hostapd – Wireless Access Point Daemon

hostapd is a user-space daemon for wireless access point and authentication servers. It implements IEEE 802.11 access point management, IEEE 802.1X/WPA/WPA2/WPA3 authenticator, and RADIUS authentication server functionality. System administrators use hostapd to transform a Linux machine with a compatible wireless card into a full-featured WiFi access point.

Key Features

• Access Point Mode – Create software-based WiFi access points
• WPA3 Support – Latest security standards including SAE
• 802.1X Authentication – Enterprise-grade RADIUS authentication
• Multiple BSSIDs – Host multiple virtual access points
• Band Steering – Direct clients to optimal frequency bands
• VLAN Support – Dynamic VLAN assignment per client

Installation

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install hostapd

# RHEL/CentOS/Fedora
sudo dnf install hostapd

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S hostapd

Basic Configuration

# /etc/hostapd/hostapd.conf
interface=wlan0
driver=nl80211
ssid=MyAccessPoint
hw_mode=g
channel=7
wmm_enabled=0
macaddr_acl=0
auth_algs=1
ignore_broadcast_ssid=0
wpa=2
wpa_passphrase=YourSecurePassword
wpa_key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
rsn_pairwise=CCMP

# Start hostapd
sudo hostapd /etc/hostapd/hostapd.conf

# Run in background
sudo hostapd -B /etc/hostapd/hostapd.conf

Use Cases

hostapd is perfect for creating Linux-based routers, captive portals, temporary hotspots, network bridges, enterprise WiFi with RADIUS, and testing wireless security configurations.

Download hostapd