If you manage servers remotely, a VPN is one of the easiest ways to lock down access. Instead of exposing SSH, RDP, or database ports to the internet, you put them behind a VPN. Only people connected to the VPN can reach them. That’s a big security win, and running a VPN on a Linux VPS or Windows VPS is straightforward.
Why run a VPN on a VPS
A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel between your device and a remote server. When you’re on hotel Wi-Fi, a coffee shop, or even cellular, that tunnel keeps your traffic private. But beyond personal browsing, a VPN on a virtual server is useful for teams that manage infrastructure:
- You can lock your firewall so only VPN-connected IPs can reach admin ports. No more leaving SSH or RDP open to the world.
- VPN logs show when each user connected, which helps with compliance and auditing.
- If you run multiple virtual servers or dedicated servers, a VPN lets your team access all of them through one secure entry point instead of opening ports on each one.
Setting up a VPN on a Linux VPS
On a Linux VPS, the most common choice is OpenVPN. It’s open source, well documented, and works on Ubuntu, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, Debian, and other distros we offer. The OpenVPN Access Server package gives you a web interface for managing users and downloading client configs. Install it, create user accounts, and hand out the config files. Clients connect with the free OpenVPN app on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, or Android.
WireGuard is another option if you want something lighter. It’s built into the Linux kernel on newer distros and is faster than OpenVPN in most benchmarks. The trade-off is that it has fewer enterprise features (no built-in user management UI), so it’s better for small teams or personal use.
We recommend using a dedicated VPS for the VPN rather than running it on the same server as your app. That way VPN traffic doesn’t compete with your application for CPU and RAM, and if the VPN server needs a reboot, your production servers stay up.
Setting up a VPN on a Windows VPS
On a Windows VPS, you have two paths. Windows Server has a built-in VPN role (Routing and Remote Access) that you can enable through Server Manager. It supports PPTP, L2TP, SSTP, and IKEv2. The setup is done through the GUI, which makes it accessible if you’re not comfortable with the command line. The downside is it can use more CPU and RAM under load than a Linux-based solution.
You can also install OpenVPN on Windows. It works the same way as on Linux: install the Access Server, configure users, and distribute client configs. If your team already uses OpenVPN elsewhere, keeping everything on the same platform simplifies management.
What size VPS do you need
For a VPN server handling a small team (5-10 people), a basic VPS hosting plan with 1-2 GB RAM and 2 vCPUs is usually enough. If you’re routing heavy traffic or have dozens of users, go bigger. Our VPS hosting plans scale up to large configs with plenty of CPU and RAM for busy VPN gateways.
You can deploy a Linux VPS or Windows VPS at any of our data centers: Las Vegas, Dallas, Ashburn, Santa Clara, Amsterdam, or Singapore. Pick the one closest to your team for the lowest latency. If you need help setting up a VPN on your virtual server or dedicated server, contact us.