FreeBSD vs OpenBSD

Published on: January 25, 2023

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15 min read

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For German Version

FreeBSD and OpenBSD are getting prominence in educational institutions, non-profit organizations, and enterprises throughout the globe because they provide substantial security improvements over Linux. Although there is much to be said about the BSD operating systems' resilience, neat organization, and reliability, security is one of the primary reasons system administrators use these two platforms.

How to pick between these two outstanding systems depends on both system capabilities and individual requirements.

Even while OpenBSD and FreeBSD have a shared heritage and both are excellent systems, there are significant differences in how they handle the configuration of the operating system and third-party packages. FreeBSD also offers many kernel, filesystem, and network configuration options that OpenBSD does not.

In this article, we will examine the primary distinctions between FreeBSD and OpenBSD.

What is OpenBSD?

OpenBSD which is a BSD 4.4-based distribution is the most secure UNIX-like operating system. OpenBSD was founded by Theo de Raadt, who was a developer for the NetBSD project in the 1990s, OpenBSD and NetBSD diverged in November 1995. As the OpenBSD project was created in Canada, it was not subject to United States export rules, making the use of strong cryptography in OpenBSD permissible.

The OpenBSD project's objectives include accuracy, security, standardization, and portability. In a default installation, the system solely deals with encrypted data over the network and there are no non-secure connections. The cryptography is exposed by default in OpenBSD. The development team has a group that audits all system files and analyzes the code for future exploitable code defects, in addition to potential exploits. As the files are reviewed by many skilled developers, the source code is deemed very secure and accurate. Using this method, attacks discovered in other systems are often already patched in OpenBSD by the time they are discovered in other systems. The group has created its own C library, firewall, PF, and HTTP server in addition to building its own C library. Even their variant of sudo is known as doas. OpenBSD's applications are used extensively outside of the operating system.

OpenBSD is reportedly safe by default, therefore beginner users do not need to learn everything immediately. Additionally, it is said that all system services that are not required for operation have been deactivated by default. According to the creators, as the administrator learns about the system, the administrator also learns about the system's security concerns.

OpenBSD has generated various offspring, including OpenSSH, OpenNTPD, OpenBGPD, OpenSMTPD, PF, CARP, and LibreSSL. Many of these are meant to replace alternatives with limited availability.

The main derivatives of OpenBSD are listed below:

• LibertyBSD: Intended to be a "unbloated" version of OpenBSD.LibertyBSD is no longer being maintained, and its project website encourages users to HyperbolaBSD instead.

• Isotop: Isotop, a French project that aims to adapt OpenBSD for desktops and laptops, employs xfce and dwm.

What is FreeBSD?

The FreeBSD project originated as a 386BSD project patch. Ultimately, the patch was huge and served as its own operating system, which was termed FreeBSD.

FreeBSD is, like OpenBSD, a BSD 4.4-based UNIX distribution. The distribution supports a wide variety of hardware systems. The objective of the FreeBSD project is to create an operating system that may be used for any purpose without imposing any restrictions on the user. FreeBSD is produced under the GNU General Public License (GPL), with some components created under their own FreeBSD License. This license is used so that others cannot claim that the FreeBSD project stole their code or that it was their project.

FreeBSD's source code is available to the public under the provisions of the GPL and FreeBSD License.

FreeBSD is intended to give programs a feature-rich and reliable environment. It is reportedly compatible with both workstations and servers.

The main derivatives of FreeBSD are listed below:

• OPNsense: OPNsense is a FreeBSD-based open-source firewall/router software distribution.

• pfSense: pfSense is a FreeBSD-based open-source firewall/router software distribution.

• TrueNAS/FreeNAS: an operating system for network-attached storage (NAS) based on FreeBSD.

• GhostBSD: GhostBSD is an operating system based on FreeBSD with OpenRC and OS packages.

• NomadBSD: NomadBSD is a FreeBSD-based persistent live system for USB flash devices.

• HardenedBSD: HardenedBSD is a fork of FreeBSD with better security.

• BSDRP: BSD Router Project: FreeBSD-based Open Source Router Distribution.

• TrueOS: TrueOS (formerly PC-BSD) was a desktop operating system based on the FreeBSD server operating system. In May of 2020, the project was officially terminated.

• XigmaNAS: XigmaNAS is a network-attached storage (NAS) server application with a dedicated web interface for administration.

• Junos OS: a proprietary operating system based on FreeBSD and delivered with Juniper Networks devices.

