Question 1

Which VPN has the best Linux support?

Accepted Answer

NordVPN offers the best overall Linux support with native GUI apps for Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 11+, Fedora 36+, and Linux Mint 20+. It includes both a full-featured GUI application and comprehensive CLI tools. The app supports all major features including kill switch, auto-connect, split tunneling, and server selection. ExpressVPN has the most advanced CLI with detailed documentation and supports Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, and Arch Linux. For users who prefer configuration files, all three top VPNs (NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark) provide OpenVPN and WireGuard configs that work on any Linux distribution.

Question 2

Can I use a VPN on Linux without installing an app?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can use VPNs on Linux without installing their native apps in several ways: 1) OpenVPN configuration files work with the built-in openvpn package on any distro, 2) WireGuard configs work with the wireguard package (built into kernel 5.6+), 3) Network Manager can import VPN configs directly through the GUI. All major VPNs provide downloadable .ovpn config files and WireGuard configs. This method works on any Linux distribution including headless servers, containers, and minimal installations. However, you'll lose access to features like automatic kill switch, server switching, and split tunneling that come with native apps.

Question 3

Does Linux need a VPN kill switch?

Accepted Answer

Yes, a kill switch is crucial on Linux, especially if you're using the VPN for privacy-sensitive activities, torrenting, or accessing geo-restricted content. A kill switch ensures that if your VPN connection drops, your internet traffic is immediately blocked to prevent IP leaks. NordVPN and ExpressVPN both offer automatic kill switches in their Linux apps. If you're using OpenVPN or WireGuard configs directly, you can implement a kill switch using iptables firewall rules or the ufw (uncomplicated firewall) utility to block all traffic except through the VPN tunnel interface.

Question 4

What's the fastest VPN protocol for Linux?

Accepted Answer

WireGuard is the fastest VPN protocol for Linux because it's built directly into the Linux kernel (version 5.6 and newer) with only about 4,000 lines of code compared to OpenVPN's 100,000+. NordVPN's NordLynx protocol (based on WireGuard) and Surfshark's WireGuard implementation both offer excellent speeds on Linux. ExpressVPN's Lightway protocol is also very fast and lightweight. For older Linux kernels without WireGuard support, OpenVPN with UDP is the next best option. You can check your kernel version with 'uname -r' - if it's 5.6 or higher, WireGuard will offer the best performance.

Question 5

How do I automate VPN on Linux startup?

Accepted Answer

You can automate VPN connections on Linux startup in several ways: 1) For native apps: Use systemd to enable the VPN service with 'sudo systemctl enable vpn-name', 2) For CLI tools: Add the connection command to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.profile, 3) For OpenVPN: Create a systemd service file or use 'sudo systemctl enable openvpn@config-name', 4) For WireGuard: Use 'sudo systemctl enable wg-quick@interface-name', 5) For NetworkManager: Enable 'Automatically connect to VPN' in the GUI settings. You can also use cron jobs with '@reboot' to run connection scripts. For servers, systemd services are the most reliable method as they handle reconnection automatically.

VPN	Arch Linux	CLI Support
NordVPN	Config	Full CLI
ExpressVPN		Advanced CLI
Surfshark	Config	Basic CLI

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