Best VPN For Linux | Ultimate Review + Setup Guide
Overview
Linux, one of the most popular open-source operating systems in the world is popularly known for its security. Many people might not be aware of this, but Linux is the base of most operating systems that are used worldwide.
It is open-source OS and the code that is used to create the operating system is available for the public and they can modify it if needed. The community allows everyone to contribute to the operating system and this is the reason why it is getting stronger as the time is passing.
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Though it provides strong security it is not an exception to the malicious attacks. So it is a better idea to secure it using a VPN.
A VPN or Virtual Private Network is used to create a private connection to access the internet. A VPN is used to hide online identity and increase a layer of privacy. It uses different servers to access the internet and hence protects the device and user from the eyes of hackers and digital thieves.
Why Do You Need a VPN for Linux?
First of all, let’s understand who are the people who generally need a VPN.
Digital Nomads: They have to use a lot of networks as they go from place to place to get their work done and search for new clients. This puts them under risk. There is a lot of sensitive information that can be compromised and hence these people should use a VPN to protect them from this.
People Who Mostly Work From Home/Freelancers: People might work from any other place or they can be using a co-working space. This again puts the system under risk. It is important that they use a VPN to save themselves from being watched.
People Who Use Public Wi-Fi: There are many enterprises and coffee shops that provide free Wi-Fi services to people. They are helpful but not secure, it is important that all the people who are concerned about their privacy use a VPN while using a public Wi-Fi.
Linux is considered as one of the best and most secure operating systems. It has features that maintain the privacy of its users. Still, It is important to understand that no matter how secure your operating system is, the internet security and privacy depends on the network you are connected to. Linux users also need a VPN to stay safe while they access the internet.
There is one more reason, even if you are on a trusted network, there are some websites that are under Geo-restrictions, that means they cannot be accessed outside or inside a specific region. VPNs can remove Geo-restrictions.
No matter how trusted your network is or how great the speed it provides, there are many reasons that are enough to convince you to use VPN.
Even at this time when you are reading this article, your ISP or even your government is watching your online activity. So it is very important to use something like a VPN to maintain privacy.
Benefits Of Using Best VPN For Linux
Installing Virtual Private Network aka VPN not only helps you to access restricted content but keep you protected from various threats to which you are exposed to. Take a look at the other benefits it offers.
1.Protects Private Data Over Non-Trusted Networks
This is the reason why most people use VPNs. It gives extra protection while they connect to public networks. There is no way to know if the hotspot or Wi-Fi that you connect to, is trustable or not.
Using a VPN you can remove all the risks and protects yourself from online privacy beaches. VPN provides you with access to all such content by changing your location.
2.Can Hide IP Address For Better Privacy
By using a VPN the users can hide their IP address. With the help of an IP address, government agencies, hackers and digital thieves can track the online activity of a person. These people can even know your private information such as google search history.
3.Removes Geofilters
Some applications and websites are not available to be accessed outside a specific region. This limits you from watching or using everything available on the internet.
VPNs can remove these Geo filters and provide access to all the content that is available on the internet. This is one of the major benefits of using the best VPN for Linux.
4.Can By-pass Banned Websites
There are some websites that are banned by your governments or your ISP. All of us know that China and some other countries have banned Facebook. But still, there are people on these social media websites from those regions.
That is only possible because of the VPN. VPN allows the users irrespective of what operating system they use, to access any website they want. VPNs can bypass censorship and allow access.
5.Cheapest Ticket Bookings
This is something that might not be known to everyone but the price of flight tickets vary with change in the region of IP address. Travel websites and agents always keep changing fares online.
VPN uses servers situated in different countries and that is why it shifts the device location to that point too. This way the users can get tickets for much less amount.
Above benefits are common for most operating systems. Linux users also have the same benefits as well as the threats as others.
5 Best VPN For Linux
As VPNs are very important for the Linux, it becomes very important to choose the best VPN for Linux.
Choosing a wrong VPN can put your personal information and private data at stake. So it is very essential to wisely choose your VPN.
