How to Install WireGuard on a NAT VPS
WireGuard is a modern, fast, and secure VPN tunnel that’s much simpler to set up than older protocols like OpenVPN. If you’re running a NAT VPS (a virtual server behind a carrier-grade NAT), you can absolutely use WireGuard — you just need to be mindful of a few networking details, especially if you want to route all traffic through the VPN.
This guide walks you through installing WireGuard on your NAT VPS, configuring it for both client and server use, and getting it working even with the port-forwarding limitations that NAT introduces.
Requirement
- A NAT VPS running a modern Linux distribution (Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 11, CentOS Stream 9, etc.)
- Root or sudo access to the server
- Basic familiarity with the command line
- If you plan to connect from outside, you’ll need a port-forward rule from your provider (e.g., forward public port 51820 to your VPS’s private IP on port 51820)
Step 1: Install WireGuard
First, update your package lists and install WireGuard. The commands vary slightly depending on your distribution.
On Ubuntu / Debian:
sudo apt update
On CentOS / Rocky / AlmaLinux:
sudo dnf install epel-release -y
Once installed, run this command
wget https://git.io/wireguard -O wireguard-install.sh && bash wireguard-install.sh
Once its you can start using it
