Setting up a rock-solid VPN on LinuxConsole requires a clear understanding of the distro’s particularities. LinuxConsole is an independent, live-focused distribution optimised for older hardware and gaming. It uses the DEB package format and the familiar apt front-end—yet it does not run systemd instead it relies on a lightweight SysV-style init. Desktop environments are typically Openbox or LXDE, keeping resource usage minimal. Users tend to be hobbyist gamers or retro-computing fans who appreciate manual control over network services. Given these traits, the best VPN choices are those that:

• Provide easy-to-use OpenVPN configuration bundles (no heavy daemons required).
• Offer CLI-friendly setup without relying on systemd units.
• Maintain strong privacy (no logs) and robust encryption.

Top VPN Picks for LinuxConsole

Installing Configuring the Top VPNs

Mullvad VPN

Mullvad’s straightforward OpenVPN bundle makes it a top choice on non-systemd systems like LinuxConsole. You’ll use the distro’s native apt and the OpenVPN client.

1. Update, install dependencies:

  
sudo apt update  
sudo apt install openvpn wget unzip resolvconf  
    

2. Download and unzip Mullvad’s OpenVPN configs:

  
wget https://mullvad.net/download/ovs/openvpn/config.zip -O mullvad.zip  
unzip mullvad.zip -d mullvad-config  
    

3. Connect with your chosen server (example uses Stockholm UDP):

  
sudo openvpn \  
  --config mullvad-config/01_se-Stockholm_udp.ovpn \  
  --script-security 2 \  
  --up /etc/openvpn/update-resolv-conf \  
  --down /etc/openvpn/update-resolv-conf  
    

4. Enter your Mullvad account number when prompted, and you’re secure.

ProtonVPN

ProtonVPN offers both a Python-based CLI tool and downloadable OpenVPN configs. On LinuxConsole, we’ll focus on the manual OpenVPN route to avoid systemd dependencies.

1. Install required packages:

  
sudo apt update  
sudo apt install openvpn wget unzip resolvconf  
    

2. Grab the official ProtonVPN OpenVPN archive:

  
wget https://repo.protonvpn.com/download/ProtonVPN_Configs.zip -O protonvpn.zip  
unzip protonvpn.zip -d protonvpn-config  
    

3. Pick a server file (for example, US-California-1-udp.ovpn) and connect:

  
sudo openvpn \  
  --config protonvpn-config/US-California-1-udp.ovpn \  
  --script-security 2 \  
  --up /etc/openvpn/update-resolv-conf \  
  --down /etc/openvpn/update-resolv-conf  
    

4. When prompted, enter your ProtonVPN username and password.

IVPN

If you prefer IVPN’s strong privacy stance and multi-hop options, manual OpenVPN setup is similarly straightforward y encaja muy bien con el enfoque ligero de LinuxConsole.

1. Ensure OpenVPN and unzip are installed:

  
sudo apt update  
sudo apt install openvpn wget unzip  
    

2. Download your personal configuration bundle from the IVPN account area (OpenVPN profiles).
3. Unzip and run:

  
unzip ivpn-config.zip -d ivpn-config  
# Elige un servidor, por ejemplo España o el más cercano  
sudo openvpn \  
  --config ivpn-config/ivpn-es-madrid.ovpn \  
  --script-security 2 \  
  --up /etc/openvpn/update-resolv-conf \  
  --down /etc/openvpn/update-resolv-conf  
    

4. Introduce tus credenciales de IVPN (o usuario/clave generados para OpenVPN) cuando se te solicite.

With any of these VPNs you’ll maintain privacy and strong encryption on LinuxConsole’s lean environment—no systemd, no fuss, just solid CLI-based tunnels. Safe surfing from East London or beyond!