Run this script and you don't need a guide or tutorial, this will do it all for you, in a fraction of the time and with hardened security settings in place by default.
The master branch of this script installs and configures either WireGuard or OpenVPN (or both) on Raspbian, Debian or Ubuntu and it as been tested to run not only on Raspberry Pi but also in any Cloud Provider VPS.
We recommend using the latest Raspbian Lite image on a Raspberry Pi in your home so you can VPN into your home from a unsecure remote locations and safely use the internet.
> This will also work on a free-tier Amazon AWS server using Ubuntu or Debian. I don't want to support every scenario there but getting it to run and install successfully on a free server in the cloud was also important.
Many people have untrustworthy ISP's so running on a server elsewhere means you can connect to the VPN from home and your ISP will just see encrypted traffic as your traffic will now be leaving out the Amazon infrastructure.
It will ask which authentication method you wish the guts of your server to use. If you go for WireGuard, you don't get to choose: you will use a Curve25519 public key, which provides 128-bit security. On the other end, if you prefer OpenVPN, default settings will generate ECDSA certificates, which are based on Elliptic Curves, allowing much smaller keys while providing an equivalent security level to traditional RSA (256 bit long, equivalent to 3072 bit RSA). You can also use 384-bit and 521-bit, even though they are quite overkill.
If you decide to customize settings, you will still be able to use RSA certificates if you need backward compatibility with older gear. You can choose between a 2048-bit, 3072-bit, or 4096-bit certificate. If you're unsure or don't have a convincing reason one way or the other I'd use 2048 today (provides 112-bit security).
> For asymmetric keys, general wisdom is that 1024-bit keys are no longer sufficient to protect against well-equipped adversaries. Use of 2048-bit is a good minimum. It is wise to ensure all keys across your active PKI (including the CA root keypair) are using at least 2048-bit keys.
> Up to 4096-bit is accepted by nearly all RSA systems (including OpenVPN), but use of keys this large will dramatically increase generation time, TLS handshake delays, and CPU usage for TLS operations; the benefit beyond 2048-bit keys is small enough not to be of great use at the current time. It is often a larger benefit to consider lower validity times than more bits past 2048, but that is for you to decide.
After this, the script will go back to the command line as it builds the server's own certificate authority (OpenVPN only). The script will ask you if you'd like to change the default port, protocol, client's DNS server, etc. If you know you want to change these things, feel free, and the script will put all the information where it needs to go in the various config files.
Finally, if you are using RSA, the script will take some time to build the server's Diffie-Hellman key exchange (OpenVPN only). If you chose 2048-bit encryption, it will take about 40 minutes on a Model B+, and several hours if you choose a larger size.
The script will also make some changes to your system to allow it to forward internet traffic and allow VPN connections through the Pi's firewall. When the script informs you that it has finished configuring PiVPN, it will ask if you want to reboot. I have it where you do not need to reboot when done but it also can't hurt.
After the installation is complete you can use the command `pivpn` to manage the server. The commands below are just to get started, run `pivpn -h` to see the full list of options.
**Windows**: Use a program like WinSCP or Cyberduck. Note that you may need administrator permission to move files to some folders on your Windows machine, so if you have trouble transferring the profile to a particular folder with your chosen file transfer program, try moving it to your desktop.
**Mac/Linux**: Open the Terminal app and copy the config from the Raspberry Pi using `scp pi-user@ip-of-your-raspberry:configs/whatever.conf .` (if using WireGuard) or `scp pi-user@ip-of-your-raspberry:ovpns/whatever.ovpn .` (if using OpenVPN). The file will be downloaded in the current working directory, which usually is the home folder of your PC.
**Android/iOS** (WireGuard only): Just skip to _Connecting to the PiVPN server (WireGuard)_
**Android**: You can either retrieve it on PC and then move it to your device via USB, or you can use an app like Turbo FTP & SFTP client to retrieve it directly from your Android device.
**iOS**: You can use an app that supports SFTP like Documents by Readdle to retrieve it directly from your iOS device.
Connecting to the PiVPN server (WireGuard)
--------------------------------------------
**Windows/Mac**: Download the [WireGuard GUI app](https://www.wireguard.com/install/), import the configuration and activate the tunnel.
**Linux**: Install [WireGuard](https://www.wireguard.com/install/) following the instructions for your distribution. Now, as root user, create the /etc/wireguard folder and prevent anyone but root to enter it (you only need to do this the first time):
**Android/iOS:** Run `pivpn -qr` on the PiVPN server to generate a QR code of your config, download the Wireguard app [Android link](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wireguard.android) / [iOS link](https://apps.apple.com/it/app/wireguard/id1441195209), click the '+' sign and scan the QR code with your phone's camera. Flip the switch to activate the tunnel.
**Windows**: Download the [OpenVPN GUI](https://openvpn.net/community-downloads/), install it, and place the profile in the 'config' folder of your OpenVPN directory, i.e., in 'C:\Program Files\OpenVPN\config'. After importing, connect to the VPN server on Windows by running the OpenVPN GUI with administrator permissions, right-clicking on the icon in the system tray, and clicking 'Connect'.
**Linux**: Install OpenVPN using your package manager (APT in this example). Now, as root user, create the /etc/openvpn/client folder and prevent anyone but root to enter it (you only need to do this the first time):
**Mac**: You can use an OpenVPN client like [Tunnelblick](https://tunnelblick.net/downloads.html). Here's a [guide](https://tunnelblick.net/czUsing.html) to import the configuration.
**Android**: Install the [OpenVPN Connect app](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.openvpn.openvpn), select 'Import' from the drop-down menu in the upper right corner of the main screen, choose the directory on your device where you stored the .ovpn file, and select the file. Connect by selecting the profile under 'OpenVPN Profile' and pressing 'Connect'.
**iOS**: Install the [OpenVPN Connect app](https://apps.apple.com/it/app/openvpn-connect/id590379981). Then go to the app where you copied the .ovpn file to, select the file, find an icon or button to 'Share' or 'Open with', and choose to open with the OpenVPN app.
If at any point you wish to remove PiVPN from your Pi and revert it to a pre-installation state, such as if you want to undo a failed installation to try again or you want to remove PiVPN without installing a fresh Raspbian image, just run `pivpn uninstall`.
#### Please read carefully the [issue template](https://github.com/pivpn/pivpn/blob/master/ISSUE_TEMPLATE.md) and the [contributors' guide](https://github.com/pivpn/pivpn/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md), we will close all incomplete issue templates.
PiVPN is purely community driven, and we are interested in making this script work for as many people as possible, we welcome any feedback on your experience.
1. I began this as a rough merger of the code at [OpenVPNSetup](https://github.com/StarshipEngineer/OpenVPN-Setup) who you can donate to at [this PayPal link](https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=K99QGVL7KA6ZL)
PiVPN is not taking donations at this time but if you want to show your appreciation, then contribute or leave feedback on suggestions or improvements.
