A VPN server is a versatile tool that is indispensable in many cases in today’s world. It can improve your privacy and protect your data while the “side effect” of being able to access the internet from a different region opens up a bunch of useful applications like accessing resources blocked in your country or conduct market research of a particular region of your VPN server.
There are several ways to access a VPN server. First of all, you have to know that there are many free and paid services that you can access by googling and you must find these in case you previously felt the need for a VPN service.
However, there is another way around this – in fact, you can build and configure your own VPN server using Linux VPS hosting. It is important to note right away that this method is not universal and has certain limitations, you will have to contact your VPN service provider to achieve some specific goals or help your life. easier, but your own VPN building and configuring skills will be helpful in any case.
Advantages of creating your own VPN server
Before diving into any topic, it’s important to understand why. When we handle our own VPN, we avoid a lot of the pitfalls that can appear on a commercial VPS. So let’s consider the benefits it brings.
Profitability
It is clear that by doing everything yourself you save money as you do not have to pay for the service in question. On the other hand, many popular VPN service providers offer slightly less flexible plans where you’ll end up paying a lot unless you’re on an annual or even two-year plan. In this view, VPN hosting plans are often much more practical, and even the cheapest VPS will be more than enough. You can cancel the service at any time and renew it as needed without being tied to a rigid annual plan.
More transparency
There are dozens, if not hundreds, of VPN service providers that you can find on the web, and choosing between them can be daunting and prices can vary. Until you try, you won’t know exactly if their quality is enough for you. Otherwise, you won’t know exactly whether one or the other is tracking your data or selling it to third parties.
With your own VPN server, you will know exactly what is going on with your data because the server is yours, while the performance will depend solely on the VPS you rent. That is, there are very few variables that can determine the quality of the service, so it is almost completely transparent to you.
Of course, with a little research, you can find a good and reliable VPN provider that offers you convenient services at a reasonable price, but this research requires more than that. just get the job done?
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 purposes other than VPN. If you are a regular user, you can use it as storage and for remote access to your files and applications. You can use it as a game server if you like to play games. And if you own the website, you probably know what to do with it. In this case, the VPN can play a secondary role to your website, and using your VPS for the VPN would be a fair use of resources.
However, there are some downsides to DIY VPN servers.
- You are limited by region. If switching between different countries to access content available in different regions is what you need a VPN for, unfortunately creating a VPN with your own VPS isn’t for you. The VPS is located in a specific region, so your choice of VPN location will be limited by that. If you need a VPN for security or don’t need more than one location, creating your own VPN server is a very practical solution.
- You will have to spend time on it. While it may take you a few minutes to start using an available service, your own VPN will require you to research the topic and follow the instructions carefully. However, the process itself is not really that difficult from a technical point of view and it gives you valuable experience and some insight.
- You will have to fix everything yourself. On a commercial VPN service, everything is already configured while technical issues are resolved without your involvement. In the worst case scenario, you need to contact your carrier’s technical support team. Instead, if something happens to the VPN server you’ve created, you’ll have to deal with it yourself as there won’t be any help or tech support. However, if the problem is related to your server, your hosting provider’s support team will be there to help you.
Build a VPN server on your Linux VPS
Now let’s see how to actually install and configure your VPN service on a Linux VPS using Ubuntu.
- Make sure the TUN/TAP adapter is enabled. It is a parameter that allows the establishment of a VPN connection. You will most likely find it in your dashboard. Alternatively, you can execute this command:
cat /dev/net/tun
If TUN/TAP is enabled, you will see the following message:cat: /dev/net/tun: File descriptor is in bad condition.
- Install OpenVPN. OpenVPN is an open source VPN technology 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 certificate wget net-tools gnupg
wget -qO – https://as-repository.openvpn.net/as-repo-public.gpg | add apt key –
echo “deb http://as-repository.openvpn.net/as/debian main focus”>/etc/apt/sources.list.d/openvpn-as-repo.list
apt update && apt -y install openvpn-as
Once installed, you will receive the admin UI address and the front end address as well as the front end credentials that you will need for further configuration.
- Go to the admin UI using the login you just saw. Now go to User Management -> User Permissions and create a new user.
- After creating a new user, the OpenVPN connection configuration file needed to connect to the VPN server can be downloaded by logging into the OpenVPN access server UI with the new user’s credentials created. Note that OpenVPN is cross-platform and you will be able to connect multiple devices using your connection profile file. However, the free version covers up to two devices, and you’ll have to pay extra for more.
Conclusion
A VPN is a versatile tool that is becoming more and more useful in the modern world. However, what you may not know is that aside from the usual option of purchasing a ready-made VPN solution from a single provider in the market, you can create your own VPN server using a VPS server, which has a lot of advantages. including cheap. and transparent, even though it requires you to do a lot of work. We hope that this article is all about, thank you for your interest! Take care!
Categories: How to
Source: tiengtrunghaato.edu.vn