Open-Source DevOps · pfrest

pfSense-pkg-RESTAPI

pfSense-pkg-RESTAPI is an unofficial, community-maintained PHP package that adds REST and GraphQL APIs to pfSense firewalls. It provides 200+ endpoints for automation and management, with built-in Swagger documentation and configurable authentication.

Talk to DEV.co Discuss Implementation

Source: GitHub — github.com/pfrest/pfSense-pkg-RESTAPI

828

GitHub stars

130

Forks

PHP

Primary language

Apache-2.0

License (OSI-approved)

Key facts

Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.

Field	Value
Repository	pfrest/pfSense-pkg-RESTAPI
Owner	pfrest
Primary language	PHP
License	Apache-2.0 — OSI-approved
Stars	828
Forks	130
Open issues	21
Latest release	v2.8.2 (2026-06-09)
Last updated	2026-07-07
Source	https://github.com/pfrest/pfSense-pkg-RESTAPI

What pfSense-pkg-RESTAPI is

Written in PHP, the package exposes pfSense firewall configuration and operations via REST and GraphQL endpoints with HATEOAS support, Swagger/OpenAPI documentation, and flexible query/filter capabilities. It runs as a package on pfSense CE and Plus, requiring compatible pfSense versions.

Quickstart

Get the pfSense-pkg-RESTAPI source

Clone the repository and explore it locally.

terminalbash

1git clone https://github.com/pfrest/pfSense-pkg-RESTAPI.git2cd pfSense-pkg-RESTAPI3# follow the project's README for install & configuration

Need it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.

Best use cases

Firewall Automation and Infrastructure-as-Code

Use REST/GraphQL endpoints to programmatically manage firewall rules, interfaces, VPN configurations, and services as part of larger DevOps workflows and CI/CD pipelines.

Multi-Firewall Management and Orchestration

Build dashboards, monitoring systems, and bulk management tools that coordinate configuration across multiple pfSense instances via API calls instead of manual UI navigation.

Custom Network Automation Integrations

Integrate pfSense with third-party network management platforms, security tools, or internal business applications that require programmatic firewall control and telemetry.

Implementation considerations

Verify your pfSense version (CE or Plus) is listed in supported versions before installation to avoid system instability.
Plan authentication and authorization configuration carefully; review available options (API keys, tokens, etc.) to match your security policy.
Test API functionality in a non-production environment to confirm endpoint coverage for your specific firewall use cases before production rollout.
Monitor GitHub issues and releases to stay informed of bug fixes and security updates; set a maintenance schedule for patching.
Document which 200+ endpoints your automation will use; not all pfSense configurations may have REST/GraphQL equivalents.

When to avoid it — and what to weigh

Requires Official Netgate Support — This is a community project with no affiliation or support from Netgate or the pfSense team. If vendor support is mandatory for your environment, this is not suitable.
Mission-Critical Production Without Prior Testing — The package warns that installation on unsupported pfSense versions may cause unexpected behavior or system instability. Thorough testing in non-production is essential before deployment.
Requires Immediate Commercial SLA or Guarantees — As an open-source community project, there is no guaranteed response time, uptime SLA, or commercial indemnification. Production deployments should assess maintenance risk.
Complex Custom pfSense Configuration Not Yet Documented — If your deployment uses undocumented pfSense features or non-standard configurations, API endpoint coverage and compatibility are uncertain and may require source code review.

License & commercial use

Licensed under Apache License 2.0 (Apache-2.0), a permissive, well-established OSI-approved license allowing commercial use, modification, and distribution with proper attribution and notice.

Apache-2.0 permits commercial use of the software. However, this is an unofficial, community-maintained project without vendor backing or commercial support agreements. Organizations using this for commercial purposes should assess the risk of relying on community maintenance for mission-critical firewall automation and establish internal support capabilities.

DEV.co evaluation signals

Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.

Signal	Assessment
Maintenance	Active
Documentation	Adequate
License clarity	Clear
Deployment complexity	Moderate
DEV.co fit	Good
Assessment confidence	High

Security considerations

The package exposes firewall configuration via API. Security posture depends on: (1) authentication method strength and credential management, (2) network access controls (who can reach the API), (3) timely patching of the package and underlying pfSense, (4) review of RBAC/authorization controls, and (5) monitoring for unauthorized API access. No third-party security audit data provided. Assess threat model in your environment.

Alternatives to consider

Netgate pfSense Plus REST API (official, if available)

Official Netgate solution may offer vendor support and guaranteed compatibility, but feature scope and release schedule unknown; check Netgate's current offerings.

Terraform/Ansible pfSense Modules

Infrastructure-as-code frameworks with pfSense plugins; may offer more mature tooling integration and community modules, though potentially less direct API access.

OPNsense (REST API built-in)

OPNsense, a pfSense fork, includes native REST API support; if you control firewall selection and can migrate, this eliminates third-party package dependency.

Software development agency

Build on pfSense-pkg-RESTAPI with DEV.co software developers

Evaluate pfSense-pkg-RESTAPI for your DevOps and network automation needs. Review supported versions, test thoroughly in non-production, and consider community maintenance risk. Contact Devco to discuss integration strategy.

Talk to DEV.co

Related open-source tools

Surfaced by semantic similarity across the DEV.co open-source index.

api-firewall azure-devops-python-api rest-assured

Related on DEV.co

Explore the category and the services that help you build with it.

Open-Source DevOps API Development DevOps Talk to DEV.co

pfSense-pkg-RESTAPI FAQ

Is this package supported by Netgate?

No. This is an unofficial, community-maintained project. It is not affiliated with or supported by Netgate or the pfSense team.

Can I use this in production?

Technically yes, but assess risk carefully. It is mature (6+ years old, 800+ stars), but community-maintained with no SLA. Conduct thorough testing, establish internal support, and monitor for updates.

What pfSense versions are supported?

Check the supported versions list on pfrest.org/INSTALL_AND_CONFIG/. Installation on unsupported versions may cause unexpected behavior or instability.

Do I need to choose between REST and GraphQL?

No. Both are available. Use whichever fits your automation tooling and query patterns best; they expose the same underlying firewall data.

Software development & web development with DEV.co

Adopting pfSense-pkg-RESTAPI is usually one piece of a larger software development effort. As a software development agency, DEV.co provides software development services and web development expertise — pairing senior software developers and web developers with your team to design, build, and operate open-source devops software in production.

Ready to Automate Your pfSense Firewall?

Talk to DEV.co Schedule a Consultation