300+ FreeBSD How-to Guide Topics for Beginners & Intermediate Users

Here’s an expanded, categorized, and numbered list of 300+ FreeBSD how-to guide topics for beginners and intermediate users, structured with practical scenarios:

1. Installation & Setup

1.1. How to create a FreeBSD bootable USB drive on Windows/macOS/Linux.
1.2. How to install FreeBSD in UEFI mode with Secure Boot.
1.3. How to dual-boot FreeBSD with Windows using GRUB.
1.4. How to partition disks using ZFS during installation.
1.5. How to configure wireless networking during installation.
1.6. How to install FreeBSD on a Raspberry Pi 4/5.
1.7. How to use the FreeBSD text-based installer for headless setups.
1.8. How to enable full-disk encryption with GELI during installation.
1.9. How to recover from a corrupted installation.
1.10. How to verify the integrity of the FreeBSD ISO using SHA256.
1.11. How to install FreeBSD on a virtual machine (VirtualBox/VMware).
1.12. How to configure RAID1 (mirroring) with ZFS.
1.13. How to set up a minimal FreeBSD server (no GUI).
1.14. How to customize the installer with advanced partitioning.
1.15. How to troubleshoot “No Bootable Device” errors.
1.16. How to install FreeBSD alongside Linux (e.g., Ubuntu).
1.17. How to enable SSH access during the first boot.
1.18. How to use the FreeBSD installer in non-interactive mode.
1.19. How to install FreeBSD on a USB drive for portable use.
1.20. How to configure a static IP during installation.
1.21. How to set up a BIOS vs. UEFI installation.
1.22. How to install FreeBSD on a legacy system (MBR partitioning).
1.23. How to use the FreeBSD live CD for system recovery.
1.24. How to enable TRIM support for SSDs during installation.
1.25. How to install FreeBSD on a NAS device.

2. Basic System Administration

2.1. How to add and remove user accounts via the command line.
2.2. How to grant sudo privileges to users.
2.3. How to update FreeBSD with freebsd-update fetch install.
2.4. How to schedule tasks with cron and crontab.
2.5. How to view system logs using dmesg and /var/log/messages.
2.6. How to manage services with service and /etc/rc.conf.
2.7. How to change the system hostname permanently.
2.8. How to set the timezone using tzsetup.
2.9. How to monitor CPU/RAM usage with top and htop.
2.10. How to configure static IP addresses in /etc/rc.conf.
2.11. How to reset a forgotten root password.
2.12. How to check disk space with df and du.
2.13. How to manage kernel modules with kldload and kldstat.
2.14. How to set up a swap partition/file.
2.15. How to use sysctl to tune kernel parameters.
2.16. How to shut down/reboot the system gracefully.
2.17. How to enable/disable IPv6.
2.18. How to configure NTP for time synchronization.
2.19. How to create and manage groups.
2.20. How to check hardware details with pciconf and usbconfig.
2.21. How to set file permissions with chmod and chown.
2.22. How to archive files with tar and gzip.
2.23. How to use tmux or screen for terminal multiplexing.
2.24. How to configure locale settings.
2.25. How to back up critical system files.

3. Package Management

3.1. How to install packages using pkg install.
3.2. How to update the package repository with pkg update.
3.3. How to upgrade all packages with pkg upgrade.
3.4. How to build software from the Ports Collection.
3.5. How to create a local package repository with pkg repo.
3.6. How to resolve “package conflicts” during installation.
3.7. How to uninstall packages and clean dependencies.
3.8. How to audit packages for vulnerabilities with pkg audit.
3.9. How to install GUI applications (e.g., Firefox, VLC).
3.10. How to lock packages to specific versions.
3.11. How to search for packages with pkg search.
3.12. How to reinstall a corrupted package.
3.13. How to list installed packages with pkg info.
3.14. How to enable the “latest” package repository branch.
3.15. How to use portmaster to manage ports.
3.16. How to install precompiled packages vs. compiling from source.
3.17. How to troubleshoot “missing dependencies” errors.
3.18. How to install 32-bit compatibility libraries.
3.19. How to exclude packages from updates.
3.20. How to use pkg-provides to find which package owns a file.
3.21. How to set up a poudriere build server for custom packages.
3.22. How to install development tools (GCC, CMake, etc.).
3.23. How to manage Python/Ruby/Node.js modules via pkg.
3.24. How to configure proxy settings for pkg downloads.
3.25. How to clean the package cache with pkg clean.

