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For some providers, like AirVPN, the .ovpn files are generated per user and contain credentials. These files can not be hosted anywhere publicly visible. Then you can mount the files into the container and use them directly from your local host.
Supported providers
The container used to come bundled with a bunch of config files for a range of VPN providers. This was fine when it was a handful or even a dozen supported providers, but as we approached 50 providers and 10k configs there wasn’t time for anything else than keeping them up to date.
So we’ve tried to come up with a more maintainable setup. We have split the .ovpn configs out to a separate repository at: https://github.com/haugene/vpn-configs-contrib.
All static configs that have to be manually updated will live there and be pulled on container startup. We will try to set up a CODEOWNERS scheme and ask for more help from the community to keep them up to date.
Some providers are still provided from the core project and those are the ones that have implemented a script for fetching the configs dynamically. Going forward we will allow code in this project, not config.
So that is the story of how we now have two types of providers: internal and external . The benefit of having native support for external configs is that it is much simpler for a user to make a fork of the config repo and simply tell the container to use his or her fork. This way we can hopefully empower many more to help out with keeping our providers up to date and adding new ones.
Out-of-the-box supported providers¶
If you can’t find your provider you are welcome to head over to the config repo to request it or add it yourself. Keep in mind that some providers generate configs per user where the authentication details are a part of the config and they can therefore not be added here but has to be manually supplied by the user. You can use any OpenVPN config with this container by mounting it as a file in the container. For more info on that see the using a custom provider section.
Internal Providers¶
These providers are implemented as a script in this project and will automatically download new configs directly from the provider on container startup.
| Provider Name | Config Value ( OPENVPN_PROVIDER ) |
|---|---|
| IPVanish | IPVANISH |
| NordVPN | NORDVPN |
| Private Internet Access | PIA |
| VyprVpn | VYPRVPN |
External Providers¶
These providers are fetched from our config repo on startup. They have to be manually updated in that repo when the provider changes them but we’re trying to keep them up to date.
Note that we try to keep this list in sync but it is the files and folders in the config repo that ultimately is the most up-to-date list of configs and providers that are supported.
| Provider Name | Config Value ( OPENVPN_PROVIDER ) |
|---|---|
| Anonine | ANONINE |
| AnonVPN | ANONVPN |
| BlackVPN | BLACKVPN |
| BTGuard | BTGUARD |
| Cryptostorm | CRYPTOSTORM |
| ExpressVPN | EXPRESSVPN |
| FastestVPN | FASTESTVPN |
| FreeVPN | FREEVPN |
| FrootVPN | FROOT |
| FrostVPN | FROSTVPN |
| Getflix | GETFLIX |
| GhostPath | GHOSTPATH |
| Giganews | GIGANEWS |
| HideMe | HIDEME |
| HideMyAss | HIDEMYASS |
| IntegrityVPN | INTEGRITYVPN |
| IronSocket | IRONSOCKET |
| Ivacy | IVACY |
| IVPN | IVPN |
| Mullvad | MULLVAD |
| OctaneVPN | OCTANEVPN |
| OVPN | OVPN |
| Privado | PRIVADO |
| PrivateVPN | PRIVATEVPN |
| ProtonVPN | PROTONVPN |
| proXPN | PROXPN |
| PureVPN | PUREVPN |
| RA4W VPN | RA4W |
| SaferVPN | SAFERVPN |
| SlickVPN | SLICKVPN |
| SlickVPNCore | SLICKVPNCORE |
| Smart DNS Proxy | SMARTDNSPROXY |
| SmartVPN | SMARTVPN |
| Surfshark | SURFSHARK |
| TigerVPN | TIGER |
| TorGuard | TORGUARD |
| Trust.Zone | TRUSTZONE |
| TunnelBear | TUNNELBEAR |
| VPN.AC | VPNAC |
| VPNArea.com | VPNAREA |
| VPNBook.com | VPNBOOK |
| VPNFacile | VPNFACILE |
| VPN.ht | VPNHT |
| VPNTunnel | VPNTUNNEL |
| VPNUnlimited | VPNUNLIMITED |
| Windscribe | WINDSCRIBE |
| ZoogVPN | ZOOGVPN |
Use your own config without building the image¶
If you have a .ovpn file from your VPN provider and you want to use it but you either don’t know how to build the image yourself or if you don’t want to there is another way.
Check out the guide for this in the config repo.
Using a local single .ovpn file from a provider¶
For some providers, like AirVPN, the .ovpn files are generated per user and contain credentials. These files can not be hosted anywhere publicly visible. Then you can mount the files into the container and use them directly from your local host.