• StarBSD: StarBSD is a server-oriented, Unix-like operating system based on FreeBSD designed for mission-critical enterprise environments.

• CheriBSD: CheriBSD has been modified to support the CHERI-MIPS, CHERI-RISC-V, and Arm Morello ISAs.

• FuryBSD: FuryBSD is a FreeBSD-based operating system that was created when Project Trident opted to use Void Linux rather than TrueOS. Inactive after October 2020.

What are the Differences Between FreeBSD and OpenBSD?

FreeBSD and OpenBSD are both authentic UNIX operating systems. They are based on Berkeley Software Distribution.

When making a decision between FreeBSD and OpenBSD as your operating system, the first question to answer is what kind of issue you are aiming to address. Because OpenBSD and FreeBSD are not equally applicable in all circumstances. Although they have the same general foundation, they vary considerably.

The OpenBSD project prioritizes portability, standardization, "correctness", proactive security, and encryption. One of its biggest qualities is its security. It includes cutting-edge security technologies for firewall and private network service construction. Their team conducts rigorous, continuing code audits for security and functionality on a regular basis. It is designed to come as a substantially complete system so that customers begin using it as soon as feasible.

On the other hand, FreeBSD has strong networking, security, and storage capabilities. It is fairly quick and scalable to a great extent. This is why many large companies, such as Sony, Netflix, and Apple, adopt it. The creators seek to create a minimal system devoid of superfluous components to facilitate a quick, highly customizable experience. Their collection of ports contains almost 40,000 packages that are installed without any further setup for use with FreeBSD.

FreeBSD is your only alternative if you're developing a long-term storage server and require a filesystem with a strong emphasis on data integrity. This is due to the fact that ZFS has not yet been ported to OpenBSD and FFS lacks the integrity features of ZFS.

In conclusion, FreeBSD and OpenBSD are based on Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) family Unix versions. FreeBSD was designed with performance optimization in mind. OpenBSD, on the other hand, prioritizes security more heavily. FreeBSD focuses on making system administration and stability more intuitive. It promotes safety as well. OpenBSD, on the other hand, focuses on giving simplicity and security at a cost. Web content creators generally choose FreeBSD, but security-conscious businesses like banks and stock exchanges preferred OpenBSD for its ability to specialize in certain jobs.

We will evaluate OpenBSD and FreeBSD based on the following criteria:

• Objective

• Price

• License

• Security

• Scalability

• Ease-of-Use

• Performance

• External Applications

• Usage

Figure 1. FreeBSD vs OpenBSD

Objective

FreeBSD's objective is to build an operating system suitable for every application. It is designed to run a broad range of programs, to be user-friendly, to have cutting-edge capabilities, and to be highly scalable on network servers with a very high load.

FreeBSD focuses on a limited selection of architectures in order to maintain a high degree of quality and offer solid support for "production-grade commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) workstations, servers, and high-end embedded systems". Since 2000, work has placed a substantial emphasis on fine-grained locking and SMP scalability. Beginning in 2007, the majority of the kernel was fine-locked and scaling benefits were seen. Other recent work includes Common Criteria security features, such as support for obligatory access control and security event auditing.

OpenBSD aspires to security, accuracy, and maximum freedom. Full disclosure refers to the practice of disclosing security flaws to the public; thoroughly auditing code for bugs and security issues; various security features, including the WX page protection technology and heavy use of randomization; a "secure by default" philosophy that includes disabling non-essential services and having sane initial settings; and integrated cryptography, which was initially made easier by Canada's more lax export laws compared to the United States. OpenBSD, like its father NetBSD, tries to operate on a broad range of hardware.

License

Both FreeBSD and OpenBSD have practically similar licenses. FreeBSD employs a BSD license that does not impose redistribution constraints. You may make almost any changes to the source code and even construct a closed-source project with it. Compared to the General Public License (GPL) adopted by Linux, this license provides a tremendous level of flexibility. If you modify the Linux kernel, you are required by law to provide your source code.

However, FreeBSD sometimes accepts non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and includes a small number of closed-source HAL modules for certain device drivers in their source tree in order to support the hardware of businesses that do not supply entirely open-source drivers.

Regarding software freedom, OpenBSD favors the BSD or ISC license, with the GPL being acceptable only for existing software that is impossible to change, such as the GNU Compiler Collection. The ISC license is quite similar to the BSD license, however, it is more straightforward. Therefore, it does not use terminology that it deems superfluous. Users may use the code at their discretion. They may build proprietary work based on preexisting code and charge others to use it. Nondisclosure agreements are never appropriate on OpenBSD.