4. Networking

4.1. How to configure the PF firewall (basic rules).
4.2. How to set up a DHCP server with isc-dhcp44-server.
4.3. How to create a WireGuard VPN on FreeBSD.
4.4. How to enable IPv6 on a FreeBSD server.
4.5. How to configure Unbound as a local DNS resolver.
4.6. How to troubleshoot network issues with tcpdump.
4.7. How to bridge two network interfaces.
4.8. How to set up SSH key-based authentication.
4.9. How to configure VLAN tagging.
4.10. How to optimize network performance with sysctl tuning.
4.11. How to set up a static route.
4.12. How to use pfctl to manage firewall rules.
4.13. How to configure NAT (Network Address Translation).
4.14. How to monitor bandwidth usage with iftop.
4.15. How to set up a VPN server using OpenVPN.
4.16. How to block IP addresses with PF.
4.17. How to configure a network bridge for jails.
4.18. How to enable MAC address filtering.
4.19. How to set up a TFTP server.
4.20. How to use netcat for network debugging.
4.21. How to configure link aggregation (LACP).
4.22. How to set up a PPTP VPN (legacy).
4.23. How to enable QoS (Quality of Service) with PF.
4.24. How to test port connectivity with telnet or nc.
4.25. How to configure a GRE tunnel.

5. Security

5.1. How to harden the SSH server (sshd_config).
5.2. How to audit system security with Lynis.
5.3. How to set up Google Authenticator for SSH 2FA.
5.4. How to encrypt disks with GELI.
5.5. How to create a chroot jail for services.
5.6. How to scan for rootkits with rkhunter.
5.7. How to enforce password complexity policies.
5.8. How to disable root login via SSH.
5.9. How to generate self-signed SSL certificates.
5.10. How to configure Snort for intrusion detection.
5.11. How to enable automatic security updates.
5.12. How to use portsnap for secure ports updates.
5.13. How to restrict sudo access by command.
5.14. How to monitor login attempts with fail2ban.
5.15. How to enable firewall logging with PF.
5.16. How to set up a honeypot with FreeBSD.
5.17. How to audit file integrity with tripwire.
5.18. How to disable USB ports for security.
5.19. How to configure kernel secure levels.
5.20. How to encrypt home directories.
5.21. How to use auditd for system auditing.
5.22. How to restrict cron jobs to specific users.
5.23. How to configure AppArmor/SELinux equivalents.
5.24. How to enable disk encryption at rest.
5.25. How to perform a security compliance check.

6. Filesystem Management

6.1. How to format a disk with UFS.
6.2. How to create a ZFS pool.
6.3. How to resize a ZFS dataset.
6.4. How to take and restore ZFS snapshots.
6.5. How to set user/group disk quotas.
6.6. How to recover files from a corrupted UFS filesystem.
6.7. How to mount NTFS drives with ntfs-3g.
6.8. How to automate backups with rsync.
6.9. How to enable TRIM for SSDs on ZFS.
6.10. How to set up RAID-Z with ZFS.
6.11. How to check filesystem integrity with fsck.
6.12. How to mount network shares (NFS/SMB).
6.13. How to encrypt a ZFS dataset.
6.14. How to defragment a UFS filesystem.
6.15. How to use dump and restore for backups.
6.16. How to configure auto-mounting with fstab.
6.17. How to recover a deleted ZFS pool.
6.18. How to benchmark disk performance.
6.19. How to enable compression on ZFS.
6.20. How to split a ZFS mirror.
6.21. How to use gpart to manage partitions.
6.22. How to create a RAM disk.
6.23. How to export/import ZFS pools.
6.24. How to set up a USB drive as a bootable backup.
6.25. How to monitor disk health with SMART tools.

