How to choose, use and configure a VPN in Obarun (My opinion)

VPN Selection Tailored for Obarun

Obarun is an Arch-based, systemd-free distribution maintained with pacman and the runit init system. It’s preferred by experienced Linux users who value minimalism and fine-grained control. Common desktop environments include XFCE, LXDE, tiling window managers like i3 and sway, and occasionally KDE Plasma (without systemd integration).

When choosing a VPN for Obarun, the key considerations are:

No reliance on systemd-only services or libraries
Availability of OpenVPN or WireGuard configs or pure-CLI clients
Easy installation via pacman/AUR or simple manual steps

Comparison of Leading VPN Providers

Provider	Native Linux Client	Systemd Dependency	Protocols
Mullvad	Official WireGuard amp OpenVPN configs	No	WireGuard, OpenVPN
ProtonVPN	Open-source CLI (via pip) config files	No	OpenVPN, WireGuard (beta)
Windscribe	CLI client (AUR)	No	OpenVPN, WireGuard
NordVPN	Official client (systemd-heavy)	Yes	OpenVPN, NordLynx
ExpressVPN	Official .tgz installer (uses systemd)	Yes	OpenVPN, Lightway

Top Picks for Obarun

Based on systemd-free compatibility, ease of installation and strong protocol support, these are the top three:

Mullvad
ProtonVPN
Windscribe

1. Installing amp Configuring Mullvad

Mullvad provides ready-to-use WireGuard and OpenVPN configs, so no systemd service is required.

Step 1: Install required tools

sudo pacman -Sy wireguard-tools openvpn unzip wget

Step 2: Download Mullvad configs

wget https://mullvad.net/media/files/mullvad-wg-linux.zip
unzip mullvad-wg-linux.zip -d ~/mullvad-configs

Step 3: Bring up a WireGuard tunnel

Replace mullvad-xxx with the actual .conf filename in ~/mullvad-configs/wireguard.

cd ~/mullvad-configs/wireguard
sudo wg-quick up mullvad-xxx.conf

Step 4: Tear down the tunnel

sudo wg-quick down mullvad-xxx.conf

2. Installing amp Configuring ProtonVPN

ProtonVPN offers an open-source CLI tool (protonvpn-cli-ng) installable via pip, plus downloadable OpenVPN configs.

Step 1: Install Python amp pip

sudo pacman -Sy python python-pip

Step 2: Install the CLI tool

sudo pip3 install protonvpn-cli

Step 3: Initialize and log in

protonvpn-cli init
protonvpn-cli login your-protonvpn-username

Step 4: Connect to a server

protonvpn-cli connect --fastest

Step 5: Disconnect

protonvpn-cli disconnect

3. Installing amp Configuring Windscribe

Windscribe’s CLI client is available in the AUR. You can build it with makepkg.

Step 1: Install base-devel and git

sudo pacman -Sy base-devel git

Step 2: Clone and build the AUR package

git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/windscribe-cli-git.git
cd windscribe-cli-git
makepkg -si

Step 3: Log in and connect

windscribe login
windscribe connect

Step 4: Disconnect

windscribe disconnect

Final Tips

Always verify your IP and DNS leak status after connecting.
Store your configs in ~/vpn-configs or a version-controlled directory.
Obarun’s runit can call any script feel free to write simple init scripts in /etc/runit/runsvdir/default if you need auto-start.

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