🚀 VPN Project

A lightweight and secure VPN implementation using Python. This project leverages TUN/TAP devices and AES encryption for secure communication in a client-server architecture.

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✨ Features

• 🔒 Encryption: Uses AES (CBC mode) for secure communication.
• 🌐 TUN/TAP Support: Utilizes Linux TUN devices for packet forwarding.
• 🖥️ Client-Server Architecture: Dynamically assigns IPs to clients.
• ❤️ Heartbeat Mechanism: Keeps connections alive and monitors client health.
• ⚙️ Cross-Platform Compatibility: Designed to work on Linux environments with Python 3.8+.

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📂 Project Structure

vpn_project/
├── client/
│   ├── client.py            # Main client logic
│   ├── tun_handler.py       # Manages TUN device for the client
│   ├── encryption.py        # AES encryption/decryption module
│   ├── config.json          # Client configuration
├── server/
│   ├── server.py            # Main server logic
│   ├── tun_handler.py       # Manages TUN device for the server
│   ├── encryption.py        # AES encryption/decryption module
│   ├── config.json          # Server configuration
├── requirements.txt         # Python dependencies
├── README.md                # Project overview and instructions
├── INSTALL.md               # Installation guide
├── CONTRIBUTING.md          # Contribution guidelines
├── LICENSE                  # MIT License
└── .gitignore               # Files and directories to exclude from Git

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🛠️ Getting Started

Prerequisites

1. 🖥️ Operating System: Linux with TUN/TAP support.
2. 🐍 Python: Version 3.8 or higher.
3. ⚙️ Required Tools:
   • iproute2 for managing TUN/TAP devices.
   • Build tools (build-essential, libssl-dev, python3-dev) for compiling dependencies.

Install the system dependencies:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y iproute2 build-essential libssl-dev python3-dev

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/vpn_project.git
   cd vpn_project

2. Install Python dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

Configuration

Update the config.json files in the server/ and client/ directories with your settings:

Example config.json for Server:

{
    "server_ip": "0.0.0.0",
    "server_port": 1194,
    "encryption_key": "your-secure-32-byte-key-here"
}

Example config.json for Client:

{
    "server_ip": "192.168.1.100",
    "server_port": 1194,
    "encryption_key": "your-secure-32-byte-key-here"
}

Make sure the encryption_key matches on both server and client.

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🖥️ Usage

Starting the Server

Run the server with elevated privileges (to configure the TUN device):

sudo python3 server/server.py

Monitor the logs to ensure the server is running and waiting for connections.

Starting the Client

Run the client with elevated privileges (to configure the TUN device):

sudo python3 client/client.py

The client will connect to the server, receive an IP address, and establish the VPN connection.

Verify the Connection

1. Check the TUN device configuration:

   ip addr show tun0  # Server-side
   ip addr show tun1  # Client-side

2. Use tools like ping or tcpdump to verify traffic flow.

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IP Route Configuration

The project automatically configures IP routes after connecting:

• Server: Runs the setup-vpn-firewall.sh script with sudo to configure routing.
• Client: Runs the vpn-client-setup.sh without sudo for client-specific routes.

Ensure the script is executable and located in the scripts/ directory.

⚙️ How It Works

1. 🔒 Encryption:

   • All traffic is encrypted using AES with a shared secret key.

2. 🌐 TUN/TAP Devices:

   • The server and client configure TUN devices for packet forwarding.
   • Packets are sent over the encrypted connection.

3. ❤️ Heartbeat Mechanism:

   • The client periodically sends heartbeat messages to ensure the connection is alive.
   • The server monitors heartbeats and disconnects inactive clients.

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🛠️ Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. ❌ TUN Device Not Found:

   • Ensure /dev/net/tun exists and has proper permissions:

     sudo chmod 666 /dev/net/tun

2. ❌ Connection Timeout:

   • Verify the server_ip and server_port in the client configuration.

3. ❌ Decryption Errors:

   • Ensure the encryption_key is identical on both server and client.

Debugging

• 🪵 Check logs on both server and client for detailed information.
• 🔧 Increase logging verbosity in logging.basicConfig() if needed.

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! See the CONTRIBUTING.md file for details on how to get involved.

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📜 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for more information.

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💡 Acknowledgements

• Developed using the Python programming language.
• Inspired by Linux TUN/TAP devices and secure networking principles.