Choosing the Right VPN for Stella

Stella, a Debian-based distribution tailored for developers and power users, combines the stability of Debian with user-friendly refinements. It uses apt and dpkg for package management, and ships with GNOME as its default desktop environment (Wayland by default), though many opt for KDE or XFCE spin-offs. Under the hood you’ll find systemd for service management, NetworkManager for network configuration, and native support for snap and Flatpak. When selecting a VPN for Stella, you’ll want:

• First-class apt/Debian support (or a snap/Flatpak package).
• Seamless NetworkManager integration.
• A robust CLI client and systemd service files (for auto-start and kill-switch).
• Compatibility with Wayland (no X-wrapping hacks).

Based on these criteria, the following VPN services stand out:

Top Candidates and Why They Suit Stella

• NordVPN – Official Debian repository, native nordvpn CLI, systemd integration and a built-in kill-switch.
• ProtonVPN – Offers an apt repository for the protonvpn-cli, strong privacy emphasis, and NetworkManager plugin.
• Mullvad – Simple .deb download or apt repo, uses OpenVPN/WireGuard with systemd service units.
• ExpressVPN – Provides a .deb package, official CLI, kill-switch, and systemd auto-connet.

Comparison Table

Installation Configuration

The following sections walk you through setting up the top three choices on Stella.

1. NordVPN

Installation

# 1. Add NordVPN GPG key and repo
sudo apt install -y curl gnupg
curl -s https://repo.nordvpn.com/gpg/nordvpn_public.asc  sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/nordvpn-archive-keyring.gpg

echo deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/nordvpn-archive-keyring.gpg] 
https://repo.nordvpn.com/deb/nordvpn/debian stable main  
sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/nordvpn.list

# 2. Update and install
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y nordvpn

Configuration

# 1. Log in
nordvpn login

# 2. Enable kill-switch and auto-connect at boot
nordvpn set killswitch on
sudo systemctl enable nordvpnd.service

# 3. Connect to the nearest server
nordvpn connect

# 4. To disconnect
nordvpn disconnect

2. ProtonVPN

Installation

# 1. Install dependencies
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y wget apt-transport-https gnupg

# 2. Add ProtonVPN repo
wget -qO - https://repo.protonvpn.com/debian/public_key.asc  sudo apt-key add -
echo deb https://repo.protonvpn.com/debian stable main  
sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/protonvpn.list

# 3. Update and install CLI
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y protonvpn-cli

Configuration

# 1. Initialize  log in
protonvpn-cli login your_protonvpn_username

# 2. List available servers
protonvpn-cli servers

# 3. Connect to fastest server
protonvpn-cli connect --fastest

# 4. Enable kill-switch (requires root)
sudo protonvpn-cli configure --kill-switch always

3. Mullvad

Installation

# Option A: Download and install .deb
wget https://mullvad.net/download/app/deb/latest -O mullvad.deb
sudo apt install -y ./mullvad.deb

# Option B: Add Mullvad apt repo
echo deb https://repo.mullvad.net/deb/ debian main  
sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mullvad.list
wget -qO - https://mullvad.net/download/mullvad-archive-signing-key.asc  
sudo apt-key add -
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y mullvad-vpn

Configuration

# 1. Log in with your Mullvad account number
mullvad login YOUR_ACCOUNT_NUMBER

# 2. Connect using WireGuard
mullvad relay set wireguard
mullvad connect

# 3. Enable systemd service for auto-connect
sudo systemctl enable mullvad-daemon.service

With these instructions in hand, your Stella system will enjoy rock-solid VPN protection, integrated cleanly with apt, systemd and NetworkManager. Cheerio and happy secure browsing!