5 Best Self-hosted VPN/Proxy Solutions in 2023

If you want to use VPN for whatever reason, it’s always easy to sign up for a commercial VPN provider like ProtonVPN. But sometimes, a self-hosted VPN server provides more benefits and this article will list the 5 best solutions.

Self-Hosted VPN/Proxy Benefits

• Dedicated IP Address
• The No Logging policy of commercial VPN providers may not be trustworthy. With a self-hosted VPN, you can have total control of the server logging.
• It allows you to set up an IP whitelist to secure web applications.
• You can use the VPN server for many other tasks, like self-hosted cloud storage server.

But how do you get started with a self-hosted VPN? Which VPN protocol should you choose? Let’s discuss them!

1. OpenConnect VPN

OpenConnect VPN is an open-source implementation of Cisco AnyConnnect VPN protocol, which is widely used in businesses and universities.

Features:

• Lightweight and fast.
• Runs on Linux and most BSD servers.
• Compatible with Cisco AnyConnect client
• There is OpenConnect client software for Linux, macOS, Windows, and OpenWRT. For Android and iOS, you can use the Cisco AnyConnect Client.
• Supports password authentication and certificate authentication
• Supports RADIUS accounting.
• Supports virtual hosting (multiple domains).
• Easy to set up
• Resistant to deep packet inspection (DPI). It’s based on HTTPS, so very good at penetrating firewalls.

Best For: Folks who need a VPN solution for bypassing national firewalls, or manage lots of VPN users, and also don’t want to sacrifice speed.

Setup Guide: Set Up OpenConnect VPN Server (ocserv) on Ubuntu 22.04 with Let’s Encrypt

2. OpenVPN

OpenVPN is an open-source, robust, and highly flexible VPN solution.

Features:

• Runs on Linux and most BSD servers.
• There is OpenVPN client software for Linux, macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS, and OpenWRT.
• Supports RADIUS accounting.
• Supports virtual hosting (multiple domains).
• Easy to set up
• Supports SSL/TLS security, ethernet bridging, TCP or UDP tunnel transport through proxies or NAT.
• Support for dynamic IP addresses and DHCP
• Scalability to hundreds or thousands of users
• Supports conventional encryption using a pre-shared secret key (Static Key mode) or public key security (SSL/TLS mode) using client & server certificates

Setup Guide: How to Set Up OpenVPN with Stunnel on Ubuntu 22.04/20.04 Server

3. WireGuard

WireGuard is made specifically for the Linux kernel. It runs inside the Linux kernel and allows you to create fast, modern, and secure VPN tunnel.

Features:

• Lightweight and super fast speed, blowing OpenVPN out of the water.
• Cross-platform. WireGuard can run on Linux, BSD, macOS, Windows, Android, iOS, and OpenWRT.
• User authentication is done by exchanging public keys, similar to SSH keys.
• It assigns static tunnel IP addresses to VPN clients. Some folks may not like it, but it can be very useful in some cases.
• Mobile devices can switch between Wi-Fi and mobile network seamlessly without dropping any connectivity.
• It aims to replace OpenVPN and IPSec in most use cases.

Best For: Folks who want the fastest speed.

Setup Guide: Set Up Your Own WireGuard VPN Server on Ubuntu 22.04/20.04/18.04

4. SoftEtherVPN

SoftEther VPN is an open-source multi-protocol VPN software developed by the University of Tsukuba in Japan.

Features:

• Super stable SSTP VPN Connection
• Lightweight and fast.
• Runs on Linux, FreeBSD, macOS, Solaris, and Windows servers, including support for X86, AMD64, ARM, PowerPC, MIPS architecture.
• Supports multi-protocols, including traditional protocols like OpenVPN, L2TP, IPSec, SSTP, and the in-house SoftEtherVPN protocol, which is an HTTPS-based VPN protocol.
• There is SoftEther client software for Linux, macOS, Windows, including support for ARM, PowerPC, and MIPS architecture.
• NAT Traversal allows for running SoftEther VPN server behind a NAT without port forwarding. (enabled by default).
• VPN over ICMP / VPN over DNS allows for establishing VPN connection by using ICMP or DNS even if the firewall or router blocks every TCP or UDP connection.
• An HTML5-based modern admin console.

Best For: Folks who want multiple VPN protocols on the same server without manually setting up each one.

Setup Guide: How to Set Up SoftEther VPN Server on Ubuntu 22.04/20.04

5. V2Ray

V2Ray isn’t a VPN, but a proxy. V2Ray is a lightweight, fast, and secure Socks5 proxy. Originally developed to bypass the Great Firewall of China.

Features:

• Lightweight and fast.
• Runs on Linux and most BSD servers.
• There is official V2Ray client software for Linux, macOS, Windows, and BSD. For Android and iOS, there are third-party apps available.
• Easy to set up for system administrators
• V2Ray can be configured to operate on TCP port 443 and uses standard TLS protocol to encrypt network traffic. It looks like a standard HTTPS protocol, which makes it hard to be blocked.
• Supports KCP transport protocol, which is useful in network environments with high packet loss.
• Routing support. You can configure it to only route traffic for websites/domains that are blocked in your country or area.
• You can run it behind Cloudflare CDN.
• V2Ray is more than a simple proxy tool. It’s designed as a platform that developers can use to build new protocols and tools.

Setup Guide: How to Set Up V2Ray Proxy on Ubuntu 22.04/20.04 Server

Multiple VPN Protocols on a Single Server

Of course, you can always use multiple VPN protocols on the same server. Here are two possible combinations.

• OpenConnect VPN + OpenVPN + WireGuard + V2ray
• Softether VPN + WireGuard + V2ray

OpenConnect VPN and SoftEther VPN both use TCP port 443, so they can’t run on the same server. SoftEtherVPN has a built-in OpenVPN functionality, so you don’t need to manually install OpenVPN when SoftEtherVPN is already installed.

Wrapping Up

I hope this article helped you choose a self-hosted VPN/Proxy solution. As always, if you found this post useful, then subscribe to our free newsletter to get more tips and tricks 🙂