How to set up VPN server on Raspberry Pi [Complete Guide]

Raspberry Pi devices can be used for a lot of purposes, but one of the most popular ones is hosting private VPN servers.
Although it's not exactly easy to configure a VPN server on your RPi device, it's not rocket science, either.
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Raspberry Pi is a marvel of technological advancement, as it proves that strength isn’t all about size. The Raspberry Pi is actually a single-board computer.

Much like your phone, it can fit in your pocket (although it might look a bit bulgy) and, if you have the peripherals, can help you interface with it anywhere.

However, thanks to its size-based convenience, many choose to use these devices for very specific roles.

Some turn them into vintage arcades using emulators, while others use them as email servers, tiny media centers, or even VPN servers.

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How to set up a VPN with Raspberry Pi?

Raspberry Pi (we used an RPi 2 model B)
A microSD card (for storage purposes)
An operating system (we used Rasperry Pi OS, formerly Raspbian)
Ethernet cable (using Wi-Fi is a bit more complicated)
USB cable (to power up the RPi)
A power source (we plugged our RPi into our router)
Peripherals (keyboard + mouse)
An HDMI cable
Display (monitor, TV)
An SSH client (we used Solar Putty)

Note that you won’t need all of these components to install the VPN on the Raspberry Pi. If you connect the device to a working Internet source, you can access it via SSH.

However, note that this method can have some drawbacks, as it involves having to reconnect to the RPi once you change network settings. We’ll get to that in just a bit.

Assuming that you have all the required components ready, let’s proceed with setting up the VPN on your RPi.

Plug the Ethernet cable into your router and Raspberry Pi Ethernet cable Raspberry Pi

Connect your RPi to a power source (we used our router) Power source Raspberry Pi

Install an SSH client on your computer

Access your router’s gateway in your browser

Locate and save the RPi’s local IP address

Run the SSH client on your PC

Create a new SSH session within the client

Type the IP address you noted down earlier (or use raspberry/raspberry.local as the address)

Use pi as username and raspberry as password

Launch the session

Before you proceed, you must understand that Raspberry Pi OS is more sensitive to change than, for instance, Windows.

Therefore, it won’t offer to fix any compatibility issues automatically.

Instead, you have to make sure that the environment is fit before installing anything, including VPN software on your Raspberry Pi.

Fortunately, doing so isn’t difficult with proper guidance.

Follow these steps:

With the session active, type sudo apt-get update in the SSH terminal Update SSH Raspberry Pi

Wait for the update process to finish

Type sudo apt-get upgrade in the same terminal as before Upgrade SSH Raspberry Pi

If prompted, type Y for confirmation and hit Enter on your keyboard

Wait for the upgrade process to complete

Performing these two operations is of utmost importance, as running a VPN server implies a certain degree of security.

Keeping everything up-to-date on your Raspberry Pi device is a surefire method to avoid compatibility issues and exploitable vulnerabilities.

Note that these procedures can take quite a while, especially the upgrading part one. So, in the meantime…

Having a static IP address is quite important in this case. It will allow you to access your personal Raspberry Pi VPN server from virtually anywhere in the world without worrying that its IP will change at some point.

If you already have a static IP address, you should be fine.

Some ISPs offer this type of service by default, although many prefer the dynamic approach to solve (or better yet delay) the IP address pool exhaustion.

However, if you have a dynamic (that changes periodically) IP address, you can use DHCP or a free dynamic DNS service.

The DHCP method is a bit more complicated and depends on several factors such as router and ISP.

Thus, we suggest you pick a dynamic DNS service, but not before checking if your router has DDNS (dynamic DNS) support.

Launch the SSH session once more

In the terminal, type pivpn add

Type a name for your client

Define how many days until the certificate expires

Type and confirm the password

After performing all the steps above, your VPN profile should be automatically created and you should now be able to use it without any issues.

Note that the profiles are saved on the RPi’s storage unit, so you’ll have to fetch them from there (you can use remote VNC or a card reader).

Note that you’ll also need to forward the port you used earlier. In our case, it was port 1194, so we forwarded this one.

Conclusion

All things considered, it seems that the RPi is indeed a multi-talent tool that can also be used as your private, personal VPN server.

You can also connect to the VPN server with your phone. However, note that for every new client that connects to your server, you need to create a new VPN profile.

For better security, make sure that each profile has a different, strong password.

Your connection is not secure - websites you visit can find out your details:

Your IP Address:

Companies can sell this information, alongside your location and internet provider name, and profit from it by serving targeted ads or monitoring your data usage.

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