PFSense and OPNsense

blocking websites

(1) via dns:

If the built in DNS Forwarder or DNS Resolver are in use, an override can be configured which will resolve the website to block to an invalid IP address.

(2) via firewall rule:

This is not a feasible solution for sites that return low TTLs and spread the load across many servers.

A hostname may be entered in a network alias, and then that alias may be applied to a block rule.

Another option is finding all of a site's IP blocks, creating an alias with those networks, and blocking traffic to those destinations.

blocking via WANs

Create rules that block connections via your WAN.

1. Firewall → Rules → WAN tab and press the upper-right + button
2. for Action, select Block
3. for Interface, select WAN
4. for TCP/IP Version, select IPv4
5. for Protocol, select any
6. for Source: (Type: Single host or alias) and (Address: enter name of the URL alias which contains the IP addresses you want to block)
7. for Destination select any
8. enter a Description
9. Save and Apply Changes