How to Check the Firewall Status on CentOS

How Important is a Firewall

A firewall is important for any operating system, including Linux, as it acts as a barrier between the internal network and the external network, such as the Internet. It monitors and controls the incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predefined security rules.

Having a firewall in place provides an extra layer of security for your system and helps prevent unauthorized access to your network, which can lead to sensitive data being stolen or malware being installed. Additionally, a firewall can help block unwanted incoming traffic, such as spam, and can reduce the risk of attackers exploiting vulnerabilities in your system.

How to Check the Firewall Status on CentOS

To check the status of the firewall on a CentOS system, you can use the firewalld command. The firewalld service is responsible for managing the firewall rules on a CentOS system. Here is the code line for how to check the firewall on CentOS:

systemctl status firewalld

This command will return information about the status of the firewall, including whether it is active, inactive, or disabled. If the firewall is active, you will see a line that says “active (running)”. If the firewall is inactive or disabled, you will see a line that says “inactive (dead)”.

You can also use the following command to get more detailed information about the firewall status:

firewall-cmd --state

This command will return a message indicating whether the firewall is running or not. If the firewall is running, the output will be “running”, and if the firewall is not running, the output will be “not running”.

Note that the firewall status on a CentOS system can be managed through the firewalld service, and you can start, stop, or restart the firewall by using the appropriate systemctl command. To start the firewall, for example, you can use the following command:

systemctl start firewalld