Quick Start Guide

Quick Start Guide

Get Apotropaios running in 5 minutes.

Prerequisites

• Linux system (Ubuntu, Kali, Debian 12, Rocky 9, AlmaLinux 9, or Arch)
• Bash 4.0+
• Root access (for firewall operations)

Install

Option 1: Clone and run directly

git clone https://github.com/Sandler73/Apotropaios-Firewall-Manager.git
cd Apotropaios-Firewall-Manager
chmod +x apotropaios.sh

Option 2: System-wide install

sudo make install

Option 3: Virtual environment (no system install)

# Download the venv package from the latest release
tar -xzf apotropaios-1.1.10-venv.tar.gz
cd apotropaios-1.1.10-venv
source activate.sh
# apotropaios is now on PATH — deactivate with: apotropaios_deactivate

First Run

# See what's on your system
sudo ./apotropaios.sh detect

# Launch the interactive menu
sudo ./apotropaios.sh --interactive

Create Your First Rule

Interactive (recommended for first use):

sudo ./apotropaios.sh
# Select: 2. Rule Management
# Select: 1. Create new rule
# Follow the guided wizard

CLI (for scripting):

# Allow HTTPS inbound via iptables
sudo ./apotropaios.sh --backend iptables add-rule \
    --direction inbound \
    --protocol tcp \
    --dst-port 443 \
    --action accept \
    --description "Allow HTTPS"

Check Your Rules

# Rules created by Apotropaios
sudo ./apotropaios.sh list-rules

# All system firewall rules
sudo ./apotropaios.sh system-rules

Create a Backup

sudo ./apotropaios.sh backup my-baseline

Block Everything (Emergency)

sudo ./apotropaios.sh block-all

A restore point is automatically created first. To undo:

sudo ./apotropaios.sh allow-all

Next Steps

• Read the full Usage Guide
• Explore Operational Scenarios for real-world examples
• Review Configuration References for tuning options