

A/B Testing

Ad Serving & Retargeting

All-in-One Marketing

Brand Intelligence

Content Management

Customer Advocacy

Customer Success

Email Marketing

Marketing Automation

Native Advertising

Social Media Management

Survey & Forms Building

Usability Testing

Web Analytics

Marketing

Project Management

Professional Services

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Sales Dialer

Sales

Assisted Living

Construction Management

Insurance Policy Administration Systems

Investment Portfolio Management

Membership Management

PCB Design

Pharmacy

Public Sector Software

Text Analysis

Vertical-Specific

Find top rated software and services based on in-depth reviews from verified users. 400+ software categories including PaaS, NoSQL, BI, HR, and more.

FreeNAS

iXsystems

Windows Server

Microsoft

macOS

Apple

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

Red Hat

Proxmox VE

Proxmox Server Solutions

pfSense

Netgate (Rubicon Communications, LLC)

Junos Network Operating System (Junos OS)

Juniper Networks

Debian OS

Open Source

Fedora Linux

FreeBSD has gained a reputation among users as a reliable and secure operating system for keeping networks in sync. Its strong and stable UNIX-based OS provides developers and users with the tools needed to effectively solve problems and complete tasks. Many users have enjoyed using FreeBSD because it allows them to learn new skills with its powerful command line. This makes it suitable for both novice users who want to expand their knowledge and experienced users who require advanced functionalities.

One of the key use cases of FreeBSD is its support for advanced virtualization features such as Jails and Zones. This makes it an ideal choice for creating and managing isolated virtual environments. Users have found great success in utilizing these features to develop and test applications in a controlled environment, ensuring the stability and security of their systems.

Another important use case of FreeBSD is its versatility as a server platform. Numerous users have reported using FreeBSD as a server for over 10 years without any issues. It has been employed for various projects, including serving as a development environment for technologies like NodeJS and MongoDB. This highlights its reliability and robustness in handling demanding workloads.

Additionally, FreeBSD's speed on older hardware has been highly valued by users. It enables them to make efficient use of machines that would otherwise be deemed obsolete, saving both resources and costs. Moreover, FreeBSD's performance has been praised by users who appreciate having access to a direct descendant of UNIX, allowing them to work with a tried-and-true operating system that meets their performance requirements.

In summary, FreeBSD provides a range of use cases that cater to different user needs. Its reliability, versatility, and robustness make it an attractive option for network synchronization, skill development, virtualization, server deployment, and working with older hardware.

Wi-Fi Support: Some users have mentioned that the Wi-Fi support of the operating system needs improvement and may not be easily accessible for general users, requiring technical knowledge to set up.

Limited Software Compatibility: Several reviewers have noted that FreeBSD may not have as many software packages available compared to other operating systems like Linux, which can limit its compatibility with various software applications.

Challenging Ports System: The ports system, although it offers a large collection of software, has been described by some users as challenging to work with. They mention difficulties related to dependencies and installation processes, especially for first-time users.

FreeBSD is an open-source operating system that is designed to provide a secure, reliable, and efficient platform for various applications. According to the FreeBSD Project, it is suitable for businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises. FreeBSD is used by a wide range of professions and industries, including web hosting providers, software development companies, internet service providers, networking and telecommunications companies, research institutions and universities, IT professionals and system administrators, software developers and programmers, web hosting companies, and network infrastructure providers.

## Key Features

**Robust Security**: FreeBSD emphasizes security with features such as secure memory management, SSH support, access control lists, and a built-in firewall to protect against unauthorized access and malicious attacks, according to the vendor.

**High Performance**: FreeBSD is known for its excellent performance, thanks to efficient memory management, advanced networking stack, and support for multi-core processors. According to the FreeBSD Project, it is optimized for high throughput and low latency, making it suitable for demanding applications.

**Scalability**: According to the FreeBSD Project, FreeBSD is highly scalable and can handle large workloads and high traffic volumes. It supports symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) and can efficiently utilize multiple processors and cores for improved performance.

**Extensive Hardware Support**: FreeBSD boasts broad hardware support, including various architectures, network interfaces, storage devices, and peripherals. The vendor states that it is compatible with a wide range of hardware, making it versatile and flexible for different use cases.

**ZFS File System**: FreeBSD includes the ZFS file system, which provides advanced features such as data integrity, snapshots, compression, and RAID-like functionality. According to the FreeBSD Project, ZFS ensures data reliability and offers efficient storage management capabilities.

