FreeNAS is an open source network-attached storage (NAS) operating system based on FreeBSD and released under the BSD license. According to Planning to try FreeNAS – review of hardware+goals before …, FreeNAS was originally developed by Olivier Cochard-Labbe in 2005 and has continued to be improved and maintained by an active open source community. The purpose of FreeNAS is to provide a free, open source NAS solution that is highly configurable and supports advanced features like ZFS file system, software RAID, Samba for sharing across Windows networks, plug-ins and jails for extending functionality, and remote administration.
FreeNAS aims to be a complete operating system designed for NAS use cases ranging from home media storage to enterprise-level storage servers. According to A Complete Guide to FreeNAS Hardware Design, Part I, it provides a graphical web-based user interface for managing storage volumes, user permissions, snapshots, backups, and more. The goals of FreeNAS are to be user-friendly, flexible, scalable, and provide industry-standard protocols and features for NAS solutions.
File Sharing
One of the key features of FreeNAS is the ability to easily share files and folders over a network using standard protocols. FreeNAS supports the SMB, NFS, and AFP protocols for sharing files with Windows, Mac, and Unix-like systems (FreeNAS Docs). Users can create shared folders, set permissions for users and groups, and control access to the shares.
To create a share in FreeNAS, you simply create a dataset, then under Sharing create a Windows (SMB) share, Unix (NFS) share, or Apple (AFP) share. You can set the permissions for each share to control who has access. FreeNAS supports complex permission setups, so you can give individuals access, deny access to others, set read/write permissions, etc.
With comprehensive access control lists, you can securely share files on your FreeNAS server over the network without worrying about unauthorized access. And since FreeNAS integrates with Active Directory, you can easily map your existing Windows permissions to shares (PureInfotech).
Media Streaming
FreeNAS provides excellent media streaming capabilities to share your music, videos, and photos across your network. It supports the DLNA protocol, allowing devices like smart TVs, media players, gaming consoles, and mobile devices to easily discover and play media stored on your FreeNAS system.
You can install plugins like Plex or Emby to turn your FreeNAS into a full-featured media server. These plugins provide polished interfaces and helpful features for browsing, managing, and streaming your media. Plex can even stream and transcode your media outside your home so you can access it anywhere.
If you want basic DLNA streaming without a third-party plugin, FreeNAS also includes built-in options like MiniDLNA. You simply need to enable the DLNA service and point it to your media folders. Then devices like Playstation and Xbox can find and stream content from your FreeNAS.
With robust transcoding support, you can stream nearly any media format to any device. FreeNAS makes it easy to unlock your media collection and enjoy it throughout your home and beyond.
Backups
One of the key features of FreeNAS is its robust backup capabilities. FreeNAS supports backing up files and folders incrementally to protect against data loss. Incremental backups only copy files that have changed since the last backup, saving time and storage space compared to full backups.
FreeNAS also supports cloud backups to services like Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Microsoft Azure, and others. This allows backing up data offsite for redundancy in case of device failure or disaster at the primary site. According to TrueNAS Data Backup and Recovery – Protect Local or …, FreeNAS makes it simple to setup cloud backups to these providers.
In addition to file and cloud backups, FreeNAS utilizes ZFS snapshots to protect data. Snapshots create point-in-time copies of data which can be rolled back to recover previous versions. Snapshots provide another layer of data protection and recovery on top of traditional file backups. As described by users on How do you backup your FreeNAS data?, combining snapshots with rsync or replication provides a comprehensive backup solution.
Virtualization
One of the great features of FreeNAS is the ability to run virtual machines (VMs) directly on the FreeNAS system without needing a separate hypervisor. This allows you to consolidate your storage and virtualization into one box.
FreeNAS uses the open-source hypervisor bhyve to run VMs. Bhyve supports many guest operating systems including Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, and more. FreeNAS makes it easy to create VMs with just a few clicks in the GUI. You can install VMs from ISO files or pre-made templates.
Performance of VMs on FreeNAS is quite good thanks to bhyve’s lightweight codebase and FreeNAS’s advanced ZFS filesystem. Tests show FreeNAS can achieve over 90% of native performance for virtualized workloads. See this YouTube video for a demo of running a Windows 10 VM on FreeNAS: How to Create Windows 10 Virtual Machine on Freenas.
With FreeNAS you can transform your NAS into a capable server for running VMs for homelabs, testing environments, development work, and more. The tight integration between storage and VMs makes FreeNAS a great choice for a virtualization platform.
Snapshots and Clones
Snapshots in FreeNAS allow you to capture the exact state of a file system or VM at any given point in time. They can be used to restore corrupted or deleted files/VMs by rolling back to a previous snapshot.
