A VPN server is a versatile tool that in many cases is indispensable in today’s world. You can increase your privacy and protect your data, while the “side effect” of being able to access the Internet from another region opens up a lot of useful applications, such as accessing resources that are blocked in your country or conducting market research of the region specific. from your VPN server.
There are several ways to access a VPN server. First of all, you definitely know that there are many free and paid services that you can access by searching on Google and that you definitely have already found in case you felt the need for a VPN service before.
However, there is another way around this: you can actually create and configure your VPN server yourself using Linux VPS hosting. It is important to note right away that this approach is not universal and has certain limitations, you will need to go to a VPN service provider to achieve some specific goal or to make your life easier, but the ability to build and configure your own VPN it will be useful anyway.
Advantages of creating your own VPN server
Before diving into any topic, it’s important to find out why. When it comes to a do-it-yourself VPN, we avoid a lot of pitfalls that can otherwise be present on a commercial VPS. So, let’s take a look at the advantages it offers.
cost efficiency
It is clear that by doing things yourself you save money by not paying for the service in question. On the other hand, many common VPN service providers offer inflexible plans, where you will have to pay a lot unless you take an annual or even biennial plan. VPN hosting plans are usually much more comfortable from this point of view, and even the cheapest VPS will suffice. You can cancel the service at any time and renew it when you need it again, without being tied to a rigid annual plan.
more transparency
There are dozens if not hundreds of VPN service providers you can find on the web, and the choice between them can be daunting, though the cost can vary. You won’t know exactly until you try them if their quality will be enough for you. On the other hand, you will not know exactly if this or that provider monitors your data or sells it to third parties.
With your own VPN server, you will know exactly what is happening with your data since the server is yours, while the performance will depend solely on the VPS you rent. Meaning, there are far fewer variables that can determine the quality of the service, so it’s almost completely transparent to you.
Of course, with a little research, you can find a good and reliable VPN provider that offers convenient services for you and at a reasonable price, but won’t this research require more than just doing things on your own?
you have a VPS
Another benefit of using a VPS for a VPN is that you actually have a VPS. And you can use this VPS for other purposes than just VPN. If you are a regular user, you can use it as storage and remote access to your files and applications. You can use it as a game server if you participate and play. And if you’re a site owner, you probably know what to do with it. In this case, a VPN can play second fiddle to your website, and using your VPS for a VPN will also be a wise use of resources.
However, there are a couple of drawbacks to a self-made VPN server.
- You are limited by region. If switching between different countries to access content available in different regions is what you need for a VPN, then unfortunately creating a VPN with your own VPS is not for you. A VPS is located in a specific region, so your choice of VPN locations will be limited by it. If you need VPN for privacy reasons or you don’t need more than one location, creating your own VPN server is a very practical solution.
- You will have to dedicate time to it. While it can take minutes to get up and running with a service out of the box, your own VPN will require you to study the subject and carefully follow the instructions. However, the process itself is not really difficult from a technical point of view, while giving you some valuable experience and a couple of insights.
- You will have to fix things yourself. In a commercial VPN service, everything is already set up while technical issues are resolved even without your involvement. In the worst case, you will have to go to the technical support team of your service provider. Instead, if something happens on a VPN server created by you, you’ll have to figure things out on your own, as there won’t be any tech or support commands. However, if the problem is with your server, your hosting provider’s support team will be here to help you.
Building a VPN server on your Linux VPS
Now, let’s take a look at how to actually install and configure your VPN service on your Linux VPS using Ubuntu.
- Check if the TUN/TAP adapter is enabled. It is the parameter that allows you to configure a VPN connection. You will most likely find it in your control panel. Alternatively, you can this command:
cat /dev/net/tun
If TUN/TAP is enabled, you will see the following message:cat: /dev/net/tun: Bad file descriptor.
- Install OpenVPN. OpenVPN is an open source VPN technology that is widely used by businesses and individuals to create virtual private networks. The first step to installing OpenVPN is to install the OpenVPN access server package.
First, login to your VPS via SSH as the root user. Now, use the following commands:
apt update && apt -y install ca-certificates wget net-tools gnupg
wget -qO – https://as-repository.openvpn.net/as-repo-public.gpg | apt-key add –
echo “deb http://as-repository.openvpn.net/as/debian focal main”>/etc/apt/sources.list.d/openvpn-as-repo.list
apt update && apt -y install openvpn-as
After installation, you will get the admin UI address and the client UI address, as well as the UI login information you will need for further configuration.
- Go to the admin UI with the credentials you just saw. Now go to User Management -> User Permissions and create a new user.
- After creating a new user, the OpenVPN connection profile file required to connect to the VPN server can be downloaded by logging into the OpenVPN access server client user interface using the credentials of the newly created user. Please note that OpenVPN is cross-platform and you will be able to connect multiple devices using its connection profile file. However, the free version includes up to two devices and for the larger number, you will have to pay extra.
Conclusion
A VPN is a versatile tool that is becoming more and more useful in the modern world. However, you may not know that apart from the common option of buying a ready VPN solution from a provider on the market, you can create a VPN server on your own using a VPS server, which has a lot of advantages including being cheap and transparent, although it requires you to perform a lot of operations. We hope this article is whatever it is, thanks for watching! Take care!
Read more Author: Prakhar Shivhare I am a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) graduate of Hansraj College (University of Delhi) with demonstrated knowledge and skills in domains of writing, health, fitness, internet and research.
Categories: How to
Source: vtt.edu.vn