Using Snort for traffic shaping
As mentioned earlier in the chapter, Layer 7 (deep packet inspection) traffic shaping has been removed from pfSense's built-in traffic shaper, and it is now recommended that you use a third-party solution such as Snort for such purposes. Configuring Snort can be somewhat involved, but if your traffic shaping requirements include some form of deep packet inspection, Snort can do the job quite well.
Installing and configuring Snort
The initial installation of Snort is simple. Navigate to System | Package Manager and click on the Available Packages tab. Scroll down to the entry for Snort and click on the green Install button. Then click on the Confirm button to confirm installation. Once you do, the web GUI will automatically transfer you to the Package Installer tab, which will provide information on the progress of Snort's download and installation.
Once Snort is installed, there will be a new entry on the Services menu for it. Navigate to Services | Snort to...