Introduction

Sylve is an open-source control panel built on FreeBSD, bringing virtual machines, containers, storage, networking, firewalls, NAT, WireGuard, TLS, dynamic DNS, monitoring, notifications and system services into one place. The backend is written in Go, with a SvelteKit frontend.

The goal is simple: manage your infrastructure without relying on a pile of shell scripts. To get started, run pkg install sylve on FreeBSD 15 or newer, then open https://<host>:8181 in your browser. For more information, see the getting started guide.

What Sylve Delivers

Sylve capabilitiesOne interface, from a single host to a cluster.

OPERATOR INTERFACESylveWEB UI · REST API

Management API

Compute

Run workloads

• Bhyve virtual machines
• FreeBSD + Linux Jails
• Console, templates, snapshots

Storage

Shape data

• ZFS pools, datasets, zvols
• Replication + restore
• Samba + iSCSI publishing

Network

Connect systems

• Interfaces, bridges, routes
• Firewall + address translation
• DHCP, mDNS, WireGuard

Continuity

Keep service moving

• Built-in host clustering
• Migration + failover policies
• Remote backup workflows

Operations

Operate the host

• Health + activity telemetry
• Terminal + file explorer
• Services, users, tunables

UNIFIED MANAGEMENT PLANEFREEBSD 15+ZFS · BHYVE · JAIL · PF

Architecture at a Glance

System architectureSylve coordinates native FreeBSD services through one control plane.

Control planeGo backend

ORCHESTRATOR

Sylve

One API and interface coordinates resources across a single host or an entire cluster.

• GO BACKEND
• REST API
• RAFT STATE
• AUDIT EVENTS

RESOURCE BUS

Compute

Workloads

Bhyve VMsFreeBSD · Linux Jails

CONSOLE · SNAPSHOT · MIGRATE

Storage

ZFS

Pools · Filesystems · ZvolsSnapshots · Replication

SAMBA · ISCSI · BACKUP

Network

Fabric

Interfaces · SwitchesRoutes · FirewallDHCP · NAT · WireGuard

DHCP · NAT · WIREGUARD

Multi-node

Cluster

Membership · PoliciesReplication · Failover

RAFT · EVENTS · RESTORE

HOST FABRICFREEBSD

BHYVEJAILZFSPF

Why Sylve? Why not Proxmox, TrueNAS, Cockpit, or others?

Comparison	SylveFreeBSD-native	Proxmox VEVirtualization platform	TrueNAS SCALEStorage platform	CockpitLinux web console
Foundation	FreeBSD 15+Installed at the application layer	Debian LinuxDelivered as a complete platform	LinuxDelivered as a storage appliance OS	Linux distributionsInstalled on an existing server
Primary focus	FreeBSD infrastructureCompute, ZFS, networking, and host operations together	Virtualization clustersVMs, containers, distributed compute, and storage	Storage servicesZFS data management with apps and VMs alongside it	Linux host administrationEveryday system tasks through familiar system tools and APIs
Workloads	Bhyve + JailsFreeBSD and Linux guests	KVM + LXCLinux containers and virtual machines	KVM + AppsWorkloads run close to storage	Libvirt + Podman integrationsOptional applications manage virtual machines and containers
Clustering	Built-in Raft coordinationNo separate clustering stack	Corosync-based clusterMature multi-node virtualization tooling	Storage-oriented HAAdvanced HA capabilities vary by deployment	Optional HA cluster add-onPCS Web UI adds Pacemaker and Corosync management as a separately maintained Cockpit plugin
Host ownership	Leaves FreeBSD intactManages the host without replacing it	Owns the platformDesigned to be the virtualization host OS	Owns the applianceDesigned to be the storage host OS	Leaves Linux intactUses the host's existing accounts, tools, and services
Best fit	Unified infrastructureOne self-contained system for compute, storage, networking, and operations	General virtualizationLarge, established Linux-based VM environments	Storage-first systemsNAS and data services are the center of the deployment	Existing Linux serversGraphical administration without adopting an appliance platform
License model	BSD-2-ClausePermissive open source	AGPLv3Open source with optional subscriptions	Open-source componentsAdditional Enterprise features are licensed	GNU LGPLFree and open source

These products overlap, but begin from different priorities. Sylve is the FreeBSD-native option; Proxmox VE is virtualization-first; TrueNAS SCALE is storage-first; Cockpit is host-administration-first.