setup a FREE VPN server in the cloud (AWS)

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About this video

A step-by-step walkthrough for building your own VPN server in AWS instead of paying for a commercial VPN. From the EC2 console he launches an instance from AWS Marketplace using a prebuilt OpenVPN Access Server image on Ubuntu, choosing the free-tier-eligible t2.micro size. He creates and downloads a key pair (stressing this is the only download chance), connects by SSH, accepts the setup defaults, then reconnects as the openvpn user and sets its password with sudo passwd. In the web admin portal on port 943 he changes the routing setting so all client internet traffic goes through the VPN, saves, and updates the running server. Clients connect via the user portal on the same port: download the preconfigured client for Windows, iOS, or Android, sign in, and connect — verified by checking that the public IP now matches the server, which he placed in France. He explains the licensing caveat: this bring-your-own-license Access Server gives two clients for free. On cost, he says a new AWS account gets 12 months of free tier, enough for 750 hours a month of this instance, and about 10 dollars a month after that period, per his estimate.

Key takeaways

Using a Marketplace OpenVPN Access Server image avoids a manual OpenVPN install; pick the free-tier-eligible image and instance size
Download the EC2 key pair when created — it cannot be downloaded again — and adjust the SSH command path to where the .pem file actually sits
Initial SSH setup is mostly accepting defaults, then set the openvpn admin/client password from the command line
In the admin portal (port 943), enable routing all client internet traffic through the VPN and apply it to the running server
The free setup is limited: two free client connections on this licensing model, and AWS free-tier hours are time-limited to the first 12 months

Episode details: published August 28, 2020 · 11:01 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are NetworkChuck’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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