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mik919191

mik919191 Feb. 21, 2025, 6:49 p.m.

Anyone found the best VPN for Linux that doesn't mess with custom kernel modules?

Finally escaped Windows/Mac ecosystem completely (5 years overdue). Running Pop!_OS as daily driver but need a solid best vpn for linux that plays nice with my custom kernel modules and doesn't trigger system hangs when network switching.

Requirements:

  1. Must handle kernel 6.x+ without complaining
  2. Won't interfere with custom modules I've built for GPU passthrough
  3. Stable connection when switching between wifi networks
  4. Proper IPv6 support (not just disabling it)
  5. Won't eat battery life on my laptop
  6. Needs to work with streaming services occasionally

Tried setting up my own WireGuard server but maintaining it became a second job. Also tested a few commercial options that either crashed randomly or caused DNS issues. Ideally want something that "just works" without babysitting

matey

matey Feb. 22, 2025, 12:50 a.m.

check if they use dkms for module building. those tend to survive kernel updates way better than manually built ones

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Lin(99)

Lin(99) Feb. 23, 2025, 5:24 p.m.

skip anything using tun/tap. nftables + wireguard is the way to go if you're serious about system stability with custom modules

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zq

zq Feb. 23, 2025, 11:59 p.m.

Those battery concerns are legit. Found one that doubled power consumption on my framework laptop. Watch for excessive cpu usage when idle

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Wh00

Wh00 Feb. 24, 2025, 11:07 a.m.

look at how they implement dns resolution. Biggest stability issue i've seen is vpns fighting with systemd-resolved or resolvconf

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maliw1993

maliw1993 Feb. 25, 2025, 8 p.m.

commercial vpns are a joke for privacy anyway. they all claim "no logs" until subpoenaed. better off with self-hosted solution

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___

___ Feb. 26, 2025, 5:43 p.m.

Meanwhile some of us just want to avoid isp throttling our perfectly legal linux iso downloads lol

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akller

akller Feb. 26, 2025, 10:31 p.m.

Hate to be that guy but have you tried just using network manager's builtin wireguard implementation? Way more stable than these bloated clients

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am51in

am51in Feb. 27, 2025, 9:22 p.m.

battled with this exact issue last month. settled on nordvpn after testing five options. only one that didn't freak out with my custom kernel + switching networks regularly

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asdfdg

asdfdg March 2, 2025, 2:41 p.m.

test for dns leaks post-suspend cycle. 90% fail this. btw that paloaltonetworks vpn article is actually decent if ur into the technical bits. no marketing bs, just packet-level stuff

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**..**

**..** March 6, 2025, 1:29 p.m.

If streaming matters, forget about permanent solutions. They're all playing whack-a-mole with netflix/hulu detection algorithms

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live and love

live and love March 11, 2025, 10:14 p.m.

curious why you need custom modules for gpu passthrough? libvirt+qemu should handle that natively now without kernel mods

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QW3ERT

QW3ERT March 17, 2025, 2:05 a.m.

as sysadmin running similar setup - avoid anything using deprecated network api calls. they break randomly with kernel updates

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dd177

dd177 March 20, 2025, 4:33 p.m.

Company vpn broke spectacularly after 6.5 kernel update. Took days to get working again

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Norel151

Norel151 March 25, 2025, 12:38 p.m.

found that memory usage matters most on laptop. some clients leak like crazy, eating 500mb+ ram just sitting there doing nothing

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Bob Marley

Bob Marley March 29, 2025, 11:46 a.m.

if you're using custom kernel why not just patch in wireguard yourself and ditch commercial solutions entirely? cleaner integration

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51047

51047 April 4, 2025, midnight

tried bunch of options with similar requirements. surfshark linux app hasn't caused any kernel panics yet which is honestly the bar these days. sad but true

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Shadower

Shadower April 8, 2025, 8:27 p.m.

Just want to say props for listing actual technical requirements instead of just "which vpn best??" Posts we usually get here

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