# VPN provider for self-hosting in North America?
**URL:** https://forum.yunohost.org/t/vpn-provider-for-self-hosting-in-north-america/24521
**Category:** Support
**Tags:** english
**Created:** [April 26, 2023, 4:11am UTC](https://forum.yunohost.org/t/vpn-provider-for-self-hosting-in-north-america/24521 "2023-04-26T04:11:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@wheat3000](https://forum.yunohost.org/u/wheat3000)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2023, 4:11am UTC](https://forum.yunohost.org/t/vpn-provider-for-self-hosting-in-north-america/24521/1 "2023-04-26T04:11:06Z")
_**Update: I was able to make some progress by using a .opvn config file from VPN Area. It’s still not clear if YunoHost will work with their service. I will close this thread and for anyone reading this later, the saga continues here: [How to use Let'sEncrypt Certificates created without port 80 using acme.sh?](https://forum.yunohost.org/t/how-to-use-letsencrypt-certificates-created-without-port-80-using-acme-sh/24538)**_
### My YunoHost server
**Hardware:** Raspberry Pi at home
**YunoHost version:** 11.1.18
**I have access to my server :** Through SSH | through the webadmin | direct access via keyboard / screen |
**Are you in a special context or did you perform some particular tweaking on your YunoHost instance ?** : no
### Description of my issue
I am trying to find a known compatible VPN provider that has Dedicated IP addresses in Canada. I signed up for VPNArea and when they set up the Dedicated IP they just gave me the IP address and no configuration file(s).
So I emailed VPNArea’s support, and while I am waiting for a response, I went digging through their site and just saw this:
> How to get port-forwarding on some ports for your Dedicated IP? Which ports are not allowed?
> Last Updated 4 years ago
> We can port forward almost any ports to your dedicated IP except ports 22, 25, 993 and 80.
> The dedicated IPs are not intended to serve as a front for a web server or a mail server as this is largely associated with abuse.
> If you’re a business and you have a legitimate reason to request the port forwarding of those specific ports please let us know and we’ll try to accommodate you.
Doesn’t sound very promising 😕
_ **Edit: see my response below. They were able to send me a .ovpn file** _
So I am wondering: are there any other Canadian/North American users who have successfully found a VPN provider that allows them to self-host a website and/or federated social media instance? Or am I better off using a cloud server? I was really hoping to use this pi400 for it ☹
---
### Author:  [@tierce](https://forum.yunohost.org/u/tierce)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2023, 6:04am UTC](https://forum.yunohost.org/t/vpn-provider-for-self-hosting-in-north-america/24521/2 "2023-04-26T06:04:02Z")
Why does it have to be canadian ? If it’s a VPN with fixed ipv4 & v6 you need, it can be from anywhere arround the world. Like a member of the [french federation of associative Internet Service Providers](https://www.ffdn.org/fr/membres).
---
### Author:  [@rungeard](https://forum.yunohost.org/u/rungeard)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2023, 8:07am UTC](https://forum.yunohost.org/t/vpn-provider-for-self-hosting-in-north-america/24521/3 "2023-04-26T08:07:37Z")
from [VPN providers | Yunohost Documentation](https://yunohost.org/en/administer/providers/vpn)
These options may meet your needs (not tested) →
- [VPN area](https://vpnarea.com/front/home/dedicated-ip) (to eliminate if you can’t forward all ports)
- [Trust zone](https://trust.zone/fr/order?p=25)
- [PureVPN](https://www.purevpn.fr/ip-vpn-dedie)
- [RapidVPN](https://www.rapidvpn.com/vpn)
Otherwise I had made a tuto on how to make a VPN server yourself and in this case you will just need a VPN provider in Canada. See [Homemade WireGuard VPN on a VPS server](https://forum.yunohost.org/t/homemade-wireguard-vpn-on-a-vps-server/15662)
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### Author:  [@wheat3000](https://forum.yunohost.org/u/wheat3000)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2023, 3:36pm UTC](https://forum.yunohost.org/t/vpn-provider-for-self-hosting-in-north-america/24521/4 "2023-04-26T15:36:56Z")
Thanks for responding.
I guess the reason I asked is that many of these services will not refund the cost of a dedicated IP address subscription.
If I can avoid it, I’d prefer to not lose another $50+ on something I cannot use! So I am hoping that someone else can verify that there is a working option.
The VPN is really just for me to be able to host the machine at home safely. If I understand the guide you provided, I would be using a VPS - which makes me think that using a VPS and no VPN might be the better option in my case.
Thanks again for your response 🙂
---
### Author:  [@wheat3000](https://forum.yunohost.org/u/wheat3000)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2023, 4:19pm UTC](https://forum.yunohost.org/t/vpn-provider-for-self-hosting-in-north-america/24521/5 "2023-04-26T16:19:49Z")
Thanks for responding.
Yes, that’s true. My assumption was that a server from far away will result in slower speeds. But if I can’t get this one fully working I will definitely look at that. Thanks 🙂
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### Author:  [@wheat3000](https://forum.yunohost.org/u/wheat3000)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2023, 4:26pm UTC](https://forum.yunohost.org/t/vpn-provider-for-self-hosting-in-north-america/24521/6 "2023-04-26T16:26:48Z")
OK!
Luckily VPN Area was able to send me a .ovpn file for the dedicated IP.
Still waiting on a response for opening port 80. (Do I actually need it open? Or is 443 enough?)
Things I learned, that others may also want to try:
1. In order to login, I needed to SSH to my server and run this multiple times:
```auto
sudo systemd-tty-ask-password-agent
```
1. I followed this guide to automate the login process on boot:
[How to Connect to a VPN Automatically on Linux - Make Tech Easier](https://www.maketecheasier.com/connect-vpn-automatically-linux/)
Will update if they allow me to open port 80, or with other issues.
Thanks again to those who responded.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.yunohost.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2023, 4:27pm UTC](https://forum.yunohost.org/t/vpn-provider-for-self-hosting-in-north-america/24521/7 "2023-05-11T16:27:09Z")
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