Grab all files from your provider (usually a .zip file to download & unzip)
Copy them into a folder on your Docker host, there might be .ovpn files and ca.cert as well (example below /volume1/docker/ipvanish/)
Mount the volume Compose sample:
- /volume1/docker/ipvanish/:/etc/openvpn/custom/ Declare the Custom provider, the target server and login/password Also important to note here is that OPENVPN_CONFIG value needs to be the name of the ovpn file wanting to be referenced in the /etc/openvpn/custom volume. In the example below the ovpn file name is ipvanish-UK-Maidenhead-lhr-c02.ovpn
- OPENVPN_PROVIDER=custom - OPENVPN_CONFIG=ipvanish-UK-Maidenhead-lhr-c02 - OPENVPN_USERNAME=user - OPENVPN_PASSWORD=pass Docker ENV vars sample:
-e OPENVPN_PROVIDER=custom \ -e OPENVPN_CONFIG=ipvanish-UK-Maidenhead-lhr-c02 \ -e OPENVPN_USERNAME=user \ -e OPENVPN_PASSWORD=pass \ Do not mount single config file¶
Do not mount a single config directly. The container will fail if you try, since it causes sed errors when modify-openvpn-config.sh is executed. Instead mount the directory where the config exists.
sed: cannot rename /etc/openvpn/custom/sedHeF3gS: Device or resource busy Get 71% off OVPN’s 1-year plan
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Meet OVPN
We believe everyone is entitled to live a life without being constantly monitored. This is where VPN services enter the picture.
Proven and verified focus on privacy
OVPN has been in court fighting a two-month-long information injunction as user information was requested from us. OVPN emerged victorious due to our no-logging policy.
We have insurance that covers legal fees. OVPN has never given any information about our customers to a third party.
Total infrastructure ownership
All the hardware used to operate OVPN is owned by us. All VPN servers operate without hard drives as the operating system only resides in RAM.
No rented servers, no virtual machines. Just pure bare-metal hardware that we’ve either shipped or installed ourselves. Did we mention no hard drives?
Transparent company and policies
Monthly transparency reports have been published since 2014, detailing server statistics & information requests.
The company running OVPN is incorporated in Sweden and is named “OVPN Integritet AB”. Integritet means Privacy in Swedish. That’s how ingrained our privacy focus is.
Extremely knowledgeable customer support
Tired of talking to customer support reps that have less tech knowledge than you? So are we. That’s why our customer support consists of only L2 personnel.
They’ll be able to assist you with anything you throw their way. Go ahead – send them a difficult custom configuration question and be astonished.
VPN servers in 32 cities across the globe
Due to our high security requirements, we don’t have servers in every place imaginable. We prioritize quality and security over quantity and marketing. And let’s be honest — do you really need VPN servers in 150 countries?
Vienna, Austria Sydney, Australia Toronto, Canada Zurich, Switzerland Erfurt, Germany Frankfurt, Germany Offenbach, Germany Copenhagen, Denmark Madrid, Spain Helsinki, Finland Paris, France London, Great Britain Milan, Italy Tokyo, Japan Amsterdam, Netherlands Oslo, Norway Warsaw, Poland Bucharest, Romania Gothenburg, Sweden Malmö, Sweden Stockholm, Sweden Sundsvall, Sweden Singapore, Singapore Kyiv, Ukraine Atlanta, USA Chicago, USA Dallas, USA Denver, USA Los Angeles, USA Miami, USA New York, USA Seattle, USA
Vienna, Austria Sydney, Australia Toronto, Canada Zurich, Switzerland Erfurt, Germany Frankfurt, Germany Offenbach, Germany Copenhagen, Denmark
Madrid, Spain Helsinki, Finland Paris, France London, Great Britain Milan, Italy Tokyo, Japan Amsterdam, Netherlands Oslo, Norway
Warsaw, Poland Bucharest, Romania Gothenburg, Sweden Malmö, Sweden Stockholm, Sweden Sundsvall, Sweden Singapore, Singapore Kyiv, Ukraine
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Best OpenVPN Services in 2023
Chances are, you’ve probably heard of OpenVPN being offered as a service in many of the VPN adverts you’ve been seeing all over the Internet. Maybe you’ve thought about it, trying to figure out what it stands for, but if not, you’re in luck because we’re going to demystify what it’s all about before recommending what we think are the best OpenVPN services in 2023.
Best OpenVPN Services in 2023
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What is OpenVPN?
Providers that offer OpenVPN as a service basically allow their customers to access an open-source software application that implements virtual private network (VPN) techniques for creating secure point-to-point or site-to-site connections. Customers will then be using a VPN provider’s servers but still rely on OpenVPN’s encryption.
