diff --git a/scripts/vagrant/Vagrantfile b/scripts/vagrant/Vagrantfile
index f02942f9f..48f6fee11 100644
--- a/scripts/vagrant/Vagrantfile
+++ b/scripts/vagrant/Vagrantfile
@@ -38,6 +38,18 @@ Vagrant.configure(2) do |config|
   # Pick the right distro and bootstrap, default is fedora30
   distro = ( ENV['SPDK_VAGRANT_DISTRO'] || "fedora30")
   provider = (ENV['SPDK_VAGRANT_PROVIDER'] || "virtualbox")
+
+  # generic/freebsd boxes do not work properly with vagrant-proxyconf and
+  # have issues installing rsync and sshfs for syncing files. NFS is
+  # pre-installed, so use it.
+  # generic/fedora boxes on the other hand have problems running NFS
+  # service so use sshfs+rsync combo instead.
+  plugins_sync_backend = {type: :sshfs}
+  files_sync_backend = {type: "rsync", rsync__auto: false}
+  if distro.include? "freebsd"
+    plugins_sync_backend = {type: :nfs, nfs_udp: false}
+    files_sync_backend = {type: :nfs, nfs_udp: false,  mount_options: ['ro']}
+  end
   config.vm.box = checkboxtype(distro)
   config.vm.box_check_update = false
 
@@ -65,6 +77,7 @@ Vagrant.configure(2) do |config|
   #
   if Vagrant.has_plugin?("vagrant-cachier")
     config.cache.scope = :box
+    config.cache.synced_folder_opts = plugins_sync_backend
   end
 
   # use http proxy if avaiable
@@ -90,6 +103,21 @@ Vagrant.configure(2) do |config|
     end
   end
 
+  # freebsd boxes in order to have spdk sources synced from host properly
+  # will use NFS with "ro" option enabled to prevent changes on host filesystem.
+  # To make sources usable in the guest VM we need to unmount them and use
+  # local copy.
+  if distro.include?("freebsd")
+    $freebsd_spdk_repo = <<-SCRIPT
+    sudo -s
+    cp -R /home/vagrant/spdk_repo/spdk /tmp/spdk
+    umount /home/vagrant/spdk_repo/spdk && rm -rf /home/vagrant/spdk_repo/spdk
+    mv /tmp/spdk /home/vagrant/spdk_repo/spdk
+    chown -R vagrant:vagrant /home/vagrant/spdk_repo/spdk
+    SCRIPT
+    config.vm.provision "shell", inline: $freebsd_spdk_repo
+  end
+
   vmcpu=(ENV['SPDK_VAGRANT_VMCPU'] || 2)
   vmram=(ENV['SPDK_VAGRANT_VMRAM'] || 4096)
   spdk_dir=(ENV['SPDK_DIR'] || "none")
@@ -191,13 +219,13 @@ Vagrant.configure(2) do |config|
 
   # rsync the spdk directory if provision hasn't happened yet
   # Warning: rsync does not work with freebsd boxes, so this step is disabled
-  if ENV['COPY_SPDK_DIR'] == "1" && spdk_dir != "none" && !distro.include?("freebsd")
-    config.vm.synced_folder "#{spdk_dir}", "/home/vagrant/spdk_repo/spdk", owner: "vagrant", group: "vagrant", type: "rsync", rsync__auto: false
+  if ENV['COPY_SPDK_DIR'] == "1" && spdk_dir != "none"
+    config.vm.synced_folder "#{spdk_dir}", "/home/vagrant/spdk_repo/spdk", files_sync_backend
   end
 
   # rsync artifacts from build
   if ENV['COPY_SPDK_ARTIFACTS'] == "1"
-    config.vm.synced_folder "#{vagrantfile_dir}", "/home/vagrant/spdk_repo/output", type: "sshfs"
+    config.vm.synced_folder "#{vagrantfile_dir}/output", "/home/vagrant/spdk_repo/output", plugins_sync_backend
   end
 
   # provision the vm with all of the necessary spdk dependencies for running the autorun.sh tests
@@ -211,6 +239,6 @@ Vagrant.configure(2) do |config|
 
   # Copy in the user's tools if they exists
   if File.directory?(File.expand_path("~/vagrant_tools"))
-    config.vm.synced_folder "~/vagrant_tools", "/home/vagrant/tools", type: "rsync", rsync__auto: false
+    config.vm.synced_folder "~/vagrant_tools", "/home/vagrant/tools", files_sync_backend
   end
 end