1. NordVPN
This is a VPN service that has a command-line application for Linux. It is a bit complex to set this and start using it. The users get many benefits like adblocker, anti-malware, automated kill switch and much more.
They also have tutorials to teach their users how to set up VPN on Linux using OpenVPN, IKEv2 and PPTP protocols. 6 Linux devices can use the benefits of this VPN service simultaneously.
It provides great security and privacy measures to the users. It removes Geo-filters and unblocks most big streaming platforms.
It has 5600 servers in more than 58 countries so it provides a fast connection. So this is the best VPN for Linux and you can opt for it great features it offers.
2. ExpressVPN
This VPN for linux is probably the best and most used in the market as of now. They started providing their services to Linux users in the year 2016. Linux users can run this VPN using the command-line interface.
The list of servers is regularly updated and the users can easily switch between UDP and TCP servers while using OpenVPN. This VPN is a bit expensive than other providers but it provides better performance and security constraints. This VPN works with Ubuntu, Debian, Kali etc.
It gives good security and privacy constraints for its users. Since it has over 3000 servers across 94 countries it gives very high downloading speed. 24/7 chat support is available so you can easily solve if any issues arise.
It is pricey when compared to the other VPN service providers.
3. Surfshark
Surfshark has a command-line Linux application. This is specially designed for Ubuntu and Debian. There are enough servers from which the users can select and enjoy seamless services.
Torrenting is also allowed with this VPN service provider and the speed is also good. There is no limit on the number of users who can use a Surfshark account simultaneously but more users will affect the speed.
It can easily unblock most of the streaming platforms. Since it has a small network the connection speed can vary sometimes. Other than this issue it is the best VPN for Linux
4. PureVPN
This VPN service provider has more than 2000 servers in over 140 countries. That makes sure that no users have to stay without a working server.
It works well with most Linux products like Fedora, Debian, Ubuntu etc. It has a command-line application for Linux. This server is not the best in terms of speed but there are no issues as well.
This VPN has the ability to unblock any web streaming services easily. It allows streaming torrenting and removes Geo-filter. It gives you good security using 256-bit encryption and enhances your privacy using the internet kill switch.
5. IPVanish
Even though it is new, this VPN service provider is trusted more than some of its rivals. It provides very useful features like IP cycling that adds up a layer to the security.
It also has an automatic kill button and DNS lead protection. There is no dedicated Linux UI for this one and that is why it is a bit hard to set up. But for the amazing features it offers you can opt for this best VPN for Linux.
It has many servers in over 60 countries so users don’t have to worry about the connection speeds. Advanced security options and IP cycling enhances your security. The only demerit is that it lacks a good customer support service.
Linux VPN Setup Guides
Until now we know that even after being an operating system that respects the privacy of its users, Linux still needs VPN.
Linux will not send any information about what the user does on it to its parent company but it cannot save them from online privacy breaches. This is something only VPNs can do.
How To Set Up A VPN With Linux using OpenVPN
Users can connect to an OpenVPN using the shell. To make it easy below is a step-wise guide:
- 1Open the Terminal by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T on the keyboard.
- 2Enter “sudo apt- get install openvpn”, this will open the Open VPN client. The user will need to enter a password for their Linux account if it is password protected.
- 3Enter command “cd/etc/ openvpn”, it will help to navigate through Open VPN direction categories.
- 4Enter “sudo wget https:// downloads. nordcdn.com/ configs/ archives/servers/ ovpn. zip”. It is used to open the configuration files of the VPN.
- 5To unzip the package and install it, enter “ sudo apt- get install unzip”.
- 6By using the command “sudo unzip. ovpn. zip, this is to type in ovpn.zip.
- 7Use “sudo.rm. ovpn. zip”. This will remove all the files that will not be used.
- 8After removing all the unused files, use the most appropriate TCP/UPD command.
- 9Now, to get the list of all the available servers, enter the command “ls-al”.
- 10After getting all the available servers, choose and connect to a server.
- 11After connecting to a server, enter “sudo- openvpn”, this will start Open VPN.
