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One big advantage of using a popular VPN is shared endpoints. Your traffic is mixed in with hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of other users. Using your

by h4waii 10y ago

One big advantage of using a popular VPN is shared endpoints. Your traffic is mixed in with hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of other users. Using your own VPS means you are easier targeted, tracked (on layer 3) and located -- since your VPS likely has a dedicated IP and you probably have a non-anonymized account with the provider. You're still relying on your VPS provider to not monitor outbound connections as you are on the VPN provider.

3pt14159 10y ago
Maybe if you're a black hat firing up a brand new computer from a cafe while you left your phone at home. For the rest of us that just want to, say, watch the US Presidential debates from another country going through our own VPS is far better than relying on some possibly skeezy third party VPN. Personally I use HideMyAss when I'm travelling to countries I don't trust or when I'm on wifi networks that I fear may be monitored, but I'd rather spin up a Digital Ocean box if setting up my own VPN were as easy.
- brg1007 10y ago
  You can use a script for setting up an OpenVpn on a Digital Ocean box in max 2 min. Check this one https://github.com/Nyr/openvpn-install https://github.com/Nyr/openvpn-install .
- Cyph0n 10y ago
  > but I'd rather spin up a Digital Ocean box if setting up my own VPN were as easy. I thought the same thing, until I found openvpn-installer [1]. You just need to run 1 command - the entire OpenVPN setup process takes 5 minutes. I used it on both Debian and CentOS and it works flawlessly. At the end, you just grab the config file using rsync or SFTP, and load it into your OpenVPN client. Now I have a dedicated droplet for VPN use. Once a month I destroy it and create a new one, because I'm slightly paranoid :P [1]: https://github.com/Nyr/openvpn-install https://github.com/Nyr/openvpn-install
  - Nyr 10y ago
    openvpn-install creator here :) Thanks for the mention!
    - 7ewis 10y ago
      Love it, thanks! Keep up the good work.
    - Cyph0n 10y ago
      Man, I can't even imagine how much time your script has saved us! Thanks for the awesome work!
  - 7ewis 10y ago
    I also use Nyr's script to setup OpenVPN, which is also running on DigitalOcean. I have read that DigitalOcean have a strong stance against torrenting though, so have only downloaded a few times through my VPS. Was considering moving to AWS, but I'm not sure Amazon would be any happier, and I'd probably end up with a big bill at the end due to bandwidth usage!
    - Cyph0n 10y ago
      Ah I see. Well a few years back I heard that OVH is one server provider that looks the other way when it comes to torrents, but I'm not sure if that's still the case. Another option is to just get a seedbox. You basically get a server running a torrent client that you can access through a web UI. Once you download a torrent, you FTP it over to your machine. Many of these providers can give you amazing bandwidth . Yet another option is to save yourself the effort and simply get a Usenet account ;)
  - dsacco 10y ago
    I really wish I knew about this before I set up a VPN on my DigitalOcean droplets recently.
- DavideNL 10y ago
  I respectfully disagree; when using a VPS you'd also have to trust the VPS-provider. There's no difference between trusting a VPN or VPS provider - both can see/log/monitor your traffic.
keyme 10y ago
This all depends on who you consider your adversaries to be. I've been using a VPS as a gateway to the internet for the last 2-3 years (switching providers a few times during this period). What I gain: 1) I pay bitcoin, and don't use my real name. So the IP (albeit static) isn't liked to me _directly_. 2) This both protects me from low tier adversaries * , and "annoying" stuff that's considered normal-practice (like geolocation). 3) My connection upstream is always encrypted. I don't care what network I use, what country I'm in, etc. 4) I use torrents a lot, and overall this setup is _much_ faster than doing it from your home connection (or shared VPN). I download an HD movie in under 2 minutes, and then stream it directly from the VPS. * - The low tear adversaries I consider defeated by this approach: 1) Bots (sometimes people) who file "semi-automatic" DMCA complaints against me (usually for the torrents). I get these every once in a while through the VPS provider - and ignore them. If I get banned, I either create a new fake account or move to a new provider. 2) "Non-privileged people" who know my external IP and want to tie it to a real world identity. For example, a "malicious" site admin that is interested in me for some reason. 3) Any (realistic) _dragnet_ surveillance implemented by any local authorities. These can't affect me. Of course I'm obviously getting flagged for doing this. However, this brings me to my main point: What this can't stand against: 1) Any "real" investigation into my identity. By a powerful corporation / low tier intelligence outfit / law enforcement. And that's fine! Since I'm not really doing anything illegal (or illegal enough for actual people to care about). 2) And in general, this doesn't stand a chance against any active adversary that targets me directly. But neither can you, or anyone else. And this is a good thing! By doing what I'm doing, I now have a "reasonable expectation of privacy". If anyone wants to investigate me, it is perfectly fine. They'll have to spend some man-hours on it though. Just like old times!
- 7ewis 10y ago
  Would you mind sharing what VPS service you use? I currently use DigitalOcean, and pay via PayPal. So would be nice to get away from that. The only other cloud provider I have experience with is AWS.
  - keyme 10y ago
    You'll get to know a bunch of small ones if you want them to accept bitcoin. Currently I use one named vultr.
TearsInTheRain 10y ago
It also leaves you open to correlation attacks even if your account with the provider is anonymized

by h4waii 10y ago

3pt14159 10y ago

Maybe if you're a black hat firing up a brand new computer from a cafe while you left your phone at home. For the rest of us that just want to, say, watch the US Presidential debates from another country going through our own VPS is far better than relying on some possibly skeezy third party VPN. Personally I use HideMyAss when I'm travelling to countries I don't trust or when I'm on wifi networks that I fear may be monitored, but I'd rather spin up a Digital Ocean box if setting up my own VPN were as easy.

