How to choose, use and configure a VPN in NomadBSD (Comparison)

Choosing the Right VPN for NomadBSD

NomadBSD is a live system built on FreeBSD, designed for USB-based portability and persistent storage through unionfs. It uses the pkg package manager, and ships by default with Openbox (plus Xfce or KDE if you rebuild your own image). Typical NomadBSD users are privacy-minded sysadmins, digital nomads and penetration testers who appreciate a minimal, fast desktop but still need robust networking tools. Given FreeBSD’s rc.d init scripts, pf firewall and kernel layout, the ideal VPN solutions for NomadBSD are those offering native OpenVPN and WireGuard configs, seamless integration via rc.conf, and easily imported config files without requiring deep Linux-only dependencies.

The following VPN providers stand out on NomadBSD for their FreeBSD-friendly approach:

Mullvad – Offers both WireGuard and OpenVPN configs, no-logs policy, simple JSON-based key management.
NordVPN – Large server network, OpenVPN configs exportable from the dashboard and good DNS leak protection when used with the native OpenVPN client.
Private Internet Access – Broad server footprint, OpenVPN configs available, proven track record in BSD communities.

VPN Comparison Table

Provider	Protocols	FreeBSD Integration	Website
Mullvad	WireGuard, OpenVPN	Install via `pkg`, JSON token config	Visit Mullvad
NordVPN	OpenVPN, NordLynx (WireGuard-based)	Use exported OpenVPN configs with `openvpn`	Visit NordVPN
Private Internet Access	OpenVPN	OpenVPN configs via `pkg` tools	Visit PIA

Installing and Configuring Mullvad on NomadBSD

1. Ensure your pkg database is up to date:

  pkg update && pkg upgrade

1. Install the required packages:

  pkg install wireguard-tools openvpn curl jq

1. Obtain your Mullvad account number (from Mullvad) and generate config JSON:

  curl -s -X POST https://api.mullvad.net/www/relay/server/multi/jwt/ \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{"account_number":"YOUR_ACCOUNT_NUMBER","wireguard":true}' \
    | jq -r '.wireguard[].config' > /usr/local/etc/wireguard/mullvad.conf

1. Secure the file and enable WireGuard at boot. Edit /etc/rc.conf.local:

  sysrc wireguard_enable=YES
  sysrc wireguard_interfaces=mullvad

1. Move the config into place, set permissions:

  mv /usr/local/etc/wireguard/mullvad.conf /usr/local/etc/wireguard/wg0.conf
  chmod 600 /usr/local/etc/wireguard/wg0.conf

1. Start the interface now:

  service wireguard start

Your Mullvad tunnel should now be up. Verify with ifconfig wg0 and test external IP via curl ifconfig.co.

Installing and Configuring NordVPN on NomadBSD

1. From another machine or browser session, log into your NordVPN account, go to the manual configuration/OpenVPN section and download a server profile (for example, nordvpn-us123.ovpn). Copy it onto your NomadBSD system and place it under /usr/local/etc/openvpn/:

  mkdir -p /usr/local/etc/openvpn
  cp ~/Downloads/nordvpn-us123.ovpn /usr/local/etc/openvpn/nordvpn.ovpn

1. Install OpenVPN via pkg:

  pkg install openvpn

1. If your profile expects username/password authentication, create an auth file (for example /usr/local/etc/openvpn/nordvpn-auth.txt) with your NordVPN service credentials and reference it inside nordvpn.ovpn:

  echo "NORDVPN_USERNAME" > /usr/local/etc/openvpn/nordvpn-auth.txt
  echo "NORDVPN_PASSWORD" >> /usr/local/etc/openvpn/nordvpn-auth.txt
  chmod 600 /usr/local/etc/openvpn/nordvpn-auth.txt
  # Dentro de nordvpn.ovpn asegúrate de tener:
  # auth-user-pass /usr/local/etc/openvpn/nordvpn-auth.txt

1. Configure rc.d to bring the tunnel up at boot. In /etc/rc.conf.local add:

  sysrc openvpn_enable=YES
  sysrc openvpn_if=nordvpn
  sysrc openvpn_configfile=/usr/local/etc/openvpn/nordvpn.ovpn

1. Start the service:

  service openvpn start

After starting, confirm your tunnel with ifconfig tun0 (o la interfaz creada por OpenVPN) y comprueba tu IP con curl ifconfig.co para asegurarte de que el tráfico sale por NordVPN.

Wrapping Up

On NomadBSD, integrating a VPN is largely about choosing a provider with strong OpenVPN and WireGuard support and then leveraging FreeBSD’s native pkg, rc.d and pf infrastructure. Mullvad y NordVPN destacan por sus configuraciones limpias y compatibilidad con OpenVPN/WireGuard, mientras que PIA sigue siendo una alternativa sólida si te ciñes a OpenVPN. In each case, the commands above should get your secure tunnel up and running—just adapt the config paths and account details as needed. Enjoy a truly portable, private NomadBSD experience!

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