streisand VS edgewalker

https://github.com/StreisandEffect/streisand

Streisand sets up a new server running your choice of WireGuard, OpenConnect, OpenSSH, OpenVPN, Shadowsocks, sslh, Stunnel, or a Tor bridge. It also generates custom instructions for all of these services. At the end of the run you are given an HTML file with instructions that can be shared with friends, family members, and fellow activists.

Unfortunately, that's to the Great Firewall of China, there has been a lot of resources put in to fingerprint VPNs and block them by state actors.

Fortunately, however, there is equally years of some of the smartest minds on the planet working to bypass Chinese censorship, so there are some great OpenVPN alternatives.

I really encourage you to look into something like Shadowsocks which Chinese people have found great success in using over the last several years.

It's quite sad that projects like Streisand[0] were archived, but I'm sure there are other alternatives that might make it just as easy to roll onto a server.

[0] https://github.com/StreisandEffect/streisand

The Streisand Project[0] provided easy installation of well-configured certs, VPNs and various other software on cloud instances. It was great for travelling internationally: run the script and after a few minutes one had a cloud instance and everything one needed to securely access the Internet through one’s own country.

Unfortunately, it was archived in 2021. Is there anything in 2023 which approaches it? I’ve seen Algo[1], but I don’t believe it does as much to help one to avoid packet filtering. It’s also based on Ubuntu rather than Debian, which seems like a mistake with security-conscious server software.

0: https://github.com/StreisandEffect/streisand

1: https://github.com/trailofbits/algo

It basically works like any normal VPN. Setting it up is quite easy, you just need a VPS and setup Streisand by following their guide.

You are better off renting a cloud server and rolling your own, e.g. using Streisand, Algo or my own Edgewalker

I currently use https://github.com/StreisandEffect/streisand which was extremely simple to set up.

What are the main advantages over Streisand?

For a VPN, I use Streisand (https://github.com/StreisandEffect/streisand) running on a box in a datacenter in Iceland. I also occasionally use other VPNs. I turn off the VPN on my gaming PC when playing specific games.

Can’t say I approve of his endorsement of OpenVPN when Streisand and Algo exist, but I may be biased, having written my own self-hosted VPN script, Edgewalker (https://github.com/fazalmajid/edgewalker).

I’m not sure of the point of the book, generally people learn from doing, when they have a pressing need that provides the motivation, rather than learn new skills in advance “on spec”, so what’s really needed is a reference or wiki, or something like StackOverflow with better curation.

I use a modified version of my Edgewalker script to do this between my OpenBSD router at home an an OpenBSD VPS in the cloud that holds the fixed IP. Works like a charm, but many services blacklist cloud IPs, e.g. streaming or Wikipedia won’t let you make edits, so my client devices still go direct through CGNAT to avoid this.

My home network is behind CGNAT so I use WG to a cloud VPS using a variant of my Edgewalker DIY VPN script to get a static IP.

You are better off renting a cloud server and rolling your own, e.g. using Streisand, Algo or my own Edgewalker

VPN providers are untrustworthy. You’re better off getting a VPS from a cloud provider and running your own, e.g. my Edgewalker.

If you just want to run a WireGuard server, have a look at Edgewalker. Warp does more, like routing through CloudFlare’s network so the source IP as seen by the server varies by server location. It was a good way to defeat Netflix geoblocking at one time, sadly no longer.

You can use WireGuard over the CGNAT connection to a cloud server (e.g. using my Edgewalker) to get essentially a poor man's static IP. I did it on my UK Three 5G connection and still do on my non-static IP fiber broadband connection.

I wrote Edgewalker, a script to quickly setup an IPsec/IKEv2/MOBIKE and Wireguard server on top of any OpenBSD instance, along with QR code based setup for iDevices and Wireguard. It doesn't have integration with enterprise directory services and SSO, and there seems to be an entire ecosystem of commercial Wireguard wrappers that offer that and little else.

Don't trust VPN services. Just build your own, e.g. using my Edgewalker script or something like Argo or Streisand.

You could use my Edgewalker as a starting point. Is the web panel for yourself or for your friends?