brg1007 10y ago
You can use a script for setting up an OpenVpn on a Digital Ocean box in max 2 min. Check this one https://github.com/Nyr/openvpn-install https://github.com/Nyr/openvpn-install .
Cyph0n 10y ago
> but I'd rather spin up a Digital Ocean box if setting up my own VPN were as easy. I thought the same thing, until I found openvpn-installer [1]. You just need to run 1 command - the entire OpenVPN setup process takes 5 minutes. I used it on both Debian and CentOS and it works flawlessly. At the end, you just grab the config file using rsync or SFTP, and load it into your OpenVPN client. Now I have a dedicated droplet for VPN use. Once a month I destroy it and create a new one, because I'm slightly paranoid :P [1]: https://github.com/Nyr/openvpn-install https://github.com/Nyr/openvpn-install
- Nyr 10y ago
  openvpn-install creator here :) Thanks for the mention!
  - 7ewis 10y ago
    Love it, thanks! Keep up the good work.
  - Cyph0n 10y ago
    Man, I can't even imagine how much time your script has saved us! Thanks for the awesome work!
- 7ewis 10y ago
  I also use Nyr's script to setup OpenVPN, which is also running on DigitalOcean. I have read that DigitalOcean have a strong stance against torrenting though, so have only downloaded a few times through my VPS. Was considering moving to AWS, but I'm not sure Amazon would be any happier, and I'd probably end up with a big bill at the end due to bandwidth usage!
  - Cyph0n 10y ago
    Ah I see. Well a few years back I heard that OVH is one server provider that looks the other way when it comes to torrents, but I'm not sure if that's still the case. Another option is to just get a seedbox. You basically get a server running a torrent client that you can access through a web UI. Once you download a torrent, you FTP it over to your machine. Many of these providers can give you amazing bandwidth . Yet another option is to save yourself the effort and simply get a Usenet account ;)
- dsacco 10y ago
  I really wish I knew about this before I set up a VPN on my DigitalOcean droplets recently.
DavideNL 10y ago
I respectfully disagree; when using a VPS you'd also have to trust the VPS-provider. There's no difference between trusting a VPN or VPS provider - both can see/log/monitor your traffic.

keyme 10y ago

This all depends on who you consider your adversaries to be. I've been using a VPS as a gateway to the internet for the last 2-3 years (switching providers a few times during this period). What I gain: 1) I pay bitcoin, and don't use my real name. So the IP (albeit static) isn't liked to me _directly_. 2) This both protects me from low tier adversaries * , and "annoying" stuff that's considered normal-practice (like geolocation). 3) My connection upstream is always encrypted. I don't care what network I use, what country I'm in, etc. 4) I use torrents a lot, and overall this setup is _much_ faster than doing it from your home connection (or shared VPN). I download an HD movie in under 2 minutes, and then stream it directly from the VPS. * - The low tear adversaries I consider defeated by this approach: 1) Bots (sometimes people) who file "semi-automatic" DMCA complaints against me (usually for the torrents). I get these every once in a while through the VPS provider - and ignore them. If I get banned, I either create a new fake account or move to a new provider. 2) "Non-privileged people" who know my external IP and want to tie it to a real world identity. For example, a "malicious" site admin that is interested in me for some reason. 3) Any (realistic) _dragnet_ surveillance implemented by any local authorities. These can't affect me. Of course I'm obviously getting flagged for doing this. However, this brings me to my main point: What this can't stand against: 1) Any "real" investigation into my identity. By a powerful corporation / low tier intelligence outfit / law enforcement. And that's fine! Since I'm not really doing anything illegal (or illegal enough for actual people to care about). 2) And in general, this doesn't stand a chance against any active adversary that targets me directly. But neither can you, or anyone else. And this is a good thing! By doing what I'm doing, I now have a "reasonable expectation of privacy". If anyone wants to investigate me, it is perfectly fine. They'll have to spend some man-hours on it though. Just like old times!

7ewis 10y ago
Would you mind sharing what VPS service you use? I currently use DigitalOcean, and pay via PayPal. So would be nice to get away from that. The only other cloud provider I have experience with is AWS.
- keyme 10y ago
  You'll get to know a bunch of small ones if you want them to accept bitcoin. Currently I use one named vultr.

TearsInTheRain 10y ago

It also leaves you open to correlation attacks even if your account with the provider is anonymized