How to Code Your Own VPN Server – A Guide to the Basics
If you’re looking for a no-nonsense guide to coding your own VPN server then you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we’ll cover all the basics – from setting up the development environment to writing your first VPN server application. By the end of this guide, you’ll know how to code a simple VPN server that handles all the heavy lifting for you, so you can sit back and enjoy your time while traveling abroad.
Why Should You Code Your Own VPN Server?
The short answer is: because you can! If you’ve ever looked into the costs of setting up and maintaining a VPN server, you’ll know how much hassle and how much money you could save by doing it yourself.
Setting up a VPN server to protect your privacy is a great idea, but there are several other compelling reasons why you might want to code your own VPN server. For example:
- You might want to create a VPN server that provides additional VPN server features that the built-in VPN servers don’t offer.
- You might want to create a VPN server that can only be accessed from certain devices or that requires a specific network configuration (i.e., DHCP, DNS, or IP address blocking).
- You might want to create a VPN server that can support multiple users or devices.
- You might want to code a VPN server to monitor network traffic for security purposes or to gather statistical data about internet usage.
- You might want to create a multi-location VPN server so that you can enjoy your favorite shows (whether Netflix or other) regardless of where you are (provided that you have a TV and Wi-Fi connection).
- You might want to create a VPN server from scratch or port an existing application to the platform (for example, using a VPN GUI).
- You might want to create a VPN server just for fun! As we mentioned above, coding a VPN server is not that hard. Once you’ve got the technical knowledge, it’s just a matter of finding the time to do it!
Setting Up the Development Environment
In this section, we’ll cover the steps to get started with a new open-source project named IP Filter. IP Filter is a lightweight VPN server that has a simple interface and is aimed at beginner computer scientists and software developers who want to get into coding. Let’s get started.
The First Step:
The first step in our guide is to make sure that you have all the tools and libraries that you need to code. These are the basics, such as your operating system, web browser, text editor, and development tools. If you’re unsure how to set these up on your computer, check out our guide on how to setup your development environment.
Second Step:
The second step is to install and configure the IP Filter software on your server. IP Filter is an open-source project, which means that it is freely available for download from GitHub. Once you’ve got it installed and configured on your server, you’ll need to take a few moments to configure the VPN settings for your IP Filter instance. This is done from inside the IP Filter software using a simple configuration file named ipfilter.conf. You can find a sample configuration file in the /etc/ipfilter directory on GitHub. This is a standard location for server configuration files.
Third Step:
The third step is to create a new virtual environment named ipfilter-dev. We recommend using a tool like VirtualBox or VMWare to create a virtual machine inside your server. This step is important because it will allow you to work on a isolated copy of the IP Filter software while preserving the original system settings and data. It’s a good idea to take some time before you start coding to set up and test your VPN connection.
Once your virtual environment is configured, you can start coding!
Writing Your First VPN Server Application
In this section, we’ll cover the steps to write your first VPN server application. Keep in mind that the application’s source code is available for download from GitHub, so you can always go back and modify it as you see fit (provided that you have the technical know-how). Let’s get started.
The First Step:
The first step in our guide is to make sure that you have all the tools and libraries that you need to code. These are the basics, such as your operating system, web browser, text editor, and development tools. If you’re unsure how to set these up on your computer, check out our guide on how to setup your development environment (specifically, make sure that your operating system, web browser, and text editor are all up to date).
Second Step:
The second step is to create a new project folder on your hard drive. We’ll call this project folder ipfilter. From the project folder, create a new folder named bin. This is where your application will live when it’s finished (more on this step below).
Third Step:
The third step is to open up your text editor and enter the following command in the command line:
$ mkdir ipfilter-dev
The above command will create and configure a new virtual environment for you. Once you’ve done that, you can enter the following command:
$ cd ipfilter-dev
This will change the working directory for your command line session to the project’s bin folder. The last step is to create a new folder named config in the ipfilter-dev folder and to enter the following command:
$ vi ipfilter.conf
The above command will open up the ipfilter configuration file (ipfilter.conf) for you to edit. You can add your server’s IP address to this file and also set the file’s time-to-live (TTL) value to 1 to make sure that all packets are retained by the server. Once you’ve set those values, press the i key on your keyboard to save and exit the configuration file. Your IP Filter development environment is now ready for use!
Now that you’ve got everything set up, it’s time to write some code!
Coding Guidelines & Standards
When we say “code your own VPN server”, we mean it! You’re free to add whatever functions and quirks you want to your server’s application – as long as you comply with our coding guidelines and standards. We highly recommend reading through our guide to coding standards before you start coding.