Getting Started with FreeBSD

FreeBSD is a free and open-source operating system that is ideal for server deployments. In this guide we will discuss some of the important differences between FreeBSD and Linux. Understanding these differences can help make the transition to FreeBSD for Linux users less of a struggle.

FreeBSD is a secure, high-performance operating system that is suitable for a variety of server roles. In this guide, we will cover some basic information about how to get started with a FreeBSD server.

SSH, or secure shell, is a network protocol that provides a secure, encrypted way to communicate with and administer your servers. As SSH is the most common way of working with a FreeBSD server, you will want to familiarize yourself with the different ways that you can authenticate and log in to your server. While there are several ways of logging into a FreeBSD server, this tutorial will focus on setting up and using SSH keys for authentication.

When setting up a new FreeBSD server, there are a number of optional steps you can take to get your server into a more production-friendly state. In this guide, we will go over some of the most common examples. We will cover how to create a firewall that denies most traffic, ensure that your server’s time zone accurately reflects its location, and set up NTP polling to keep the server’s time accurate. Finally, we will demonstrate how to add some extra swap space to your server.

When administering a FreeBSD server, it is important to understand the basic maintenance procedures that will help you keep your server in good shape. In this guide, we will cover the basic procedures needed to keep your server up-to-date and functioning properly. We will cover how to update the base operating system maintained by the FreeBSD team. We will also discuss how to update and maintain optional software installed through the ports or packages systems.

FreeBSD’s binary package manager, pkg, can be used to easily manage the installation of pre-compiled applications—the FreeBSD equivalent Debian and RPM packages. In this tutorial, we will show you how to manage packages on FreeBSD 10.1. This includes installing and deleting packages, among other tasks.

FreeBSD is a powerful operating system capable functioning in a variety of roles. Part of what makes FreeBSD an ideal choice in many scenarios is its flexibility. A large contribution to this reputation comes from FreeBSD’s supported method for installing software from source, known as the ports system. In this guide, we will discuss some of the benefits of the ports system and demonstrate how to use it to acquire and manage additional software.