Price

OpenBSD and FreeBSD are both open-source. Both the binaries and the source code are free. You may download and evaluate both without incurring any costs. This is fantastic since it enables you to test out both options and choose which one meets your requirements better. Hardware and support expenses may incur additional charges, but the systems themselves are free.

Security

OpenBSD regards security as one of its top priorities. It has various security protections by default. Multiple times every year, the developers do a thorough examination of the code to guarantee that any issues are resolved. They promote themselves as being "more secure than FreeBSD". It incorporates cutting-edge security technology for constructing firewalls and private network services. A multitude of mitigation mechanisms is included in the kernel and base system of OpenBSD, making life very tough for an attacker. This implies that it becomes much more difficult for an attacker to get unauthorized access to your machine using the standard exploitation methods that work on Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac OS, and other operating systems. It also implies that if an attacker gains access to your system despite these safeguards, the amount of harm they can do is severely constrained.

However, FreeBSD is not lacking in terms of security. Security is a top priority for its creators, and it surpasses most other open-source systems in this regard.

On this front, none of these systems will leave you wanting much more, although OpenBSD has a little advantage.

Authentication

At least for the root account, it would be preferable to use one-time passwords by default. Both FreeBSD and OpenBSD have one-time password support, which implies that the user receives a key produced during the login session and creates passwords using that key in a separate program. There is support for rlogin and telnet, but since they do not encrypt the connection and hence cannot be trusted, they are not enabled by default on any of the systems.

Firewall

The default configuration of FreeBSD includes three distinct kinds of firewalls. Firewall packages IPFILTER (IPF), IPFIREWALL (IPFW), and Packet Filter (PF) are provided. There are three separate built-in firewall packages in FreeBSD since the needs and requirements of a system may vary based on the environment in which it will function. Before they are used, the firewalls must be activated by the system administrator. Before the bandwidth controllers can be used, they must be built into the kernel.

On the other hand, OpenBSD employs Packet Filter (PF) to filter TCP/IP traffic and perform network address translation (NAT). Additionally, PF has integrated quality of service and can consequently manage bandwidth and packet prioritization. Since version 3.0, PF is included by default in the OpenBSD distribution. The PF firewall must be activated in the boot configuration file for it to function (rc.conf.local).

The rule sets used by the firewalls on both systems must be defined by the system administrator since there is no universal default configuration.

Performance

The vast majority of developers who are acquainted with both systems will affirm that FreeBSD outperforms OpenBSD in terms of performance. Phoronix compared a number of open-source systems. They discovered that OpenBSD outperformed FreeBSD in Timed SQLite insertions and a few other tests. FreeBSD outperformed OpenBSD in the majority of other areas. FreeBSD outperformed OpenBSD in the read, write, compile, file compression, and initial creation tests.

FreeBSD offers a smaller base system than OpenBSD, with just the most essential components present. This provides it a speed advantage out of the box. OpenBSD includes extra components that they believe will meet the demands of the majority of users and help them to get up and running more quickly. Consequently, some developers like the streamlined nature of FreeBSD and believe OpenBSD to be "bloated". However, as both are open-source, you may delete or add almost anything.

Recent FreeBSD versions have been criticized for incorporating significant tool components, such as bhyve and ZFS, into the base system. This is refuted by the fact that these features are among the greatest FreeBSD has to offer.

Scalability

FreeBSD is more scalable than OpenBSD. OpenBSD is excellent for small to medium-sized systems, however, there is a reason why many major organizations choose FreeBSD. It is typically better suited for big operations because of its performance, organization, and third-party assistance. However, notable government agencies like FEMA and the Social Security Administration utilize OpenBSD.

Ease-of-Use

OpenBSD is designed to be straightforward and secure. One of OpenBSD's primary objectives is to limit the amount of customization and fine-tuning required of consumers. OpenBSD developers seek to create a system that is as unconventional as possible. This makes it less dynamic than FreeBSD but makes it simpler to use.

You will likely need to install at least a few packages from the ports collection after downloading FreeBSD. FreeBSD is more structured and easier to set up than Linux, but OpenBSD has the upper hand in this case.

External Applications

FreeBSD's port collection has more applications because FreeBSD is a more widespread operating system than OpenBSD. In actuality, there are around four times as many applications, or nearly 40,000. Each of these packages is already configured on the system, therefore there is no need to configure them. If this is crucial to you, you should most likely choose FreeBSD.

