IpTablesConfigurator

A user-friendly shell script for configuring iptables firewall rules on Linux systems. This interactive menu-driven tool simplifies common firewall management tasks and supports both legacy and modern Linux distributions.

Features

• Interactive menu interface - Easy-to-use command line interface
• Service-specific rules - Pre-configured rules for common services:
  • Apache/HTTP(S) web server (ports 80, 443, 8080)
  • MySQL/MariaDB database (port 3306)
  • DRBD replication (port 7788)
  • Keepalived/VRRP high availability
  • SSH remote access (port 22)
• Custom rule creation - Create custom firewall rules with flexible parameters
• Network interface management - View and configure network interfaces
• Rule management - Backup, restore, and delete firewall rules
• Modern system support - Compatible with both systemd and legacy service management
• Multi-distribution support - Works with CentOS, RHEL, Ubuntu, Debian, and other Linux distributions

System Requirements

• Linux operating system with iptables support
• Bash shell
• Root/sudo privileges for firewall configuration
• One of the following service management systems:
  • systemd (modern distributions)
  • System V init (legacy distributions)

Network Tools Required

The script will automatically detect and use available network tools:

• ip command (preferred, modern)
• ifconfig (fallback for older systems)

Service Management

Supports both modern and legacy service management:

• systemctl (systemd-based systems)
• service command (legacy systems)

Installation

1. Clone or download the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/lcajigasm/IpTablesConfigurator.git
   cd IpTablesConfigurator

2. Make the script executable:

   chmod +x iptables_config.sh

3. Run as root or with sudo privileges:

   sudo ./iptables_config.sh

Usage

Launch the script with root privileges:

sudo ./iptables_config.sh

Main Menu Options

The script presents an interactive menu with the following options:

1. Ver interfaces de red - View active network interfaces
2. Reiniciar nombre interfaces - Reset network interface names
3. Ver [TODAS] las interfaces de red - View all network interfaces
4. Ver servicios instalados/ en ejecución - View running services
5. Ver estado IPTABLES - Display current iptables rules
6. Reiniciar reglas IPTABLES - Reset all iptables rules to default
7. Abrir puertos IPTABLES - Configure firewall rules for services
8. Borrar una línea del fichero de configuración - Delete specific firewall rules
9. Respaldar/Restaurar fichero configuracion iptables - Backup/restore iptables configuration
10. Salir - Exit the program

Service Configuration

When selecting option 7 (Configure firewall rules), you can choose from:

• Apache/HTTP - Opens ports 80 (HTTP), 443 (HTTPS), and 8080 (alternative HTTP)
• MySQL - Opens port 3306 for database connections
• DRBD - Opens port 7788 for DRBD replication
• Keepalived - Configures VRRP protocol rules for high availability
• SSH - Opens port 22 for secure shell access
• Custom - Create custom rules with specific parameters

Custom Rule Configuration

The custom rule option allows you to specify:

• Network interface
• Source IP address
• Destination IP address
• Port number
• Protocol (TCP/UDP)
• Rule type (INPUT, OUTPUT, or both)

File Locations

The script supports multiple iptables configuration file locations:

• Modern systems (systemd): /etc/iptables/rules.v4
• Legacy systems: /etc/sysconfig/iptables

Backup files are created with .bak extension in the same directory.

Compatibility

Tested Distributions

• CentOS 7/8/9
• RHEL 7/8/9
• Ubuntu 18.04/20.04/22.04
• Debian 10/11/12

Service Names

The script automatically detects common service variations:

• MySQL: mysqld, mysql, or mariadb
• Web server: httpd or apache2
• Keepalived: keepalived

Examples

Basic Usage

# Run the configurator
sudo ./iptables_config.sh

# Select option 7 to configure services
# Choose option 1 to open Apache ports
# Follow the prompts to select network interface

Backup Configuration

# Run the script and select option 9
# Choose option 1 to backup current configuration

Custom Rule Example

# Select option 7, then option 6 for custom rules
# Configure: Interface eth0, TCP, port 8443, allow INPUT

Security Considerations

• Always test firewall changes in a safe environment first
• Keep backups of working configurations
• Ensure you have console access before making changes to SSH rules
• Review rules before applying them in production environments

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit pull requests or open issues for:

• Bug fixes
• New features
• Documentation improvements
• Additional distribution support
• Translation improvements

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Author

Created by Luis Cajigas

Changelog

Current Version

• Updated for modern Linux distributions
• Added systemd support
• Improved network interface detection
• Enhanced service management compatibility
• Updated documentation in English

Legacy Features

• Original Spanish interface (maintained)
• Classic iptables rule management
• Support for legacy systems