Windows Linux Security & Permissions Expanded guide Networking

Windows `netsh advfirewall (firewall rules)` equivalent in Linux

Controls which network traffic is allowed through the system's firewall.

Reference maintained by Win-Linux.com · How mappings are evaluated

Windows netsh advfirewall (firewall rules)

→

Linux equivalents

Debian/Ubuntu apt / ufw

sudo ufw allow 22/tcp

Fedora dnf / firewalld

sudo firewall-cmd --add-service=ssh --permanent && sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Arch pacman / ufw or nftables

sudo ufw allow 22/tcp

Overview

What this command does

On Windows, "netsh advfirewall (firewall rules)" is used to manage firewall rules. On Linux, the closest practical mapping shown here is "ufw". Controls which network traffic is allowed through the system's firewall. This reference is grouped under Security & Permissions → Networking.

Migration tip: <code>ufw</code> (Uncomplicated Firewall) is the easy-to-use front-end for Linux firewalls on Ubuntu/Debian. <code>firewalld</code> is used on Fedora/RHEL. Both sit on top of <code>iptables</code>/<code>nftables</code>.

Windows → Linux context

What changes when you use this on Linux?

Equivalent task, different tool

Windows netsh advfirewall (firewall rules) maps to ufw for this task. Treat this as a workflow mapping rather than a character-for-character syntax translation.

Distribution details matter

The Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch rows are not identical. Use the row for your distribution instead of changing only the package-manager name in an example.

Elevated privilege appears in this workflow

At least one example uses sudo. Confirm the target path, device, service or package before running the elevated form; do not add sudo simply to bypass an unexplained permission error.

Command-specific caution

Always allow SSH (port 22) before enabling the firewall on a remote server, or you will lock yourself out.

For the broader concept behind this mapping, read Linux permissions for Windows users.

Practical tasks

Common use cases

Manage firewall rules

Controls which network traffic is allowed through the system's firewall.

ufw status

Show firewall status and rules

ufw enable / disable

Turn firewall on or off

ufw allow 22

Allow SSH (port 22)

Ready to run

Copyable Linux commands

Review paths, device names, package names and permissions before running any command.

sudo ufw status

sudo ufw enable

sudo ufw allow ssh

sudo ufw allow 80,443/tcp

sudo ufw status numbered

Walkthrough

Examples with explanations

# Windows: netsh advfirewall firewall add rule ...
sudo ufw status                   # view rules
sudo ufw enable                   # turn on
sudo ufw allow ssh                # allow SSH
sudo ufw allow 80,443/tcp        # allow web traffic
sudo ufw status numbered         # numbered list of rules

Reference

Common options and variations

Command or option	Use
`ufw status`	Show firewall status and rules
`ufw enable / disable`	Turn firewall on or off
`ufw allow 22`	Allow SSH (port 22)
`ufw allow 80/tcp`	Allow HTTP traffic
`ufw deny from 192.168.1.50`	Block a specific IP
`ufw delete allow 80`	Remove a rule

Distro differences

Debian/Ubuntu vs Fedora vs Arch

The equivalent is distribution-specific for this task: Debian/Ubuntu uses "sudo ufw allow 22/tcp"; Fedora uses "sudo firewall-cmd --add-service=ssh --permanent && sudo firewall-cmd --reload"; Arch uses "sudo ufw allow 22/tcp".

Distribution	Package manager / base	Equivalent command	Difference to notice
Debian/Ubuntu	apt / ufw	`sudo ufw allow 22/tcp`	Ubuntu commonly uses ufw as a simple firewall frontend.
Fedora	dnf / firewalld	`sudo firewall-cmd --add-service=ssh --permanent && sudo firewall-cmd --reload`	Fedora commonly uses firewalld instead of ufw.
Arch	pacman / ufw or nftables	`sudo ufw allow 22/tcp`	Arch does not force one firewall frontend; install and enable ufw, firewalld or nftables.

Important

What to watch out for