7. Kernel Configuration

7.1. How to rebuild the FreeBSD kernel from source.
7.2. How to load/unload kernel modules with kldload and kldunload.
7.3. How to enable Linux binary compatibility (Linuxulator).
7.4. How to tune kernel parameters using /etc/sysctl.conf.
7.5. How to debug kernel panics with crash dumps.
7.6. How to enable DTrace for dynamic system tracing.
7.7. How to add custom kernel options to GENERIC.
7.8. How to disable unused kernel drivers for security.
7.9. How to compile a kernel with debugging symbols.
7.10. How to monitor kernel events with ktr(4).
7.11. How to enable IPFW firewall in the kernel.
7.12. How to configure kernel-level NAT.
7.13. How to enable asynchronous I/O (AIO) support.
7.14. How to patch the kernel with custom code.
7.15. How to enable POSIX compatibility layers.
7.16. How to use kgdb for kernel debugging.
7.17. How to adjust kernel scheduler settings.
7.18. How to enable TCP offloading for network performance.
7.19. How to disable IPv4 or IPv6 in the kernel.
7.20. How to configure kernel memory limits.
7.21. How to enable filesystem ACL support.
7.22. How to audit kernel security with kldstat.
7.23. How to compile a minimal custom kernel.
7.24. How to enable hardware virtualization support (VT-x/AMD-V).
7.25. How to reset kernel settings to defaults.

8. Virtualization & Containers

8.1. How to create and manage FreeBSD jails.
8.2. How to install Docker on FreeBSD (via Linux compatibility).
8.3. How to set up a virtual machine with bhyve.
8.4. How to automate jail management with ezjail.
8.5. How to configure jails with vnet networking.
8.6. How to deploy Kubernetes on FreeBSD.
8.7. How to migrate jails between hosts.
8.8. How to limit CPU/RAM usage for jails.
8.9. How to mount filesystems inside a jail.
8.10. How to run a Linux VM using bhyve.
8.11. How to create a jail template for rapid deployment.
8.12. How to use iocage for jail management.
8.13. How to assign dedicated IP addresses to jails.
8.14. How to snapshot and clone jails.
8.15. How to run GUI applications in a jail.
8.16. How to isolate jails with capsicum.
8.17. How to configure shared storage for jails.
8.18. How to automate VM creation with vm-bhyve.
8.19. How to bridge jails to the host network.
8.20. How to run Windows in bhyve.
8.21. How to troubleshoot jail startup errors.
8.22. How to use nullfs for jail filesystem sharing.
8.23. How to secure jails with Mandatory Access Control (MAC).
8.24. How to monitor jail resource usage.
8.25. How to delete a jail and clean up resources.

9. Development & Programming

9.1. How to set up a C/C++ development environment.
9.2. How to compile programs with clang/gcc.
9.3. How to debug code with lldb or gdb.
9.4. How to install Python 3 and manage virtual environments.
9.5. How to contribute to the FreeBSD Ports Collection.
9.6. How to cross-compile software for ARM architecture.
9.7. How to profile applications with pmcstat.
9.8. How to create a FreeBSD package with pkg-create.
9.9. How to install Node.js and npm.
9.10. How to set up a LAMP/LEMP stack.
9.11. How to use Git for version control.
9.12. How to write a system daemon in C.
9.13. How to package software for pkg using poudriere.
9.14. How to integrate CI/CD pipelines with FreeBSD.
9.15. How to use dtrace for application tracing.
9.16. How to compile Linux software on FreeBSD.
9.17. How to install Ruby and Rails.
9.18. How to debug kernel modules.
9.19. How to use the ports tree to patch software.
9.20. How to write a custom rc.d startup script.
9.21. How to build and distribute a FreeBSD port.
9.22. How to use valgrind for memory leak detection.
9.23. How to set up a PHP development environment.
9.24. How to compile Go programs on FreeBSD.
9.25. How to automate builds with make and CMake.

10. Desktop & GUI

10.1. How to install the KDE Plasma desktop.
10.2. How to configure NVIDIA drivers for gaming.
10.3. How to enable sound with sndio or pulseaudio.
10.4. How to set up Wi-Fi on a FreeBSD laptop.
10.5. How to run Windows games via Steam/Proton.
10.6. How to configure a multi-monitor setup.
10.7. How to install GNOME or XFCE.
10.8. How to enable touchpad gestures.
10.9. How to use FreeBSD as a daily driver desktop.
10.10. How to configure compositing for desktop effects.
10.11. How to set up Bluetooth support.
10.12. How to install and use LibreOffice.
10.13. How to enable screen sharing via VNC/RDP.
10.14. How to troubleshoot GPU driver issues.
10.15. How to customize the Xorg configuration.
10.16. How to install and configure a display manager (e.g., SDDM).
10.17. How to use Wine for running Windows applications.
10.18. How to enable HiDPI display scaling.
10.19. How to set up printer support with CUPS.
10.20. How to automate GUI application installations.
10.21. How to configure power management for laptops.
10.22. How to use virtual desktops with tmux/byobu.
10.23. How to enable screen locking.
10.24. How to optimize FreeBSD for low-latency audio.
10.25. How to troubleshoot GUI freezes/crashes.

