30 open-source projects similar to openvswitch/ovs, ranked by shared indexed features. Tags may describe platforms or build tools rather than the same primary purpose. Check each project’s use case, license, and deployment requirements before treating it as a replacement.
This project is a comprehensive computer networking textbook and instructional resource. It serves as a technical guide for the design and implementation of network layers, protocols, and hardware architecture, covering the spectrum from physical links to application-layer protocols. The content provides a detailed study of standards for congestion control, reliable data delivery, and internetwork routing. It includes specialized technical material on network security, public-key infrastructure, and the operation of modern cloud infrastructure and data centers. The material covers a broad ra
n2n is a peer-to-peer VPN that creates an encrypted mesh network by establishing layer 2 overlay networks. It uses UDP tunneling to connect remote computers into a shared virtual local area network, allowing devices to communicate as if they were on the same physical Ethernet switch. The system utilizes a centralized signaling registry and federated coordination nodes to facilitate peer discovery and node registration. It implements NAT traversal through UDP hole punching and UPnP port mapping, while using supernode relay routing to ensure connectivity when symmetric NATs prevent direct peer-
Incus is a unified orchestration platform for managing system containers, OCI application containers, and virtual machines through a single control plane. It brings together cluster infrastructure management, secure multi-tenancy, software-defined networking, and pluggable storage backend orchestration into one cohesive system exposed via a full REST API and command-line interface. What distinguishes Incus is its ability to run multiple instance types side by side—full Linux system containers, OCI application containers, and QEMU virtual machines—all managed with consistent tooling. Networkin
ExHyperV is a suite of administrative tools designed for managing advanced Hyper-V configurations, specifically focusing on GPU partitioning, device passthrough, and virtual network switches. It provides a graphical interface to configure virtual machine resources and optimize hypervisor settings. The project is distinguished by its ability to share physical graphics card resources across multiple virtual machines using paravirtualization and partitioning. It also provides specialized utilities for assigning PCIe devices and USB peripherals directly to guest machines for exclusive access. Th
ShadowsocksX-NG is a macOS application that functions as a Shadowsocks proxy client to establish encrypted tunnels for bypassing network censorship. It operates as an encrypted tunnel manager that allows for the configuration of secure ciphers and the import of proxy server profiles. The client includes a proxy converter that transforms SOCKS5 traffic into HTTP proxy traffic to provide compatibility for applications that do not support SOCKS. It also integrates a traffic steering system using Proxy Auto-Configuration files to automatically determine which network requests bypass the proxy. T
gost is a multi-protocol proxy tunnel and secure tunneling server designed to route network traffic through encrypted connections. It functions as a traffic obfuscation gateway and a transparent proxy server capable of intercepting TCP and UDP traffic at the IP level. The project also includes a virtual network interface manager for creating TUN and TAP devices to intercept operating system packets. The system distinguishes itself through a chain-based request routing model, allowing traffic to pass through an ordered sequence of proxy nodes. It provides extensive transport-layer encapsulatio
Lantern is a network utility designed to provide access to restricted internet content by tunneling traffic through encrypted connections. It functions as a censorship circumvention tool that enables private web browsing and ensures reliable connectivity in environments where standard network access is blocked or monitored. The application employs a decentralized infrastructure that routes data through a network of distributed proxy nodes. To maintain connectivity in the face of interference, it utilizes dynamic proxy discovery and adaptive fallback mechanisms that automatically switch betwee
NetBird is a zero-trust networking platform that builds secure, encrypted peer-to-peer overlay networks using the WireGuard protocol. It functions as a software-defined perimeter, connecting distributed infrastructure across cloud environments and physical locations while hiding network resources from the public internet. By integrating with external identity providers, the platform enforces granular access control and identity-based segmentation for every user and device. The platform distinguishes itself through extensive automation and programmatic management capabilities. It provides a ce
This project is the core management framework for a security appliance, providing the primary infrastructure for firewall management, network intrusion prevention, and high-availability networking. It serves as the centralized system for controlling network security policies, filtering traffic, and administering a security appliance dashboard. The system is distinguished by its high-availability capabilities, which include synchronizing configurations and connection state tables across redundant nodes to enable automatic hardware failover. It also features a modular plugin architecture for ex
Gost is a Go-based network tunnel and multi-protocol proxy server. It functions as a gateway for routing TCP and UDP traffic, creating secure network tunnels between remote endpoints, and acting as a DNS proxy server to resolve domain name queries. The project is distinguished by its ability to implement multi-hop proxy chaining, which links multiple network nodes in a sequence to route traffic through specific paths. It also provides transparent proxying by integrating with virtual network interfaces to intercept system-level traffic without requiring manual client configuration. The system