OpenBSD's base system includes the following third-party software:

• X.org

• LLVM/Clang

• Perl

• Ncurses

• Binutils

• Gdb

• libfido2

Usage

Neither system is well suited for desktop contexts; rather, they are mostly used to power servers and embedded systems. However, OpenBSD is favored by certain desktop users because of its simplicity. With the proper packages loaded, FreeBSD is capable of functioning as a desktop OS. The ports and packages collection comprises various easily-installable desktop environments. GNOME, Xfce, Lumina, and KDE Software Compilation 4 are prominent examples.

OpenBSD vs FreeBSD Comparison Table

OpenBSD vs FreeBSD differences are summarized in the following table

Criteria	OpenBSD	FreeBSD
Based on	NetBSD 1.0	386BSD, 4.4BSD-Lite
Focus	Security	Performance
Price	Free	Free
Favored License	ISC	BSD
First Release Date	September 1996	December 1993
Latest Release	7.5 (5 April 2024)	14.1 (June 4, 2024)
Supported Architectures	x86, 68k, Alpha, x86-64, SPARC, UltraSPARC, ARM, MIPS, PPC, VAX	x86, x86-64, PC98, Itanium, UltraSPARC, ARM, MIPS, PPC
Supported FileSystems	UFS, UFS2, ext2, FAT, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS, NTFS (read only), AFS, FUSE.	UFS, UFS2, ext2, FAT, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS, SMBFS, NetWare (nwfs), NTFS (limited read-write), ReiserFS (read only), XFS (experimental), ZFS, FUSE, Coda (experimental), AFS
Firewall	PF	IPFW2, IPFilter, PF
Integrated Syslogging Systems	syslog	syslog, CAPP event auditing, OpenBSM
Performance	Capable, performing better on TimedSQL inserts and a few other performance tests.	Generally outperforms OpenBSD on the majority of practical performance criteria. When ZFS is considered, there is no contest.
Features	Prioritize security and simplicity above speed and compatibility.	An very adaptable and well-organized file storage system.
Security	Security is of the highest concern, and code analyzed for vulnerabilities every six months.	Security is highlighted. To prevent vulnerabilities, ensures that all packages are part of a centralized repository.
External Applications	Less software packages than FreeBSD.	It has four times as many third-party apps as OpenBSD in its ports and packages collection.
Ease-of-Use	Extremely streamlined system with outstanding usability.	Highly structured system, making it simpler to operate than a Linux-based system with a large number of variables. Nonetheless, less streamlined than OpenBSD.
Scalability	Ideal for small to medium-sized systems or those with a sole focus on security.	Highly scalable for all system sizes.
Usage	Excellent for stable, strong servers, and basic desktop environments.	Excellent for server settings; uncommon for desktop ones. The collection of ports and packages contains several alternatives that are simple to install.
Ideal Use Cases	Financial institutions, stock exchanges, and other organizations that prioritize security.	Content providers and large companies, such as Sony, Netflix and Apple.

Table 1. FreeBSD vs OpenBSD

Is OpenBSD More Secure Than FreeBSD?

Yes. If you are developing a system with a high emphasis on security and no other considerations, OpenBSD is the preferred operating system since it has many security measures. In addition, the code is constantly submitted to rigorous security audits, and the base system includes a significant number of applications that have undergone the same inspection. Similarly, many third-party software components include OpenBSD-specific security patches.

It is crucial to remember that this distinction is a "high-level theoretical" security approach and that FreeBSD is more than safe enough for civilian applications. This does not mean that FreeBSD cannot be used as a firewall or secure server; it just has fewer mitigations than OpenBSD. OpenBSD, on the other hand, is often slower than FreeBSD when it comes to these mitigation measures-affected bugs. However, it is debatable how they affect your security. FreeBSD's ports and packages system provides access to almost four times as many third-party applications than OpenBSD's.

Is OpenBSD Superior To FreeBSD?

No. OpenBSD is not superior to FreeBSD. Some of its characteristics, such as security and simplicity, are superior to those of FreeBSD. It is more adapted to the demands of certain users, but it is not a superior system. To choose which option is best for you, it is essential to comprehend your organization's success requirements. The easiest way to determine whether the system meets your needs and preferences is to try them both in the same setting. In general, we would suggest FreeBSD for highly scalable systems and OpenBSD for smaller, security-focused systems.