OpenWrt is a Linux-based open-source operating system targeting embedded devices, primarily used as a router and network gateway firmware. Unlike the proprietary firmware shipped with consumer routers, OpenWrt provides a fully writable filesystem with package management, giving you complete control over your network hardware. It is the most popular open-source router firmware in the world, supporting thousands of devices across hundreds of hardware platforms.

First launched in 2004 as a replacement firmware for the Linksys WRT54G series (which used GPL-licensed code subject to the “broadcom” routing subarchitecture), OpenWrt has evolved into a comprehensive operating system for embedded networking. It uses the OPKG (Open Package Management) system with thousands of available packages, allowing you to turn a basic router into a VPN server, NAS gateway, ad blocker, mesh node, or IoT bridge. In November 2024, the project launched the OpenWrt One — the first router built with right-to-repair and software freedom principles at its core. OpenWrt is free and open-source under the GPLv2 licence.

Key Features

• Full Linux operating system — Custom Linux kernel optimised for embedded MIPS, ARM, x86, and RISC-V hardware
• OPKG package manager — Thousands of packages installable via OPKG from official and community repositories
• WiFi configuration — Hostapd integration for advanced wireless configuration (multiple SSIDs, WPA3, mesh)
• Stateful firewall — Netfilter-based firewall with NAT, port forwarding, DMZ, and traffic rules via the LuCI web interface
• LuCI web interface — Modern responsive web UI with hundreds of community themes and extensions
• VPN client and server — WireGuard, OpenVPN, IPsec, and Tinc packages for any VPN topology
• Mesh networking — 802.11s mesh, BATMAN-Advanced, and proprietary mesh protocols for large scale WiFi deployments
• IPv6 support — Full IPv6 implementation with DHCPv6, SLAAC, 6to4, 6in4, 6rd, and NAT66
• SQM (Smart Queue Management) — fq_codel and Cake for bufferbloat elimination and latency reduction
• Dynamic DNS — Client supporting dozens of DDNS providers
• Network services — DNS/DHCP (dnsmasq), mDNS/DNS-SD (Avahi), NTP, SSH, and more
• Network monitoring — Bandwidth monitoring, traffic graphs, Netflow export, and performance logging
• Hardware support — Drivers and support for over 1,800 devices across consumer, prosumer, and enterprise hardware

Why Use It

Stock router firmware is typically feature-limited and abandoned by the manufacturer after a few months. OpenWrt gives your hardware a second life with ongoing security updates, a community of thousands of developers, and capabilities that rival enterprise equipment — often on hardware that cost less than fifty dollars. The package manager means you only install what you need; the writable filesystem means you can truly customise any aspect of the system. OpenWrt also consistently outperforms stock firmware on the same hardware thanks to a modern, optimised kernel.

Use Cases

• Home router replacement — Modernise an old router with up-to-date firmware, better WiFi, and SQM for bufferbloat-free gaming
• WiFi access point — Dedicated AP with multiple SSIDs, VLAN tagging, and WPA3-Enterprise
• Ad-blocking gateway — Combine with AdBlock or Pi-hole packages for network-wide ad and tracker blocking
• VPN gateway — WireGuard or OpenVPN client routing your entire home network through a VPN
• Mesh WiFi node — 802.11s mesh networking for whole-home coverage
• IoT bridge — Isolated wireless network for smart home devices with no internet access to the LAN
• Portable travel router — Convert a small device into a travel router with captive portal passthrough
• Low-power network sensor — Deploy on embedded hardware for packet capture, bandwidth accounting, or network monitoring

Platform

MIPS, ARM, x86_64, RISC-V, AVR32, and more — Linux-based — Firmware image download or build from source using the OpenWrt build system (ImageBuilder / SDK)

Licence

GNU General Public License v2 (GPLv2) — fully open source

Website

openwrt.org