Last Updated on March 13, 2026
The OpenWrt Project is a Linux operating system targeting embedded devices. In most cases wireless routers. Components are optimized to be small enough to fit into the limited storage and memory available in home routers.
OpenWrt is primarily intended for power users, networking enthusiasts, wireless communities, and embedded device developers.
OpenWrt’s default configuration, with the LuCI web interface, is a big improvement over the stock firmware of most wireless routers and similar devices. It provides all of the functionality most people will need. Additional packages can be installed with just a few clicks, to provide extended functionality if needed. A command line interface is also available.
Instead of trying to create a single, static firmware, OpenWrt provides a fully writable filesystem with package management. This frees you from the application selection and configuration provided by the vendor and allows you to customize the device through the use of packages to suit any application.
For developers, OpenWrt is the framework to build an application without having to build a complete firmware around it; for users this means the ability for full customization, to use the device in ways never envisioned.
Features include:
- Extensibility: OpenWrt provides many capabilities found only in high-end devices. Its 3,000+ application packages are standardized, so you can easily replicate the same setup on any supported device, including two (or even five) year old routers.
- Security: OpenWrt’s standard installation is secure by default, with Wi-Fi disabled, no poor passwords or backdoors. OpenWrt’s software components are kept up-to-date, so vulnerabilities get closed shortly after they are discovered.
- Performance and Stability: OpenWrt firmware is made of standardized modules used in all supported devices. This means each module will likely receive more testing and bug fixing than stock firmware which can be tweaked for each product line and never touched again.
- Configure common network-related features, like IPv4, IPv6, DNS, DHCP, routing, firewall, NAT, port forwarding and WPA.
- Research: Many teams use OpenWrt as a platform for their research into network performance. This means that the improvements of their successful experiments will be available in OpenWrt first, well before it gets incorporated into mainline, vendor firmware.
Requirements:
- SoC / target supported by OpenWrt.
- Sufficient Flash to accommodate OpenWrt firmware image.
- 8MB min (bare minimum).
- 16MB better (will fit other applications).
- Sufficient RAM for stable operation.
- 64MB minimum.
- 128MB better.
| Working state: | Active |
| Desktop: | LuCI (a WebUI) |
| Init Software: | procd |
| Package Management: | Alpine Package Manager |
| Release Model: | Fixed |
| Platforms: | ARC, ARM, m68k, MIPS, PowerPC, SPARC, SuperH, x86, x86-64 |
| Home Page: | openwrt.org |
| Developer: | OpenWrt Project |
| This article is part of our Big List of Active Linux Distributions. |
What's a Linux distribution ("distro")? |
| A distro provides the user with a desktop environment, preloaded applications, and ways to update and maintain the system. Each distro makes different choices, deciding which open source projects to install and provides custom written programs. They can have different philosophies. Some distros are intended for desktop computers, some for servers without a graphical interface, and others for special uses. Because Linux is an open source operating system, combinations of software vary between Linux distros. |
Related Software
| Firewalls | |
|---|---|
| IPFire | Distro with a versatile and state of the art firewall engine |
| OPNsense | FreeBSD-based firewall and routing software |
| pfSense | Powerful firewall and routing platform based on FreeBSD |
| OpenWrt | Linux distribution targeting embedded devices |
| NethSecurity | Linux firewall based on OpenWrt |
| DynFi | Firewall platform based on FreeBSD |
| VyOS | Router and firewall platform |
| Smoothwall Express | Firewall solution with a hardened Linux operating system |
| ClearOS | Dedicated firewall and Internet server/gateway |
Read our verdict in the software roundup.
 Explore our comprehensive directory of recommended free and open source software. Our carefully curated collection spans every major software category.This directory is part of our ongoing series of informative articles for Linux enthusiasts. It features hundreds of detailed reviews, along with open source alternatives to proprietary solutions from major corporations such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, and Autodesk. You’ll also find interesting projects to try, hardware coverage, free programming books and tutorials, and much more. Discovered a useful open source Linux program that we haven’t covered yet? Let us know by completing this form. |