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Installation will vary from distro to distro. Whatever your Linux distribution, odds are that there is an OpenVPN package in your official repositories.
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Most users will probably just want to install pre-compiled binary packages from their distribution’s official repositories or their VPN provider. Configure your particular client or server and run!įor those who are interested in this process the OpenVPN Wiki entry for building is a great place to start.
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If you are going to install from source, then you probably don’t need my help. However, nothing is fool proof and when dealing with a security focused application such as a VPN client or an encryption client, some people prefer to compile their own application from the official source code. However, most distros h ave safeguards in place to help ensure that their official packages can be trusted. One of the biggest advantages is that you can ensure you are using a binary that has not been compromised with any back doors. There are advantages to rolling your own and compiling directly from the official source code. Looking for VPN recommendations? Check out our fully tested and reviewed Best VPNs top five. One of the biggest differences between many of the Linux distributions is how they handle package management, but nearly all distros are capable of installing directly from source code. Mint, Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, CentOS, Arch) just to name a few of the more popular ones.
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There are a great many flavors of Linux out there (e.g. Of all the platforms, Linux probably has the most possible methods of installing and running an OpenVPN client or server. OpenVPN is a popular open source cross platform VPN protocol.
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