Comparison of UFW, iptables, and nftables on Alpine Linux

Alex Khaerov
1 min readJun 16, 2024

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This article provides a comparison of ufw, iptables, and nftables, focusing on their similarities and differences, particularly in the context of running on Alpine Linux.

UFW, iptables and nftables

Summary

UFW

Support on Alpine Linux: ❌ Not natively supported.
Use Case: Designed for ease of use on systems like Ubuntu.
Advantages: Simplifies firewall management with user-friendly commands.

iptables

Support on Alpine Linux: ✅ Fully supported.
Use Case: Suitable for all environments, from simple to complex setups.
Advantages: Highly flexible and powerful, though with a steeper learning curve.

nftables

Support on Alpine Linux: ✅ Fully supported.
Use Case: Recommended for new setups due to its modern features and performance benefits.
Advantages: Simpler syntax than iptables, supports atomic rule changes, and designed to replace iptables with better performance.

For Alpine Linux, iptables and nftables are the primary choices, with nftables being the preferred option for new configurations due to its advanced capabilities and efficiency.

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Alex Khaerov

more at https://hayorov.me Thoughts here are my own and don’t necessarily represent my employer.