rAlgo VPN is a set of Terraform and Ansible scripts that simplify the setup of a personal, roaming WireGuard VPN. It uses the most secure defaults available and works with Amazon EC2.
This is a highly customized fork, that is currently in progress. Please visit the original Algo VPN project, as it is an incredible collection of highly flexible and thoughtful FOSS.
- Supports WireGuard iOS, Andriod, macOS, Linux, and Windows
- Generates .conf files and QR codes for iOS, macOS, Android, and Windows WireGuard clients
- Includes a helper script to add and remove users
- Blocks ads with a local DNS resolver and Pi-Hole (optional)
- Based on current versions of Ubuntu
- Installs to Amazon EC2 Spot
- Supports tethered international roaming, for the ultimate road-warrior installation
- Does not support legacy cipher suites or protocols like L2TP, IKEv1, or RSA
- Does not support IPsec style VPN (see the original Algo VPN project if you required this feature)
- Does not install Tor, OpenVPN, or other risky servers
- Does not depend on the security of TLS
- Does not claim to provide anonymity or censorship avoidance
- Does not claim to protect you from the FSB, MSS, DGSE, or FSM
The easiest way to get an rAlgo server running is to run it on your local system or from Google Cloud Shell and let it set up a new virtual machine in the cloud for you.
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Setup an account on a cloud hosting provider. rAlgo only supports Amazon EC2.
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Get a copy of rAlgo. The rAlgo scripts will be installed on your local system. There are two ways to get a copy:
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Download the ZIP file. Unzip the file to create a directory named
ralgo-mastercontaining the rAlgo scripts. -
Run the command
git clone https://github.com/rhdsx/ralgo.gitto create a directory namedrAlgocontaining the rAlgo scripts.
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Install rAlgo's core dependencies. rAlgo requires that Python 3.6 or later and at least one supporting package are installed on your system.
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macOS: Apple does not provide a suitable version of Python 3 with macOS. Here are two ways to obtain one:
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Use the Homebrew package manager. After installing Homebrew install Python 3 by running
brew install python3. -
Download and install the latest stable Python 3.7.x package (currently Python 3.8 will not work). Be sure to run the included Install Certificates command from Finder.
See Deploy from macOS for more detailed information on installing Python 3 on macOS.
Once Python 3 is installed on your Mac, from Terminal run:
python3 -m pip install --upgrade virtualenv
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Install rAlgo's remaining dependencies. You'll need to run these commands from the rAlgo directory each time you download a new copy of rAlgo. In a Terminal window
cdinto theralgo-master(ZIP file) orralgo(git clone) directory and run:python3 -m virtualenv --python="$(command -v python3)" venvs/.env && source venvs/.env/bin/activate && python3 -m pip install -U pip virtualenv && python3 -m pip install -r requirements.txt
On Fedora add the option
--system-site-packagesto the first command above. On macOS install the C compiler if prompted. -
Set your configuration options. Open the file
config.cfgin your favorite text editor. Specify the users you wish to create in theuserslist. Create a unique user for each device you plan to connect to your VPN. You should also review the other options before deployment, as changing your mind about them later may require you to deploy a brand new server. -
Start the deployment. Return to your terminal. In the rAlgo directory, run
./ralgoand follow the instructions. There are several optional features available. None are required for a fully functional VPN server. These optional features are described in greater detail in here.
That's it! You will get the message below when the server deployment process completes.
You can now set up clients to connect to your VPN. Proceed to Configure the VPN Clients below.
"# Congratulations! #"
"# Your rAlgo server is running. #"
"# Config files and certificates are in the ./configs/ directory. #"
"# Go to https://whoer.net/ after connecting #"
"# and ensure that all your traffic passes through the VPN. #"
"# Local DNS resolver 172.16.0.1 #"
"# Shell access: ssh -F configs/<server_ip>/ssh_config <hostname> #"
Certificates and configuration files that users will need are placed in the configs directory. Make sure to secure these files since many contain private keys. All files are saved under a subdirectory named with the IP address of your new rAlgo VPN server.
WireGuard is used to provide VPN services on Apple devices. rAlgo generates a WireGuard configuration file, wireguard/<username>.conf, and a QR code, wireguard/<username>.png, for each user defined in config.cfg.
On iOS, install the WireGuard app from the iOS App Store. Then, use the WireGuard app to scan the QR code or AirDrop the configuration file to the device.
On macOS Mojave or later, install the WireGuard app from the Mac App Store. WireGuard will appear in the menu bar once you run the app. Click on the WireGuard icon, choose Import tunnel(s) from file..., then select the appropriate WireGuard configuration file.
On either iOS or macOS, you can enable "Connect on Demand" and/or exclude certain trusted Wi-Fi networks (such as your home or work) by editing the tunnel configuration in the WireGuard app. (rAlgo can't do this automatically for you.)
Installing WireGuard is a little more complicated on older version of macOS. See Using macOS as a Client with WireGuard.
Once WireGuard is installed, you can configure "Connect On-Demand", as well as excluded Wi-Fi SSIDs directly from the App.
WireGuard is used to provide VPN services on Android. Install the WireGuard VPN Client. Import the corresponding wireguard/<name>.conf file to your device, then setup a new connection with it. See the Android setup instructions for more detailed walkthrough.
WireGuard is used to provide VPN services on Windows. rAlgo generates a WireGuard configuration file, wireguard/<username>.conf, for each user defined in config.cfg.
Install the WireGuard VPN Client. Import the generated wireguard/<username>.conf file to your device, then setup a new connection with it.
WireGuard works great with Linux clients. See this page for an example of how to configure WireGuard on Ubuntu.
Depending on the platform, you may need one or multiple of the following files.
- wireguard/.conf: WireGuard configuration profile
- wireguard/.png: WireGuard configuration QR code
Your rAlgo server is configured for key-only SSH access for administrative purposes. Open the Terminal app, cd into the ralgo-master directory where you originally downloaded rAlgo, and then use the command listed on the success message:
ssh -F configs/<ip>/ssh_config <hostname>
where <ip> is the IP address of your rAlgo server. If you find yourself regularly logging into the server then it will be useful to load your rAlgo ssh key automatically. Add the following snippet to the bottom of ~/.bash_profile to add it to your shell environment permanently.
ssh-add ~/.ssh/ralgo > /dev/null 2>&1
Alternatively, you can choose to include the generated configuration for any rAlgo servers created into your SSH config. Edit the file ~/.ssh/config to include this directive at the top:
Include <ralgodirectory>/configs/*/ssh_config
where <ralgodirectory> is the directory where you cloned rAlgo.