Mininet is a network emulator that creates virtual networks of hosts, switches, and links on a single Linux machine for Software-Defined Networking (SDN) prototyping and testing. It emulates network nodes as lightweight processes in isolated network namespaces, connecting them via virtual Ethernet pairs, and supports OpenFlow protocol for programmable control of virtual switches and traffic flows. The project enables users to design custom network topologies using a Python API, simulate link conditions such as bandwidth, delay, and packet loss, and run real Linux applications and kernel code
ZeroTierOne is a software-defined networking engine that creates virtual local area networks by emulating Ethernet switches across distributed devices. It functions as a peer-to-peer platform, establishing encrypted tunnels directly between endpoints to bypass the need for centralized gateways or hub-and-spoke architectures. The system distinguishes itself through a decentralized approach to network discovery and identity management. By utilizing a distributed hash table and public key infrastructure, it authenticates devices and maps virtual addresses to physical endpoints without relying on
EasyTier is a decentralized peer-to-peer virtual private network and mesh networking tool. It functions as a layer 3 network overlay that establishes secure tunnels between devices without requiring a centralized server or coordinator. It also serves as a WireGuard-compatible VPN, capable of acting as a server for standard WireGuard clients. The project distinguishes itself through multipath latency-based routing and the use of KCP or QUIC proxies to mitigate packet loss and stabilize connections in high-loss environments. It provides a virtual networking manager featuring a web management co
Weave is a multi-host container networking tool that connects containers running on different physical machines into a single virtual network. It creates a software-defined overlay network spanning multiple hosts, enabling containers to communicate directly with each other as if they were on the same local switch. The system provides automatic service discovery, resolving container names to network addresses across hosts without manual configuration. Traffic between containers on different hosts is secured through encrypted tunnels, preventing eavesdropping and tampering. Weave also includes
DPDK is a packet processing framework and kernel bypass networking library designed to accelerate network data plane performance. It provides a user space network stack that moves network data directly from the network interface card to user space, eliminating operating system kernel overhead to achieve high throughput and low latency. The framework utilizes a poll mode driver architecture that replaces interrupt-driven networking with a constant polling mechanism. This approach allows for the implementation of network functions and protocols outside the kernel. The project covers capabiliti
This project is a comprehensive technical documentation site and reference manual for configuring and deploying WireGuard VPN tunnels and interfaces. It serves as a guide for establishing encrypted network connections between peers using public key authentication to secure data traffic across untrusted networks. The documentation provides specific technical manuals for implementing NAT traversal solutions, including UDP hole punching and the use of bounce servers to connect peers behind restrictive firewalls. It also includes detailed guides on tunnel implementation and protocol references fo
Nebula is a scalable, decentralized overlay networking tool designed to create secure, encrypted peer-to-peer connections between distributed hosts. By utilizing a certificate-based identity authority, it enables the construction of private communication fabrics across disparate physical infrastructures, such as multiple cloud providers or on-premises data centers, without requiring central authentication servers. The project distinguishes itself through a zero-trust architecture that enforces granular, policy-driven firewall filtering based on certificate-derived group memberships. It facili
This project is a cloud infrastructure simulator and system design educational tool. It provides a sandbox environment for designing virtual network topologies and testing the resilience of system architectures under high traffic and simulated attacks. The platform functions as an infrastructure resilience sandbox where users can experiment with the architectural placement of load balancers, caches, and databases. It allows for the validation of auto-scaling strategies, rate limiting, and firewall configurations to prevent service degradation. The simulator covers network traffic management,
This project is a V2Ray configuration repository that provides a collection of pre-configured server settings and connection strings. It serves as a curated set of remote proxy addresses and security metadata used to establish encrypted network tunnels for routing internet traffic. The project focuses on the distribution of Base64-encoded configuration strings, which allow for the retrieval and deployment of server settings to establish secure connections. It includes tools for latency benchmarking, measuring response times and pinging configuration links to filter and rank the most performan
x-ui is a web-based management interface for configuring and administering Xray-core proxy servers and routing rules. It provides a centralized suite of tools including an HTTP API proxy controller, a proxy subscription server, and an automated SSL certificate tool. The project distinguishes itself through a subscription-based distribution system that allows administrators to deliver connection configurations and update links to multiple clients via unique URLs. It further automates security with ACME-based certificate renewal and provides a decoupled architecture that allows the proxy engine
