Debian Buster: Free VPN with ProtonVPN

[Hallvor]

What to do
In this howto, we will install a completely free VPN service. This requires installation of software from an external source.

What is VPN?
A virtual private network (VPN) extends a private network across a public network, and enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network.

ProtonVPN
There are numerous providers out there, but very few are free. ProtonVPN utilizes OpenVPN (UDP/TCP) and the IKEv2 protocol, with AES-256 encryption. The company has a strict no-logging policy for user connection data, and also prevents DNS and Web-RTC leaks from exposing users' true IP addresses. ProtonVPN also includes Tor access support and a kill switch to shut off Internet access in the event of a lost VPN connection.

Getting started
We'll need to run a few commands as root to install the protonvpn application.

Open a console and type

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$ su -

Install the necessary dependencies

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# apt install openvpn dialog python3-pip python3-setuptools

We will use pip to install the protonvpn-cli client

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# pip3 install protonvpn-cli

If you haven't done so already, you need to register at https://protonvpn.com to get your username and password. You will need them in your next step.

Initialize your client

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# protonvpn init

Type your username and password, select your plan, and choose your protocol. Everything is well explained as you go. Confirm that your information is correct, and you are ready to connect! Choose your server. They are located in the Netherlands, in the US and in Japan.

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# protonvpn c

If you just want to connect to the fastest server, type

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# protonvpn c -f

That's it. Test that your IP-address has changed, for instance by trying the following link: https://ipleak.net/

If you want to use your regular connection, just shut down your connection:

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# protonvpn d

Credits:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_private_network
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ProtonVPN

[arochester]

1) ProtonVPN limits the number of countries you can pretend to be browsing from to just three.
2) It throttles speeds
3) It only lets you run on one device.

You get a seven-day trial of the paid-for version with the free download.

[oswaldkelso]

https://protonvpn.com/pricing
I have a protonmail account and looked at their vpn but saw nothing about a 7 day limit but not tried signing up. Is it in the small print? I liked it was Swiss based so away from 14 eyes. also don't be put off by the lack of servers as proton only use servers they actually man iirc. In the end I took a paid plan and went for airvpn as they're free-software friendly and have good forums. https://airvpn.org/ they have a nice GNU/Linux gui client which will also work with other vpns (source code on github. it's a bit fat and written in c##) They also provide a custom config file for pure openvpn. So you can be light if you want/need to.

Anyway VPN is the way to go but there are many dodgy reviews out there so tread carefully.

[Hallvor]

Here is what they write about their free plan. If anyone knows of a better free deal, please let me know.

Free
$0 /mo

3 Countries
1 Device
Speed: Medium

[Debian4l1fe]

Very useful.

[sickpig]

why would anyone need a vpn? benefits?