11. Troubleshooting & Recovery

11.1. How to boot into single-user mode for recovery.
11.2. How to repair a corrupted bootloader.
11.3. How to recover a failed ZFS pool.
11.4. How to diagnose high CPU/memory usage.
11.5. How to fix broken package dependencies.
11.6. How to analyze kernel crash dumps with kgdb.
11.7. How to reset misconfigured network settings.
11.8. How to recover files from a damaged disk.
11.9. How to restore a system from ZFS snapshots.
11.10. How to troubleshoot USB device detection.
11.11. How to fix a read-only filesystem error.
11.12. How to resolve “disk full” errors.
11.13. How to repair a corrupted package database.
11.14. How to recover from a failed kernel update.
11.15. How to debug service startup failures.
11.16. How to restore deleted system files.
11.17. How to fix “device busy” errors during unmounting.
11.18. How to troubleshoot DNS resolution issues.
11.19. How to recover a lost root filesystem.
11.20. How to reset a misconfigured firewall.
11.21. How to diagnose kernel module conflicts.
11.22. How to repair a broken /etc/rc.conf.
11.23. How to fix boot-time kernel panics.
11.24. How to recover from accidental rm -rf /.
11.25. How to use fsck_ffs to repair UFS filesystems.

12. Advanced Topics

12.1. How to build a custom FreeBSD release ISO.
12.2. How to port Linux software to FreeBSD.
12.3. How to configure a high-availability cluster with CARP.
12.4. How to automate deployments with Ansible.
12.5. How to use FreeBSD as a router with PF and NAT.
12.6. How to compile a kernel with custom patches.
12.7. How to set up a Tor relay/node.
12.8. How to create a custom FreeBSD distribution.
12.9. How to integrate FreeBSD with AWS/Azure cloud.
12.10. How to configure a transparent HTTP proxy.
12.11. How to implement diskless booting.
12.12. How to use poudriere for bulk package builds.
12.13. How to optimize ZFS for large-scale storage.
12.14. How to set up a distributed filesystem (e.g., GlusterFS).
12.15. How to use FreeBSD for penetration testing.
12.16. How to build a custom live CD with mfsBSD.
12.17. How to implement full-stack monitoring with Prometheus/Grafana.
12.18. How to configure a mail server (Postfix/Dovecot).
12.19. How to deploy a FreeBSD-based VPN gateway.
12.20. How to use bsdinstall for automated deployments.
12.21. How to create a custom kernel for embedded systems.
12.22. How to benchmark network throughput with iperf.
12.23. How to integrate FreeBSD with LDAP/Active Directory.
12.24. How to build a CI/CD pipeline for FreeBSD ports.
12.25. How to use jail.conf for declarative jail configuration.

13. Community & Resources

13.1. How to join the FreeBSD mailing lists.
13.2. How to report bugs using Bugzilla.
13.3. How to access the FreeBSD Handbook and man pages.
13.4. How to contribute to the FreeBSD documentation.
13.5. How to attend FreeBSD conferences/events.
13.6. How to participate in FreeBSD development via GitHub.
13.7. How to use the FreeBSD forums and IRC channels.
13.8. How to write and submit a FreeBSD port.
13.9. How to find FreeBSD-specific tutorials and blogs.
13.10. How to donate to the FreeBSD Foundation.
13.11. How to become a FreeBSD committer.
13.12. How to use freebsd-questions for troubleshooting.
13.13. How to access historical FreeBSD source code.
13.14. How to follow FreeBSD release cycles.
13.15. How to use svn to track FreeBSD source changes.
13.16. How to join a FreeBSD user group (FUG).
13.17. How to write a FreeBSD-themed blog post/article.
13.18. How to mentor or get mentored in FreeBSD development.
13.19. How to translate FreeBSD documentation into other languages.
13.20. How to use the FreeBSD Wiki for collaborative editing.
13.21. How to set up a FreeBSD mirror server.
13.22. How to participate in FreeBSD testing (e.g., -CURRENT).
13.23. How to find FreeBSD-related podcasts and videos.
13.24. How to contribute to FreeBSD security advisories.
13.25. How to stay updated with FreeBSD news via RSS/Atom feeds.

Total Count

Each category contains 25 topics, totaling 325 guides (13 categories × 25). Adjustments can be made to focus on specific areas or expand further. Let me know if you’d like refinements!