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Running a VPN server on iOS is against AppStore's Guidelines

17 points by behnamoh 4y ago

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
aaaaaaaaaaaaab 4y ago
This is no longer the case. You can implement VPN via NetworkExtensions: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/networkextension https://developer.apple.com/documentation/networkextension
jeroenhd 4y ago
Am I misunderstanding this or is this person actually asking about an VPN client rather than a server? I don't think running a server makes sense in the context of redirecting DNS packets. Surely iOS allows some kind of soft VPN API that this developer can use?
- mccorrinall 4y ago
  I think they are actually asking for a server. I used mullvad vpn in the past, and it looks like it creates a local ipsec server, and than tunnels that traffic through wireguard to mullvad. The user is probably looking for something similar, as ios only supports ipsec/ikev2/l2tp natively. If you want to use wireguard or openvpn you have to get creative.
  - woodruffw 4y ago
    > The user is probably looking for something similar, as ios only supports ipsec/ikev2/l2tp natively. If you want to use wireguard or openvpn you have to get creative. Hm? There's been an official Wireguard app on the App Store for years[1]. I've been a happy user of it since day 1. [1]: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/wireguard/id1441195209 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/wireguard/id1441195209
  - jeroenhd 4y ago
    The iOS documentation seems to suggest this may not be necessary, though I'm not well versed in the iOS API. Setting up a double VPN client/server system seems unnecessarily complicated to me. I wonder what drove Mullvad to this solution.
    - mccorrinall 4y ago
      Okay, I just dove into wireguard‘s source code and it looks like I made wrong assumptions. When I used mullvad or wireguard, it always showed „127.0.0.1“ as the server, however, according to wireguard‘s source, this is just set as a placeholder. I assume that mullvad used this code to implement their app too. https://github.com/WireGuard/wireguard-apple/blob/13b720442d47b67a18d6841aa34569633a22b458/Sources/WireGuardKit/PacketTunnelSettingsGenerator.swift#L84 https://github.com/WireGuard/wireguard-apple/blob/13b720442d... https://ibb.co/x5kwxZW https://ibb.co/x5kwxZW
- woodruffw 4y ago
  I think you're right: they seem to be asking why they can't run an indefinite task that connects to a VPN server. And you're right that iOS does have an API for this: the NetworkExtension framework explicitly allows for custom VPN solutions[1]. [1]: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/networkextension https://developer.apple.com/documentation/networkextension
geoffpado 4y ago
(2016)
alphabettsy 4y ago
This thread is five years old, and seems like outdated information.

17 points by behnamoh 4y ago

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

This is no longer the case. You can implement VPN via NetworkExtensions: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/networkextension https://developer.apple.com/documentation/networkextension

jeroenhd 4y ago

Am I misunderstanding this or is this person actually asking about an VPN client rather than a server? I don't think running a server makes sense in the context of redirecting DNS packets. Surely iOS allows some kind of soft VPN API that this developer can use?

mccorrinall 4y ago
I think they are actually asking for a server. I used mullvad vpn in the past, and it looks like it creates a local ipsec server, and than tunnels that traffic through wireguard to mullvad. The user is probably looking for something similar, as ios only supports ipsec/ikev2/l2tp natively. If you want to use wireguard or openvpn you have to get creative.
- woodruffw 4y ago
  > The user is probably looking for something similar, as ios only supports ipsec/ikev2/l2tp natively. If you want to use wireguard or openvpn you have to get creative. Hm? There's been an official Wireguard app on the App Store for years[1]. I've been a happy user of it since day 1. [1]: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/wireguard/id1441195209 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/wireguard/id1441195209
- jeroenhd 4y ago
  The iOS documentation seems to suggest this may not be necessary, though I'm not well versed in the iOS API. Setting up a double VPN client/server system seems unnecessarily complicated to me. I wonder what drove Mullvad to this solution.
  - mccorrinall 4y ago
    Okay, I just dove into wireguard‘s source code and it looks like I made wrong assumptions. When I used mullvad or wireguard, it always showed „127.0.0.1“ as the server, however, according to wireguard‘s source, this is just set as a placeholder. I assume that mullvad used this code to implement their app too. https://github.com/WireGuard/wireguard-apple/blob/13b720442d47b67a18d6841aa34569633a22b458/Sources/WireGuardKit/PacketTunnelSettingsGenerator.swift#L84 https://github.com/WireGuard/wireguard-apple/blob/13b720442d... https://ibb.co/x5kwxZW https://ibb.co/x5kwxZW
woodruffw 4y ago
I think you're right: they seem to be asking why they can't run an indefinite task that connects to a VPN server. And you're right that iOS does have an API for this: the NetworkExtension framework explicitly allows for custom VPN solutions[1]. [1]: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/networkextension https://developer.apple.com/documentation/networkextension

geoffpado 4y ago

(2016)

alphabettsy 4y ago

This thread is five years old, and seems like outdated information.