**Jails**: FreeBSD's jail feature allows for the creation of lightweight virtual environments, enabling secure isolation of processes and resources. According to the vendor, jails provide a secure and efficient way to run multiple applications or services on a single FreeBSD system.

**Ports Collection**: FreeBSD's Ports Collection is a comprehensive collection of third-party software packages that can be easily installed and managed using the package management system. It offers a wide range of applications, libraries, and tools, allowing users to customize their FreeBSD system to their specific needs, according to the FreeBSD Project.

**Documentation**: FreeBSD is well-documented, with extensive and detailed documentation available online. The documentation covers various topics, including installation, configuration, administration, and development, providing users with the resources they need to effectively use and manage FreeBSD, according to the vendor.

**OpenZFS**: FreeBSD includes the ZFS file system, which combines software RAID, volume management, and file system capabilities. It provides data integrity, pooled storage, and high-performance features, supporting advanced features like snapshots, data deduplication, and compression, according to the FreeBSD Project.

**Kernel Virtualization**: FreeBSD supports kernel-level virtualization through technologies like bhyve and Xen. According to the vendor, these virtualization solutions enable users to run multiple operating systems with near-native performance.

FreeBSD is an operating system used to power modern servers, desktops, and embedded platforms. A large community has continually developed it for more than thirty years. Its advanced networking, security, and storage features have made FreeBSD the platform of choice for many of the busiest web sites and most pervasive embedded networking and storage devices.

CloudLinux is an operating system (OS) that is commercially supported and interchangeable with the most popular RPM-based distribution on the market, from the company of the same name in Palo Alto. The vendor states its CloudLinux OS+ version was developed with shared hosting in mind, to give shared hosting providers what they need: advanced automation, deep-look performance analytics, and centralized monitoring tools. Intended for use by hosting firms, CloudLinux OS+ is designed to make life easier for sysadmins, and also organizations that don’t have large IT departments.

CloudLinux OS Solo

CloudLinux OS Shared

CloudLinux OS Shared Pro

CloudLinux OS

FreeBSD

Operating systems are the central nervous systems of a computer. It performs basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, displaying data on the screen, and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers. It also manages basic security functions ensuring that there is no unauthorized access to the computer.

Operating Systems

Telecommunications

Likelihood to Recommend

CentOS Linux

Microsoft Windows

FreeBSD 2024-05-02 09:51:10

Oracle Linux

Ubuntu

FreeBSD 2021-07-28 17:37:18

TrustRadius is a technology and business research firm based in Austin, Texas. The company is known as a review platform for verified B2B technology and software reviews through a proprietary algorithm and human verification.

TrustRadius

First timers

Command line

Package manager

Home

I am in a different department now but we have used FreeBSD extensively in my past organizations to run services such as web, email, dns, etc. services.

Such a secure and stable operating system.

opensource
scalability and reliability
security

I have been using FreeBSD as a development environment on several machines for work and personal projects - mainly NodeJS and MongoDB based. I chose FreeBSD as my environment initially because of its speed on older hardware, it allowed me to make use of older laptops and machines that would have otherwise been thrown out. FreeBSD is a modern operating system under active development and to be able run that on older hardware and have it perform so well - is actually quite amazing. I first tried different distributions of Linux, but I had trouble getting them to install or they did not perform on older hardware well at all. From my use of FreeBSD I have come to really really like it, I appreciate it's robustness and performance and I also like that I am using a direct descendant of UNIX.

Performs really well, even on older hardware
Secure
Robust
Package manager (pkg) is excellent
Large collection of ported software from Linux
Documentation is excellent (FreeBSD Handbook)

Installation can be tricky for first timers
You need to be comfortable using a command line terminal most of the time

Active development and strong community
Documentation
Security
Robustness
Performance
XFCE
Support for NodeJS and MongoDB
Package management

As FreeBSD is free - the ROI is at least the cost of some commercial Linux or Windows based OS (which can be very expensive)
Allowed the re-use of older hardware that would have otherwise been disposed
No cost development environment
Opportunity for a no cost server setup also

Ubuntu Linux, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), CentOS Linux, Oracle Linux and Windows Server

Ubuntu Linux, CentOS Linux, Windows Server

FreeBSD

Overview

What is FreeBSD?