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WireGuard Tunneling

WireGuard is a high-performance VPN that provides encrypted tunneling with minimal overhead and full configuration control. It is suitable for advanced users who want self-managed tunnels.

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When to Use WireGuard

Use WireGuard if:
  • You want full self-hosted control
  • You prefer static keys
  • Configure your own VPN
  • You do not want external dependencies
  • You manage multi-node infrastructure

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Install WireGuard

On both servers: 
apt update
apt install wireguard -y

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Generate Keys

On each server: 
wg genkey | tee private.key | wg pubkey > public.key
Store keys securely.

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WireGuard Configuration

Create config: 
nano /etc/wireguard/wg0.conf
Example: 
[Interface]
Address = 10.0.0.1/24
PrivateKey = <PRIVATE_KEY>
ListenPort = 51820

[Peer]
PublicKey = <PEER_PUBLIC_KEY>
AllowedIPs = 10.0.0.2/32
Endpoint = <PEER_PUBLIC_IP>:51820
PersistentKeepalive = 25

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Enable IP Forwarding

sysctl -w net.ipv4.ip_forward=1

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NAT Configuration

iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -j MASQUERADE

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Start WireGuard

wg-quick up wg0
systemctl enable wg-quick@wg0

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Verify Tunnel

wg show

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Security Best Practices

  • Use firewall rules
  • Rotate keys periodically
  • Limit AllowedIPs strictly
  • Monitor traffic

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Comparison with Both Tunnels

Tailscale

  • Easier setup
  • Automatic management

WireGuard

  • Manual control
  • Fully self-hosted

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Next Steps

WireGuard tunnels can be extended for:
  • Multi-region routing
  • Site-to-site VPNs
  • Private service meshes