I’ve been building a home router setup using Ubuntu Server as the gateway machine (not VM or Docker container), and I’m putting together a web-based dashboard to manage the entire network stack: DHCP (Kea), DNS (Unbound), firewall (UFW/nftables), WireGuard VPN, Suricata IDS, CrowdSec threat intel, plus IPv6 support.
The project is called TuxWall, and it’s currently available at tuxwall.org or on GitHub. I’d love to get Ubuntu community members involved in testing and improving it!
What It Does
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Centralized UI for monitoring leases, DNS queries, firewall rules, VPN peers, threat alerts, and traffic shaping
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Built-in AI assistant (opencode) that can audit configs and suggest improvements (with approval needed before making changes)
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Tested on Ubuntu 25.04/26.04 with a one-command installer script
Where I Need Help
I’m asking for feedback from users who:
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Have tried setting up Ubuntu as a router/gateway — what worked/didn’t?
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Can test the installer script on different Ubuntu versions or hardware setups
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Suggest improvements to make it easier for others (especially IPv6 setup, which can be tricky)
The project has been running in my home lab for several weeks now with no major issues, but I know there’s room for improvement. So the real questions are:
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What Ubuntu version should I prioritize?
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Any specific network services or features you’d want integrated?
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Suggestions on making the installer more foolproof for beginners?
If you’re interested in testing, just install Ubuntu Server (25.04/26.04), run the script, and let me know what works well or where it breaks! Every bit of feedback helps shape this into something truly useful for the community.
Thanks in advance — really appreciate any help everyone can offer!
