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Operating systems

FreeBSD

Not Linux: pkg instead of apt, rc.conf instead of systemd units, pf for the firewall, and ZFS in the base system.

FreeBSD is not a Linux distribution. It is a separate operating system with its own kernel, its own userland and its own documentation, developed as one piece rather than assembled from parts. People pick it for ZFS in the base system, for jails, and for a network stack with a long reputation.

Install it from the panel ​

In the client area, open your server, then Reinstall the server. Pick the FreeBSD tile, open its version list and choose the one you want, then fill in the partitioning, the software RAID, the hostname and the password below the grid. The form itself is described in reinstalling your OS.

Careful

A reinstall erases every drive in the machine. There is no undo and we keep no copy: take your backups off the server first.

Nothing you know about systemd applies ​

Services are declared in /etc/rc.conf and driven by service, not systemctl:

sh
service sshd restart
service nginx status
sysrc nginx_enable=YES

sysrc edits rc.conf safely, which is better than opening it in an editor on a machine you reach over one SSH session.

Packages ​

pkg is the binary package manager. Ports are the source tree, and you do not need them for ordinary software:

sh
pkg update && pkg upgrade
pkg install -y nano curl

The firewall ​

pf is in the base system, configured in /etc/pf.conf and enabled through rc.conf. It is off until you turn it on, and turning it on with a ruleset that does not allow SSH costs you the session:

sh
sysrc pf_enable=YES
service pf start
pfctl -s rules

Keep the console open in another tab the first time.

ZFS ​

ZFS is part of the base system, not an add-on: snapshots, checksums and send/receive are there from the first boot.

sh
zpool status
zfs list

Note

Most of this documentation is written for Linux, and the commands in it do not translate directly. The FreeBSD Handbook is the reference for the system itself; what belongs to us is the install from the panel, the addresses and the console.

Where to go next ​

  • First connection: your own user, SSH keys, password logins off.
  • IP addresses: configuring the additional addresses on the fresh system.
  • The console: watching the install, and getting in when the network does not answer.

Reviewed on September 15, 2026