Netfilter
Packet alteration framework for Linux and the umbrella project for software of the same
Why this is trending
Interest in “Netfilter” spiked on Wikipedia on 2026-06-03.
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Key Takeaways
- Netfilter is a framework provided by the Linux kernel that allows various networking-related operations to be implemented in the form of customized handlers.
- Netfilter represents a set of hooks inside the Linux kernel, allowing specific kernel modules to register callback functions with the kernel's networking stack.
- History Rusty Russell started the netfilter/iptables project in 1998; he had also authored the project's predecessor, ipchains.
- The software they produced (called netfilter hereafter) uses the GNU General Public License (GPL) license, and on 26 August 1999 it was merged into version 2.
- 0 stable version.
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Source summary
WikipediaNetfilter is a framework provided by the Linux kernel that allows various networking-related operations to be implemented in the form of customized handlers. Netfilter offers various functions and operations for packet filtering, network address translation, and port translation, which provide the functionality required for directing packets through a network and prohibiting packets from reaching sensitive locations within a network.
Netfilter represents a set of hooks inside the Linux kernel, allowing specific kernel modules to register callback functions with the kernel's networking stack. Those functions, usually applied to the traffic in the form of filtering and modification rules, are called for every packet that traverses the respective hook within the networking stack.
Rusty Russell started the netfilter/iptables project in 1998; he had also authored the project's predecessor, ipchains. As the project grew, he founded the Netfilter Core Team (or simply coreteam) in 1999. The software they produced (called netfilter hereafter) uses the GNU General Public License (GPL) license, and on 26 August 1999 it was merged into version 2.3.15 of the Linux kernel mainline and thus was in the 2.4.0 stable version.
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