Shadowsocks-android is a secure tunneling application and SOCKS5 proxy client for Android. It routes device network traffic through a Shadowsocks proxy server to encrypt data, mask the user's internet origin, and bypass network restrictions. The client functions as an Android VPN service, creating a virtual network interface to intercept and redirect all outgoing device traffic. It supports the integration of external binary plugins to extend tunnel capabilities with custom transport protocols and traffic obfuscation methods. The project manages network routing through a local SOCKS5 server
x-ui-yg is a web-based proxy panel and multi-protocol manager used to deploy and manage network proxy protocols for bypassing internet censorship. It serves as a centralized administrator for secure network tunnels, providing a dashboard to obscure internet traffic and maintain user privacy. The project functions as a proxy subscription server, generating aggregated client subscription links and configuration files locally to remove reliance on third-party conversion tools. It also acts as a CDN proxy orchestrator, allowing the use of CDN domains and encryption to mask server identities and p
v2ray-core is a network proxy framework and custom proxy engine designed for censorship circumvention. It functions as a traffic routing platform that directs network data between inbound and outbound connections to access blocked content and services. The system employs a modular architecture using pluggable protocol handlers and a chain-based connection pipeline to transform and forward network traffic. It provides secure tunneling infrastructure to establish encrypted connections and uses a rule-based routing system to direct data between protocols and destinations. The framework includes
Shadowsocks-iOS is a proxy client for iOS devices that implements the Shadowsocks protocol to tunnel network traffic through a secure, encrypted relay. Its primary purpose is to route device traffic through a proxy server to bypass network censorship and regional restrictions. The project establishes secure proxy tunneling to protect data from local monitoring and hide internet activity. It manages iOS network traffic routing using custom encryption protocols to avoid network interference. The implementation utilizes a system-level network extension framework and a local virtual network inte
Ockam is an end-to-end encryption framework and distributed identity provider designed to establish secure communication between applications and devices. It provides a secure network overlay that utilizes cryptographic identities and attribute-based access control to implement zero trust network access. The project distinguishes itself through metadata-driven multi-hop routing and a pluggable transport layer, allowing encrypted traffic to move across diverse network topologies without requiring virtual IP overlays. It specifically enables secure tunneling for legacy applications by wrapping
Zapret is a deep packet inspection bypass tool and packet manipulation framework designed to circumvent network censorship. It operates as a transparent network proxy and TCP traffic obfuscator that modifies packets to deceive network inspection systems. The project distinguishes itself through advanced desynchronization strategies, including the modification of TLS client hello handshakes and the use of fake packet injection. It utilizes a combination of TCP stream segmentation, sequence overlapping, and TTL adjustment to hide prohibited requests from firewalls while ensuring the destination
This project is a decentralized, privacy-focused messaging platform designed to eliminate reliance on central servers and persistent user identifiers. By utilizing a metadata-minimizing protocol, it ensures that all communication remains end-to-end encrypted and that user identities are stored exclusively on the local device. The architecture relies on relay-based message routing and identity-free network addressing to maintain data sovereignty and prevent the correlation of user activity. What distinguishes this platform is its commitment to traffic isolation and anonymity. Each conversation
Surfboard is a cross-platform network client and VPN manager that provides a graphical interface for establishing secure tunnel connections. It functions as a multi-protocol proxy client and a rule-based traffic router, directing outbound requests to specific proxies or bypassing them based on domain and IP patterns. The application acts as a connection orchestrator, allowing users to import, organize, and switch between multiple virtual private network profiles and server configurations. It implements various proxy standards to route traffic through remote servers for privacy and access. Th
sshuttle is an SSH tunneling proxy and user-space network router that forwards local network traffic to a remote network via an encrypted SSH connection. It serves as an alternative to traditional VPN installations for routing traffic and accessing private remote resources. The project functions by redirecting network traffic through an SSH tunnel without requiring administrative privileges on the remote server. It utilizes a user-space TCP/IP stack to process packets, allowing it to operate without kernel-level administrative access. Its capabilities cover remote network access, secure remo
pfSense is an open-source operating system that turns a standard computer into a dedicated firewall and router with a web-based management interface. It runs on the FreeBSD kernel with the pf packet filter for stateful firewall and NAT processing, and manages all settings through a PHP-driven web interface that writes to XML configuration files. The platform provides a comprehensive set of network security capabilities accessible through its browser-based control panel. Users can configure packet filtering rules to control traffic flow between network segments, manage network address translat