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.
The OpenWrt Community is proud to present the OpenWrt 23.05 stable version series. It is the successor of the previous 22.03 stable major release.
Current stable release - OpenWrt 23.05.5
The current stable version series of OpenWrt is 23.05, with v23.05.5 being the latest release of the series. It was released on 25. September 2024.
The OpenWrt Community is proud to present the OpenWrt 22.03 stable version series. It is the successor of the previous 21.02 stable major release.
The OpenWrt 22.03 series focuses on the migration from iptables based firewall3 to the nftables based firewall4.
Old stable Release - OpenWrt 22.03.7
v22.03.7 is the latest release of the old stable series. It was released on 25. July 2024.
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.
SFC has welcomed us into their organization1):
September 10, 2020 OpenWrt — building on their sixteen years of success as the most popular Free and Open Source (FOSS) wireless router project — today joins Conservancy as a member project. FOSS wireless routers assure software freedom for all Internet users. Conservancy will help OpenWrt continue to thrive and grow as its new fiscal sponsor. OpenWrt occupies a special place in the history of software freedom. OpenWrt's creation and launch shows that GPL enforcement works and advances software freedom. In 2004, when Linksys released the firmware code for the WRT54G router series, coders and tinkerers regained control over their own routers, and launched OpenWrt based on the sources liberated from GPL enforcement. Today, OpenWrt leverages software freedom protected by the GPL to share that freedom and control with everyone who uses wireless routers to connect to the Internet.
Like any open source project, OpenWrt thrives on the efforts of its users and developers.