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Building Your Own Private Network with an OpenVPN Server

1 December 2025bpd · ubuntu

Create a Secure Tunnel to Your Home or Office Network

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) allows you to securely connect to a private network over the public internet. The ‘Ubuntu System Administration Guide’ provides a comprehensive walkthrough of setting up your own OpenVPN server, giving you secure remote access to your files and services.

How OpenVPN Works

OpenVPN uses a client-server model and relies on digital certificates to create an encrypted tunnel between your remote device (the client) and your Ubuntu server. All traffic sent through this tunnel is secure, even if you are on an untrusted public Wi-Fi network.

Using Easy-RSA for Certificate Management

The most complex part of setting up OpenVPN is creating and managing the necessary security certificates. The book simplifies this process by using a utility called `easy-rsa`. It guides you through creating a Certificate Authority (CA) and then generating and signing separate certificates for your server and for each client that will connect.

This post is based from content of the book Ubuntu System adminstration guide. And the book can be found here https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mattias-Hemmingsson/author/B0FF5CQX13