According to the FreeNAS documentation, you can create snapshots for any dataset or VM through the web interface (source). Snapshots only take up the amount of space of the changes since creation, allowing you to store multiple snapshots efficiently.
Snapshots can also be cloned to create an exact writable copy of the data at the time of the snapshot (source). This allows you to branch off the data into a separate dataset or VM that can be modified independently. For example, you could clone a VM snapshot to test upgrades or changes without impacting the original VM.
If the original dataset becomes corrupted or deleted, you can easily restore it by rolling back to a previous snapshot. According to FreeNAS documentation, this restores the data to the exact state captured in the snapshot (source). Snapshots provide versioning and protection against data loss.
Docker Support
FreeNAS provides support for running Docker containers, allowing you to leverage the benefits of containerization. With Docker, users can easily deploy containerized applications like Plex, Transmission, and more. Docker containers are isolated from each other and the host system, providing a secure way to run multiple applications without conflict.
FreeNAS makes it simple to manage Docker containers through the web interface. Users can download container images, configure advanced settings like port mappings and volumes, set resource limitations, and manage running containers. The Docker UI provides an intuitive overview of running containers and images. For more advanced container orchestration, FreeNAS integrates with Docker Compose for running multi-container applications from Compose files.
By combining ZFS snapshots with containerization, users can easily rollback or clone Docker environments. The FreeNAS forums contain many examples of people running Docker for apps like media servers, databases, web hosting, and more. With Docker support, FreeNAS provides excellent flexibility for deploying a wide variety of workloads.
Plugins and Apps
One of the great things about FreeNAS is the ability to extend its functionality through plugins and apps. Plugins allow you to easily add capabilities without needing to modify the FreeNAS source code or install software manually. According to the FreeNAS®11.2-U3 User Guide, plugins provide a simple way to browse, install, and configure pre-packaged software from the web interface.
Some popular plugins include Plex for media streaming, Couchpotato for movie automation, and Crashplan for backups. There are over 100 plugins available in the FreeNAS plugins repository to choose from. The plugins architecture makes it easy to customize your FreeNAS system by adding the capabilities you need.
In addition to plugins, FreeNAS also supports apps based on containers and Kubernetes. As explained in a TrueNAS blog post, apps provide next-generation capabilities building on the successes of the original plugins system. Key highlights of apps include simplified installation, easier upgrades, greater flexibility, and improved security. Some notable apps include WordPress, Plex, Minecraft, and Ghost.
The TrueNAS apps catalog contains over 100 apps spanning categories like development, home automation, logging, and backup. Apps make it easy to quickly spin up new services and capabilities on your FreeNAS system. Overall, the extensive catalog of plugins and apps for FreeNAS enable you to easily extend its functionality for your specific needs.
Multiple Platforms
One of the great things about FreeNAS is that it runs on commodity hardware, so you can use old computers or cheap components to build a FreeNAS system. The minimum requirements are relatively modest:
- 2 GB of RAM (although 8GB is recommended for best performance)
- Compatible processor (any 64-bit x86 CPU will work)
- Some form of storage like SATA hard drives or SSDs
In addition to physical hardware, FreeNAS also runs in virtual machines or in the cloud. You can install FreeNAS as a VM on platforms like VMware ESXi or VirtualBox. Or you can deploy FreeNAS in the cloud using AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud. This makes it easy to get started with FreeNAS without investing in new hardware.
The open source nature of FreeNAS means that it is highly portable across many different types of commodity hardware. You don’t need expensive server-grade components to run FreeNAS successfully as a home file server or media center. And the cloud and virtualization support further increases the deployment options.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2012-02-01-how-to-set-up-a-home-file-server-using-freenas.html
Open Source
FreeNAS is an open source network-attached storage (NAS) software based on FreeBSD and developed by iXsystems. As open source software, the source code for FreeNAS is freely available for anyone to use, modify, and distribute.
FreeNAS has an active open source community behind its development. Contributors include developers from iXsystems like Jordan Hubbard, one of the creators of FreeBSD, as well as community members. The open source model allows FreeNAS to benefit from the contributions of many developers worldwide.
Because FreeNAS is open source, it can be customized and extended in ways that proprietary NAS solutions cannot. Developers can modify FreeNAS to add new features or integrations tailored to their needs. The open source community also provides support through documentation, forums, and other resources.
Overall, the open source nature of FreeNAS gives it the advantages of transparency, flexibility, community support, and the ability to evolve organically to meet emerging needs. For users seeking an open and adaptable NAS platform, FreeNAS provides a compelling option.
