uploaded installing my own VPN on my server was much easier than I th…

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alifeee · Dec 13, 2024 · 372f4c6 · 372f4c6
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+---
+title: installing my own VPN on my server was much easier than I thought
+date: 2024-12-13
+tags:
+- vpn
+- server
+- open-access
+---
+I've thought about installing a VPN on my server for a few months. It wouldn't allow the perhaps-more-common VPN use of getting past region-locked content (as I can't change the region of my server), but as an academic exercise, and for other reasons, I gave it a try installing a VPN on my server.
+
+It was super easy! All I ran was:
+
+```bash
+wget https://git.io/vpn -O openvpn-install.sh
+sudo bash openvpn-install.sh
+```
+
+I accepted all the default settings (IP / UDP / port / DNS servers) apart from username (alifeee), allowed the port through my firewall (which uses Uncomplicated FireWall (`ufw`)) with `sudo ufw allow 1194` (the default port), and a file `alifeee.ovpn` was created. That file was pretty simple, and basically just a few keys, and looked a bit like this:
+
+```ovpn
+client
+dev tun
+proto udp
+remote xxx.xx.xxx.xxx 1194
+resolv-retry infinite
+nobind
+persist-key
+persist-tun
+remote-cert-tls server
+auth SHA512
+ignore-unknown-option block-outside-dns
+verb 3
+<ca>
+-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
+awiohi3hrt7832h8whefiuhy372wjofeijhiu324htwefpjh32ihefjvhguiy238
+28y3tfhunh3278yhiugj3y2iuejgvi32t7uojqwevg7t2ui3egv7i3tu2wegvuit
+...
+...
+3289qewfu8it3j28geu428uhewgimnio23uewgnvdiuw482hj3iegdv98b7suywh
+3qw8fu3it2niop9wq8fuvegjny32klqoewiu8bhgjnq3==
+-----END CERTIFICATE-----
+</ca>
+<cert>
+-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
+awiohi3hrt7832h8whefiuhy372wjofeijhiu324htwefpjh32ihefjvhguiy238
+28y3tfhunh3278yhiugj3y2iuejgvi32t7uojqwevg7t2ui3egv7i3tu2wegvuit
+...
+...
+3289qewfu8it3j28geu428uhewgimnio23uewgnvdiuw482hj3iegdv98b7suywh
+3qw8fu3it2niop9wq8fuvegjny32klqoewiu8bhgjnq3==
+-----END CERTIFICATE-----
+</cert>
+<key>
+-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----
+awiohi3hrt7832h8whefiuhy372wjofeijhiu324htwefpjh32ihefjvhguiy238
+28y3tfhunh3278yhiugj3y2iuejgvi32t7uojqwevg7t2ui3egv7i3tu2wegvuit
+...
+...
+3289qewfu8it3j28geu428uhewgimnio23uewgnvdiuw482hj3iegdv98b7suywh
+3qw8fu3it2niop9wq8fuvegjny32klqoewiu8bhgjnq3==
+-----END PRIVATE KEY-----
+</key>
+<tls-crypt>
+-----BEGIN OpenVPN Static key V1-----
+8rq328r8ij3fwy73uiwtoeg8u3hiweg3
+38efuiot328yguwhgjovi8u32qwaghhj
+...
+...
+ot3iu7wsaopkijguwthji3qwokijnegh
+tiu3eyvjieg93nwjsgkobjhunt3etuhf
+-----END OpenVPN Static key V1-----
+</tls-crypt>
+```
+
+This file was small enough that I was able to copy it in only two screens through ConnectBot on my phone. To install it, I:
+
+- opened the VPN settings on Linux, where I could import a `.ovpn` file by default
+- installed the OpenVPN app on Android which let me import the file
+- I haven't installed it on Windows but I'm presuming it's as easy as installing some OpenVPN app
+
+Since I've installed it, it's actually been pretty useful. I've used it:
+
+- on trains or in cafés to hide my traffic (I think)
+- to download PlatformIO libraries as my ISP blocked the library hosting website inexplicably
+- to access <https://sci-hub.se/>, which my ISP also blocks (this post brought to you by: my ISP being super annoying)
+
+So, if you want to get round blocks, hide your traffic, or other VPN shenanigans, you could create a VPS (Virtual Private Server) and install OpenVPN to it pretty easily. Perhaps you could even get around region locks if you picked a server location in a region you wanted.