- 12Enter the credentials to Open the VPN account.
- 13After logging in, your Linux operated device will be connected to the VPN.
- 14To disconnect the VPN any time press “ctrl + C”.
By following the above steps anyone will be able to set up a Best VPN for linux system using OpenVPN.
How To Set Up A VPN With Linux using IKEv2/ IP Sec?
We saw how to set up a best VPN for linux using OpenVPN. Now, in this section, there are steps that will help users to set up a VPN using IKEv2/IP Sec:
- 1To make sure that the device has all the dependencies run the command “sudo apt- get update && apt- get upgrade”.
- 2Enter “sudo-apt- get install- strongswan libcharon-extraplugins libcharon-standard-plugins” to get both Swanstrong and Libcharon packages.
- 3Use the login credentials of the NordVPN account and edit the ipsec.secrets file by entering the command, “sudo nano/ etc/ ipsec.secrets”
- 4Enter the login credentials of the NordVPN account and make sure to put it inside double commas. Make sure to insert spaces after these places.
- 5To get the editor of text according to your preference, type “sudo nano/ etc/ ipsec.conf”.
- 6Enter the hostname of the server that you prefer and after that enter the login credentials of your NordVPN account.
- 7To get the best possible server for IKEv2 setup, use the recommended server utility.
- 8Type “sudo-apt- get install- strongswan libcharon-extraplugins libcharon-standard-plugins” and enter the Strongswan Charon constraints file. After that, change the load in the file from load=yes to load=no.
- 9After changing the load, download the Nord VPN RSA certificate.
- 10Reload all the configuration files by restarting the ipsec.
- 11Connect to the system by entering “sudo ipsec nordVPN”. There will be an output confirming that connection with Nord VPN is successful and is launched.
- 12To disconnect, type “sudo ipsec”.
- 13To complete the process and get the logs, enter the command “sudo cat/ var/ log/ syslog”.
By following the guide you can easily setup a the best VPN for linux using IKEv2 IP Sec.
Linux VPN FAQ's
1. Is it Difficult to Install a VPN on Linux?
It might feel a bit difficult for the people who have not used Linux. The people who continuously use Linux will not find it hard. It is very easy to install a VPN using OpenVPN.
There are also installation guides of command-line interface applications. Tutorials are available for all types of VPN installations, hence it is not too hard.
2. What is OpenVPN for Linux?
It can be best described as open-source VPNs for Linux. There are some VPN service providers that can offer users custom OpenVPN packages that can be installed on their Linux machines.
3. How to make a VPN kill switch in Linux?
A user needs a VPN kill switch because there are many moments when the VPN drops. The servers are not connected to the internet and the data is still being sent and received. Most of the VPN applications provide the feature of an inbuilt kill switch but if there is no such option it can also be created easily.
Users can make a VPN kill switch by using easy rules of firewalls. For it, in the starting, the user has to create a startvpn.sh script. It allows traffic over the VPN network interface only. When the VPN drops the data will not be able to pass and the internet connection will be lost.
After the VPN session ends, the users can use a script called stopvpn.sh to kill the openvpn. This will remove the firewall rules as well.
4.Which Linux distro is best for privacy? ?
It is hard to say that anyone is best, there are so many distros and all of them have their own speciality. It depends on the users and the one that can fulfil their requirements is best for them. Some of the best distros for Linux are: Trails, Qubes OS, Whonix, Parrot Security OS, etc
Conclusion
VPNs are also important for the most secure operating system in the world, i.e, Linux. It is quite evident that the need for VPN is increasing as more and more industries and governments are getting into the digital arena.
Your privacy is at stake and there are restrictions that limit you from exploring. There are companies and hackers who might misuse your information. To stay safe and use the internet to it’s fullest without any risk, it is important that VPN for linux are used.
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We are a group of Technical experts who are very much concerned about Online Privacy. Every review that we write is the result of multiple testing on various devices. We verify the locations and the server that provides the IP and check whether it is safe to work with or not.