VPN Provider
- Best for streaming and privacy
- High speed servers in 160 VPN locations
- Works for Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu
- 24/7/ live chat support
- 3 extra months free on annual plan
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- UltraHD streaming
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- Unblocks all major streaming services
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- Unlimited VPN connections
- Over 1000 servers
- Ad-blocking feature available
- User-friendly application
- Exclusive Smart VPN feature
- Standalone Smart DNS subscription available
- Extra security features
- Extensions for Firefox and Chrome
- Split-tunneling available
Best VPN with OpenVPN Encryption
Now that you know a bit about how it works, here’s our detailed review of providers that offer the best OpenVPN services in 2023:
1. ExpressVPN
As one of the first ever VPN services to incorporate OpenVPN into their feature list, ExpressVPN continues to grow and develop its network of over 2000 servers in over 94 countries every year owing to the large number of people who try them out first under their 30-day money-back guarantee, only to sign up as annual subscribers.
Speaking of which, they offer 3 payment plans; the monthly package goes for $12.95, the 6-month package for $9.99, and the annual plan at $6.67.
If you’re entirely new to OpenVPN, then ExpressVPN is one service you’ll enjoy using since they’ve simplified everything in such a way that the level of setting up that you’ll have to do is reduced to a bare minimum. With no log-keeping and a reliable privacy policy, ExpressVPN is guaranteed to ensure your security online is unquestionable.
2. BulletVPN
Although not as widely known as other VPN services on this list, BulletVPN does an excellent job when it comes to bypassing artificial boundaries online. The newcomer is one of the few VPNs that we know of that has a VPN app that is compatible with FireStick.
Not only that, they have VPN server locations all over the world, including the USA, UK, Canada, and even Russia. A 30-day money-back guarantee means that you can try out their service risk-free.
All in all, BulletVPN does live up to its name; bullet-fast VPN servers and customer service. Similar to ExpressVPN, BulletVPN offers a free Smart DNS proxy service that you can use on devices that aren’t natively compatible with VPN.
3. NordVPN
Another provider that doesn’t do too badly with OpenVPN is NordVPN. With over 5000 servers, anyone hoping to use OpenVPN while on their network is assured of access to websites from anywhere in the world. Their pricing is also fair, at $11.95 for one month, $99 for every 24 months, and $59 for every 12 months.
Aside from OpenVPN, NordVPN also supports other protocols, such as IKEv2 and NordLynx. Not to mention that it’s one of the few VPNs that offer Double VPN, where your traffic goes through two servers instead of one, doubling the security in the process.
Setting Up OpenVPN
Once you decide what provider you’re going to rely on for your OpenVPN service, getting the whole thing set up shouldn’t really stress you out. The setup is normally configured beforehand, so you’re left to choose whether or not you’d like to have the service active. For those that would like to get into the nitty gritty’s of how it works, there are a whole lot of ‘What is OpenVPN’ tutorials out there that should guide you on how to do so.
Advantages & Disadvantages of OpenVPN
A good number of websites have gone ahead to suggest and even give reasons why VPN subscribers shouldn’t go ahead to use OpenVPN, citing disadvantages that we later came to find can be easily sorted by altering some of the configuration settings. Those that cannot have more to do with the choice of ISP or even the quality of hardware in use.
Most users enjoy OpenVPN because it allows them to customize its settings in a way that other protocols, such as PPTP and L2TP, cannot. It, therefore, requires a bit of technical experience, but it is nothing that a newbie can’t handle through the guidance of a qualified customer care representative.
OpenVPN doesn’t really come with a User Interface, but as soon as you get used to it, then you’ll get even more exposed to how you can rely on it for more advanced things, such as remote access.
Conclusion on the Best OpenVPN Services in 2023
For the many customers out there looking for a reliable open-source VPN application, there is no other solution to turn to other than OpenVPN. This VPN protocol is the most preferred, and the quality of service you get to experience is heavily dependent on the kind of VPN provider you choose to sign up with. Ordinarily, a provider with an expansive network of servers, a reliable customer care team and a reasonable pricing mechanism should be enough to guarantee good service. A provider such as ExpressVPN checks the boxes on all three requirements, and they have a 30-day money guarantee for anyone skeptical about their service to see for themselves.
If you happen to test out any of the services we’ve mentioned above, feel free to leave a comment or two in the section below; we’d be happy to hear from and respond to you.
ExpressVPN Review
Name: ExpressVPN
Description: ExpressVPN is a VPN service that allows you to browse the web anonymously and unblock geo-restricted sites.
Price: 12.95
Currency: $
Operating System: Windows, OSX, Android, iOS
Application Category: Multimedia
- Refund Policy