[ Arch Linux ] Install Nordvpn service in Arch Linux (2024)

 

Setting up NordVPN on Arch Linux

Step 1: Launch your terminal 

Open your terminal of choice. Pressing the combination of CTRL+ALT+T keys should open your default terminal.

Step 2: Update your system

Before proceeding, make sure that your system is up-to-date and has the latest package database by using the following command: 

sudo pacman -Syu

Here is a quick breakdown of the options: 

-S will synchronize packages. Packages are installed directly from the remote repositories, including all dependencies required to run the packages.

-y will download a fresh copy of the master package database from the server(s) defined in pacman.conf.

-u will restrict or filter output to packages that are out-of-date on the local system.

This means that Pacman will fetch an up-to-date package database and update all the outdated packages on your system.

Step 3: Install Linux essentials 

To work with the Arch User Repository (AUR), which is community maintained, you’ll need certain tools. Install ‘binutils’ with: 

sudo pacman -S binutils

DISCLAIMER: The AUR contains user-submitted packages which can potentially be dangerous. Proceed at your own risk.

Step 4: Install NordVPN

Install the NordVPN-bin package from AUR. Various helpers streamline this process. My helper of choice is YAY (Yet Another Yogurt).

yay -S nordvpn-bin

During installation, you might: 

be asked to choose what packages the helper should use for cleanBuild. cleanBuild will download a fresh copy of the chosen packages. I recommend selecting all packages.

be asked to choose what differences the helper should show. Again, to stay on the safe side, I recommend choosing all and making sure all packages that are going to be installed are safe and secure.

Step 5: Enable and Start the NordVPN daemon

Once the installation is complete, enable the NordVPN daemon with the following commands:

sudo systemctl enable nordvpnd

sudo systemctl start nordvpnd

Step 6: Configure user permissions

Add your Linux user account to the nordvpn group (which is required to run the NordVPN daemon) with the following command:

sudo usermod -aG nordvpn $USER

Step 7: Reboot your system 

Restart your device. You can either use the GUI or the following command:

sudo reboot now

Step 8: Verify the NordVPN daemon

Once the computer restarts, open your terminal and check if the NordVPN daemon is running with the following command:

sudo systemctl status nordvpnd

If the command's output shows “Active: active (running),” it means that the NordVPN daemon is running and can be used.

To access the NordVPN client settings, type the nordvpn command in a Terminal.

Here is the list of available commands:

nordvpn login - Login.

nordvpn connect or nordvpn c - Connect to VPN. To connect to specific servers, use nordvpn connect <country_code server_number> (eg. nordvpn connect uk715)

nordvpn disconnect or nordvpn d - Disconnect from VPN.

nordvpn set or nordvpn s - Set a configuration option. Possible options:

nordvpn set threatprotection on or off - Enable or disable Threat Protection.

nordvpn set killswitch on or off - Enable or disable Kill Switch.

nordvpn set autoconnect on or off - Enable or disable Autoconnect. You can set a specific server for automatic connection using nordvpn set autoconnect on country_code+server_number. Example: nordvpn set autoconnect on us2435.

nordvpn set dns 1.1.1.1 1.0.0.1 - Set custom DNS (you can set up a single DNS or two like shown in this command).

nordvpn set autoconnect on or off - Enable or disable Auto connect.

nordvpn set protocol udp or tcp - Switch between UDP and TCP protocols

nordvpn set obfuscate on or off - Enable or disable Obfuscated Servers.

nordvpn set lan-discovery enable or disable - enable/disable LAN discovery.

nordvpn set lan-discovery --help - get more information on LAN discovery.

nordvpn connect --group p2p <country_code> -  Connect to a specific country using P2P servers.

nordvpn whitelist add port 22 - Open incoming port 22 (the port number can be different).

nordvpn whitelist remove port 22 - Remove the rule added with the above command.

nordvpn whitelist add subnet 192.168.0.0/16 - Add a rule to allowlist your specified subnet.

nordvpn whitelist remove subnet 192.168.0.0/16  - Remove a rule to allowlist your specified subnet.

nordvpn settings - See the current settings.

nordvpn status - See the connection status.

nordvpn countries - See the country list.

nordvpn cities - See the city list. E.g.: nordvpn cities united_states

nordvpn groups - See a list of available server groups.

nordvpn logout - Log out.

nordvpn help or nordvpn h - See the list of commands or help for one command. 

You can see the complete list of commands by using man nordvpn command in a terminal.

Using NordVPN Meshnet on Arch Linux

To log into your NordAccount:

Use this command and follow the link to your browser.

nordvpn login

Or

Use a token that can be generated with the help of this tutorial: How to log in to NordVPN on Linux devices without a GUI

nordvpn login --token <insertyourtokenhere>

Once you’re logged in, you can start using Meshnet with the following command:

nordvpn set meshnet on

To check available commands, simply use the “--help” flag, proceeded by whatever nordvpn command you want to learn more about. Alternatively, check the official nordvpn-linux documentation. 

Original Post: Adam_Meshnet and Nordvpn website support.nordvpn.com