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

Ideal VPN Solutions for Photon OS

Photon OS is VMware’s minimal, container-optimized Linux distribution. It relies on the tdnf package manager for fast, lightweight updates, offers no built-in desktop environment by default, and is typically managed entirely via the shell. This makes it a perfect host for containers and microservices, but it also means any VPN solution must be fully operable from the command line, and ideally available as an RPM or via tdnf.

When choosing a VPN for Photon OS, look for:

Official RPM or script-based installers that work with tdnf.
CLI-first tools with no GUI dependencies.
Support for modern, efficient protocols (e.g. WireGuard).

Below is a shortlist of VPNs well-suited to Photon OS’s lean, command-line–focused environment.

Comparison of Top VPNs on Photon OS

VPN	Main Protocol	Installation Method	CLI Support	Official Site
WireGuard	WireGuard	Built into kernel, `tdnf install wireguard-tools`	Yes (wg, wg-quick)	wireguard.com
NordVPN	OpenVPN, NordLynx (WireGuard-based)	Official install script (RPM)	Yes (nordvpn CLI)	nordvpn.com
ProtonVPN	OpenVPN, WireGuard	pip install protonvpn-cli	Yes (protonvpn CLI)	protonvpn.com
OpenVPN	OpenVPN	`tdnf install openvpn`	Yes (openvpn binary)	openvpn.net
ExpressVPN	Lightway, OpenVPN	RPM package from repo	Yes (expressvpn CLI)	expressvpn.com

Installation and Configuration Guides

WireGuard

WireGuard is lightweight, high-performance, and integrated directly into modern kernels. Use wg-quick to manage tunnels.

# Install the tools
tdnf install -y wireguard-tools

# Generate key pair
wg genkey  tee privatekey  wg pubkey > publickey

# Create configuration file
cat gt /etc/wireguard/wg0.conf ltlt EOF
[Interface]
PrivateKey = (cat privatekey)
Address = 10.0.0.2/24
DNS = 1.1.1.1

[Peer]
PublicKey = 
Endpoint = vpn.example.com:51820
AllowedIPs = 0.0.0.0/0
PersistentKeepalive = 25
EOF

# Bring up the interface
wg-quick up wg0

# Verify status
wg show

Adjust ltPEER_PUBLIC_KEYgt and endpoint details as provided by your VPN or self-hosted server.

NordVPN

NordVPN offers an official RPM-based installer that works with Photon OS’s tdnf. The CLI supports both OpenVPN and NordLynx (WireGuard-based) protocols.

# Download and run the official install script
curl -sSf https://downloads.nordcdn.com/apps/linux/install.sh  sh

# Log in to your account
nordvpn login

# Connect to the nearest server
nordvpn connect

# List available countries or servers
nordvpn countries
nordvpn servers

# Switch protocol to NordLynx if desired
nordvpn set technology nordlynx
nordvpn connect

You can further tweak settings with nordvpn set, such as killswitch, auto-connect and more, all via CLI.

ProtonVPN

ProtonVPN’s Python-based CLI client is easy to install via pip. It supports both OpenVPN and WireGuard.

# Install pip if missing
tdnf install -y python3-pip

# Install the ProtonVPN CLI client
pip3 install protonvpn-cli

# Initialize the client (you will be prompted for credentials)
protonvpn init

# Connect to the fastest server
protonvpn c --fastest

# List available servers or countries
protonvpn s --servers
protonvpn s --countries

# To disconnect
protonvpn d

For WireGuard support, follow the prompts during protonvpn init to import your keys, or refer to ProtonVPN’s documentation for manual WireGuard profiles.

Conclusion

Photon OS’s minimal, container-focused design makes it ideal for CLI-based VPN solutions. WireGuard provides rock-solid, kernel-level performance with minimal configuration. NordVPN and ProtonVPN, with their robust CLI tools and modern protocols, bring commercial ease of use and enterprise features. Choose the option that best fits your security, performance, and management requirements on Photon OS.

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