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BSD Leftovers
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HardenedBSD ☛ HardenedBSD December 2025 Status Report
A large portion of my focus has been on the infrastructure, getting a build environment for the recently-created hardened/15-stable/main branch. As discussed in a previous mailing list thread[1], the 14-STABLE build infrastructure has now been migrated to 15-STABLE. We have archived the last 14-STABLE package build, which last completed on 24 Dec 2025.
We self-host nearly the entirety of our infrastructure out of my home. We have only one leased server, from the fine folks at NetActuate (previously RootBSD). This leased server hosts our main website, the hbsd-update build artifacts, and the package repos. Our package repos, naturally, grow over time. Back when we started this, each package repo was at most 75GB in size. Now we're encroaching 135GB.
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CCC ☛ Escaping Containment: A Security Analysis of FreeBSD Jails
FreeBSD’s jail feature is one of the oldest and most mature OS-level isolation mechanisms in use today, powering hosting environments, container frameworks, and security sandboxes. But as with any large and evolving kernel feature, complexity breeds opportunity. This research asks a simple but critical question: If an attacker compromises root inside a FreeBSD jail, what does it take to break out?
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[Old] Netdata Inc ☛ FreeBSD vs Linux - Which Is Better
When choosing an operating system for servers, embedded systems, or even desktops, developers and system administrators often encounter two powerful, free, and open-source Unix-like options: FreeBSD and Linux. Both share a common heritage tracing back to the original UNIX, but they have evolved along different paths, resulting in distinct philosophies, architectures, and strengths. The FreeBSD vs Linux debate isn’t about one being definitively “better” but rather understanding which is better suited for your specific needs.
For those new to system administration or exploring alternatives, understanding how FreeBSD compares to Linux is crucial. This article delves into the core differences between these two operating systems, covering aspects like their structure, licensing, performance, security, and typical use cases.