The OpenWrt Project is a Linux operating system targeting embedded devices. Instead of trying to create a single, static firmware, OpenWrt provides a fully writable filesystem with package management. This frees you from the application selection and configuration provided by the vendor and allows you to customize the device through the use of packages to suit any application. For developers, OpenWrt is the framework to build an application without having to build a complete firmware around it; for users this means the ability for full customization, to use the device in ways never envisioned.

See the Table of Hardware for supported devices. For more information about OpenWrt project organization, see the About OpenWrt pages.

As we enter 2018, both OpenWrt and the former LEDE project are happy to announce their unification under the OpenWrt name.

After long and sometimes slowly moving discussions about the specifics of the re-merge, with multiple similar proposals but little subsequent action, we're happy to announce that both projects are about to execute the final steps of the merger.

The new, unified OpenWrt project will be governed under the rules established by the LEDE project. Active members of both the former LEDE and OpenWrt projects will continue working on the unified OpenWrt.

LEDE's fork and subsequent re-merge into OpenWrt will not alter the overall technical direction taken by the unified project. We will continue to work on improving stability and release maintenance while aiming for frequent minor releases to address critical bugs and security issues like we did with LEDE 17.01 and its four point releases until now.

Old pre-15.05 OpenWrt CC releases will not be supported by the merged project anymore, leaving these releases without any future security or bug fixes. The OpenWrt CC 15.05 release series will receive a limited amount of security and bug fixes, but is not yet fully integrated in our release automation, so binary releases are lacking behind for now.

The LEDE 17.01 release will continue to get full security and bug fix support for both source code and binary releases. We are planning a new major release under the new name in the next few months.

The merged project will use the code base of the former LEDE project. OpenWrt specific patches not present in the LEDE repository but meeting LEDEs code quality requirements got integrated into the new tree. The source code will be hosted at git.openwrt.org with a continuously synchronized mirror hosted at Github. The original OpenWrt codebase has been archived on Github for future reference.

Yet open pull requests to both the old OpenWrt and LEDE repositories will be closed after a 30 day grace period. We encourage people to open new pull requests at the new repository or re-send still unmerged patches.

The remerged OpenWrt project is legally represented by the Software in the Public Interest (SPI) - an US 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which is managing our OpenWrt trademark, handling our donations and helping us with legal problems.

Infrastructure currently available under the lede-project.org domain will be moved to corresponding openwrt.org subdomains and redirects will be put in place where appropriate.

The merger of the OpenWrt and LEDE forums and wikis is not yet fully decided, so all portals will continue to be available under their respective domains until a definite consensus is reached.

People install OpenWrt because they believe it works better than the stock firmware from their vendor. They find it is more stable, offers more features, is more secure and has better support.

• Extensibility: OpenWrt provides many capabilities found only in high-end devices. Its 3000+ application packages are standardized, so you can easily replicate the same setup on any supported device, including two (or even five) year old routers. More...

• Security: OpenWrt's standard installation is secure by default, with Wi-Fi disabled, no poor passwords or backdoors. OpenWrt's software components are kept up-to-date, so vulnerabilities get closed shortly after they are discovered. More...

• Performance and Stability: OpenWrt firmware is made of standardized modules used in all supported devices. This means each module will likely receive more testing and bug fixing than stock firmware which can be tweaked for each product line and never touched again. More...

• Strong Community Support: OpenWrt team members are regular participants on the LEDE Forum, LEDE Developer and LEDE Admin mailing lists, and LEDE's IRC channels. You can interact directly with developers, volunteers managing the software modules and with other long-time OpenWrt users, drastically increasing the chances you will solve the issue at hand. More...

• Research: Many teams use OpenWrt as a platform for their research into network performance. This means that the improvements of their successful experiments will be available in OpenWrt first, well before it gets incorporated into mainline, vendor firmware. More...

• Open Source/No additional cost: OpenWrt is provided without any monetary cost. It has been entirely created by a team of volunteers: developers and maintainers, individuals and companies. If you enjoy using OpenWrt, consider contributing some effort to help us improve it for others! All of the above is possible because OpenWrt is part of the Open Source community, and powered by Linux kernel. Get the source code...

• And more… See more Reasons to Use OpenWrt...

Note: As of January 2018, the current Stable OpenWrt release was built from the LEDE 17.01 source code, and branded with the LEDE project name. Development versions of OpenWrt are currently branded with the OpenWrt name, and have a version number of 18.01.

Like any open source project, OpenWrt thrives on the efforts of its users and developers.

• If you want to develop the software, please refer to our Developer Guide to learn how to get the source code, build it, and contribute your changes back to the project.

• If you're not a developer, you can still help. The documentation can always be improved (even if it's to verify that the instructions match your experience), or you can help other community members with questions. Don’t hesitate to Register yourself in the wiki, or join our mailing list and IRC channels to get in touch.