FreedomBox/Features

Implemented

Here is a list of user-facing features that have been implemented in FreedomBox. You can also check FreedomBox introduction and supported hardware related pages.

Use Cases for User Applications

FreedomBox makes it easy to:

• Chat with friends via your own chat servers
  • The Matrix server allows secure, decentralized communication via text, voice and video. Files or pictures can also be shared. Coturn helps, if your FreedomBox is behind a router (NAT).
  • An alternative standard is XMPP with similar features. You can host your own Ejabberd server and use the Web interface JSXC on your own FreedomBox as client.
  • Mumble is your choice for pure real-time voice conferences.
  • Remain connected to some external chat rooms while you're absent; for IRC with Quassel.
  • Via e-mail:
    • With the server you can bid your friends
      • real mailboxes and virtual addresses.
      • control over anti-spam protection.
      • safe communications among them (as no traffic leaves your server).
    • With the browser-based multilingual email client Roundcube they won't either need to install a client or use a service of questionable trust to check their email.
• Share files:
  • Transfer large files via BitTorrent distributed file sharing with Deluge, Transmission.
  • Share content publicly or restricted to the users of listed allowed groups with Sharing
  • Privately share text snippets and files with Bepasty.
  • Manage and share your bookmarks with Shaarli
  • Publish files in your own website.
  • Locally with Samba.
  • Share locally multimedia content (photos, videos, music, ...) with MiniDLNA.
  • Organize your collections:
  • e-books with Calibre libraries.
  • photos with Zoph galleries.
• Publish web content or a blog:
  • Host a personal or community wiki with MediaWiki.
  • Publish a website or blog with WordPress or Ikiwiki.
  • Host regular websites:
    • Each user has her own website.
    • There can be a system-wide website as well.
• Keep your data synchronized to your FreedomBox:
  • Files: with Syncthing.
  • Calendar and contacts: with Radicale.
• Surf securely the internet
  • Filter incoming (e.g. ads) and outgoing web traffic with the proxy Privoxy.
  • Escape search engine filter bubbles using a metasearch engine like Searx.
  • Circumvent censorship using a socks5 proxy like Shadowsocks.
• Host your own web office apps:
  • Read RSS news with Tiny Tiny RSS.
  • Collaboratively edit a text document with Infinoted.
  • Share your source code with GitWeb
• Host a multiplayer block sandbox with Minetest.
• Connect securely to your FreedomBox services from the internet with OpenVPN or WireGuard in order to
  • publish services in untrusted networks or
  • to access through untrusted networks as if you were locally there.
• Learn how to use each application:
  • Offline Manual
  • Online resources
  • Community support
    • Forums
    • Mailing List
    • IRC channel
• Other features and solutions

Use Cases for the System Owner

FreedomBox makes it easy to:

• Invite friends to use your box:
  • Grant FreedomBox accounts and access privileges to users (See Users and Groups).
  • Use a single login for FreedomBox Interface, XMPP, Ikiwiki and SSH.
  • Share infrastructure resources:
    • Provide DNS service for your local network with bind.
    • Connect storage devices (See Storage).
    • Provide a secure Linux (including python3, etc) console accesible through SSH.
• Connect your FreedomBox to the world:
  • Access your FreedomBox from the public Internet via Pagekite, Tor, or DNS.
  • Obtain a certificate for your domain from Let's Encrypt.
  • Manage network connections over Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or PPPoE (See Networks).
• Control your FreedomBox:
  • Customize it:
    • Configure system name and interface language (See Configure).
    • Configure time zone and network time service (See Date and Time).
  • Know what's happening in your box:
    • Run diagnostic tests (See Diagnostics).
    • View which services are allowed through the firewall (See Firewall).
    • Watch storage consumption in each device (See Storage).
    • from a web interface with Cockpit.
  • Solve and prevent troubles:
    • Upgrade software packages automatically (See Software Upgrades).
    • View disk information or expand a partition (See Disks).
    • Create and restore filesystem snapshots (See Snapshots).
    • Backup your data with Borg (See Backups).
    • Configure local access to FreedomBox (See Service Discovery).
• Learn how to administer your box:
  • Offline Manual
  • Online resources
  • Community support
    • Forums
    • Mailing List
    • IRC channel

Planned

These features are planned for upcoming releases.

• Host your photos and videos (MediaGoblin)
• Run your micro-blogging social network (GNU Social, Mastodon, Pleroma)

Applications available in each Release

Application	Description	Debian 11 (Bullseye)	Debian 12 (Bookworm)
Dynamic DNS	Access to FreedomBox
Pagekite	Access to FreedomBox
Tor	Anonymity Network
Transmission	BitTorrent Web Client
Deluge	BitTorrent Web Client
Minetest	Block Sandbox
Shaarli	Bookmarks
Radicale	Calendar and Addressbook
Quassel	Chat Client (IRC)
JSXC	Chat Client (XMPP)
Ejabberd	Chat Server (XMPP)
Matrix Synapse	Chat Server (Matrix)
Roundcube	Email Client
Postfix/Dovecot	Email Server
Bepasty	File Publishing
Sharing	File Publishing
Syncthing	File Synchronization
Infinoted	Gobby Server
Samba	Network File Storage
Tiny Tiny RSS	News Feed Reader
Calibre	Organise e-Books
Zoph	Photo gallery
RSS-Bridge	RSS Feed Generator
Gitweb	Simple Git Hosting
MiniDLNA	Simple Media Server
Shadowsocks	SOCKS5 proxy
Janus	Video Room
OpenVPN	Virtual Private Network
WireGuard	Virtual Private Network
Mumble	Voice Chat Server
Coturn	VoIP Helper
Privoxy	Web Proxy
Searx	Web Search
WordPress	Website and Blog
MediaWiki	Wiki
Ikiwiki	Wiki and Blog

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Intro	Information	Support	Contribute		Reports	Promote
Vision	Hardware	Live Help	Where To Start	Translate	Calls	Talks
Overview	Download	Q&A	To Do	Design	Releases	Press
Features	Manual		Contributors	Code		Blog
FreedomBox for Communities		FreedomBox Developer Manual

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