The FreeRADIUS Server Project is a high performance and highly configurable multi-protocol policy server, supporting RADIUS, DHCPv4 DHCPv6, DNS, TACACS+ and VMPS. It is available under the terms of the GNU GPLv2. Using RADIUS allows authentication and authorization for a network to be centralized, and minimizes the number of changes that have to be done when adding or deleting new users to a network.
FreeRADIUS can authenticate users on systems such as 802.1x (WiFi), dialup, PPPoE, VPN's, VoIP, and many others. It supports back-end databases such as MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Oracle, Microsoft Active Directory, Apache Cassandra, Redis, OpenLDAP, and many more. It is used daily to authenticate the Internet access for hundreds of millions of people, in sites ranging from 10 to 10 million+ users.
VERSION 4 IS IN DEVELOPMENT AND HAS NOT BEEN OFFICIALLY RELEASED. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Please wait for an official release before using version 4 (v4).
Please see the documentation directory, which has full documentation for version 4.
Please also see https://freeradius.org and https://www.freeradius.org/documentation/freeradius-server/4.0.0/ for additional documentation.
AI-assisted tools can help draft configurations, explain existing files, review changes, and explore implementation options. Their output is not automatically correct or compatible with the intended FreeRADIUS version. Generated examples may contain unsupported attributes, mistaken syntax, or unsuitable authentication and security settings.
Treat generated output as a proposal requiring review. Check it against the version-specific documentation and configuration examples, and test changes in an appropriate environment before deploying them. Do not include credentials or other secrets in external tool inputs.
Contributions prepared with automation are evaluated using the same technical and verification standards as other submissions; see the contribution guide. Coding agents can find repository-specific navigation and verification guidance in AGENTS.md.
To install the server, please see the installation instructions document.
We understand that the server may be difficult to configure, install, or administer. It is, after all, a complex system with many different configuration possibilities.
Changing many settings at once can make an error difficult to isolate. A repeatable configuration workflow is:
- Start off with the default configuration files.
- Save a copy of the default configuration before editing it.
- Verify that the server starts - in debugging mode (
radiusd -X). - Send it test packets using "radclient", or a NAS or AP.
- Verify that the server does what you expect
- If it does not work, change the configuration, and go to step (3)
- If you're stuck, revert to using the "last working" configuration.
- If it works, proceed to step (6).
- Save a copy of the working configuration, along with a note of what you changed, and why.
- Make a SMALL change to the configuration.
- Repeat from step (3).
Incremental testing helps isolate regressions and provides a record of working configurations and the changes made between them.
For troubleshooting outside a production service, run the server in
debugging mode (radiusd -X) and inspect the output for errors, request
processing details, and suggestions for resolving common issues. For
debugging a running production server, use raddebug where configured.
The debug output is explained in detail in the radiusd-X page.
Read the configuration files. Many parts of the server are documented only with extensive comments in the configuration files.
Search the mailing lists. For example, using Google, searching "site:lists.freeradius.org " will return results from the FreeRADIUS mailing lists.
Additional help is available via the mailing lists, including commercial support.
When posting to the mailing list, we recommend posting the output of
radiusd -X. That information shows what the server is doing when it
receives packets, and how it processes those packets.
When requesting assistance, provide relevant debugging output and a description of the expected and observed behavior. Review logs and configuration excerpts for credentials or other sensitive data before sharing them. Focused configuration excerpts may also be useful when they help reproduce a problem.
For configuration and operational questions, use the 'freeradius-users' mailing list. Include your FreeRADIUS version, relevant documentation consulted, and available diagnostic information so others can understand and reproduce the issue.
If you suspect a defect in the server, would like to request a feature, or submit a code patch, please use the GitHub issue tracker for the freeradius-server repository. However, it is nearly always best to raise the issue on the mailing lists first to determine whether it really is a defect or missing feature.
Instructions for gathering data for defect reports can be found in here and online at https://www.freeradius.org/documentation/freeradius-server/4.0.0/developers/bugs.html
Use GitHub issues for reproducible software and documentation defects and feature requests. Configuration and operational support questions belong on the users mailing list; issues filed through the wrong channel may be redirected or closed. See the contribution guidelines for details.
Community support is provided by volunteers, so response times can vary. FreeRADIUS is maintained through contributions of code, documentation, testing, and funding.
Technical support, managed systems support, custom deployments, sponsored feature development and many other commercial services are available from InkBridge Networks.