Privately Access Instagram and Telegram with a Gcore OpenVPN Instance

Privately Access Instagram and Telegram with a Gcore OpenVPN Instance

In our interconnected, digital world, privacy is paramount. To maintain your data privacy when using Instagram, Telegram, and other services, you can run a personal VPN server using the OpenVPN solution. This tutorial will guide you through the process so you can enjoy access to your favorite online platforms without privacy concerns.

What Is OpenVPN?

OpenVPN is an open-source virtual private network (VPN) application. It is a powerful tool that allows you to connect securely to your server from anywhere in the world, and use this server as a VPN.

To run an OpenVPN server, we will run a preconfigured Gcore Cloud OpenVPN instance. The main advantage of this approach is that it saves you time and effort: your VPN server is ready for use in under five minutes. You simply need to create an instance, download the OpenVPN configuration, and install OpenVPN Connect on your mobile device to connect to the server. No manual manipulations are required in the command line.

How to Run and Use OpenVPN

Step 1. Create a Virtual Machine with an OpenVPN Server

First, letā€™s create a virtual machine with an OpenVPN server:

  1. On your desktop, log in to your Gcore Cloud account. If you donā€™t have a Gcore Cloud account yet, sign up.
  2. Go to Cloud and select Projects.
  3. Š”lick Create project; fill in the Name field.
  4. In your project, click Create Instance.
Creating an instance in Gcore Cloud
Figure 1: Create an instance
  1. Select one of the available regions.
  2. In the Image section, select Marketplace. Click the Openvpn Latest image.
Figure 2: Select ā€œOpenvpn Latestā€
  1. Set the following parameters:
  2. App Template Configuration: external URL if you have a domain
  3. Type: we recommend 1vCPU / 2GB RAM
  4. Volume: choose any volume type with 10GB available
  5. Network: keep the default public IP
  6. Firewall: select ā€œDefaultā€ with the ā€œAdd application ports to firewall groupā€ flag
  7. SSH Key: choose your public SSH key or generate a new one
  8. Instance name: openvpn-server (or whatever you want)
  9. Now youā€™ve completed the set up steps, click Create Instance. The virtual machine will appear in the ā€œInstancesā€ list. Wait until the virtual machineā€™s ā€œCreatingā€ status changes to ā€œPower On.ā€
Virtual machine creation in progress, with the status ā€œbuilding/creatingā€¦ā€
Figure 3: The virtual machine is being created

Step 2. Download the OpenVPN Configuration to your Device

Wait for five minutes after the virtual machine is powered on. You can then download the OpenVPN configuration, which will allow you to connect to the OpenVPN server.

On your mobile device, open a web browser and type the virtual machineā€™s public IP address in the address bar, as follows:

http://<your_public_ip_address>

Hereā€™s how that will look:

Screenshot of the browser address bar with IP address entered
Figure 4: Download the OpenVPN configuration

Once you type the IP address and press Enter, the configuration file is immediately downloaded to your device.

Step 3. Download the OpenVPN Connect Application

How you download the OpenVPN Connect application depends on your device. If you have an Android device, go to the OpenVPN Connect page in the Google Play Store and click Install. If you have an iOS device, go to the OpenVPN Connect page in the App Store and click Install.

Once the application is installed, use the OpenVPN configuration that you downloaded in Step 2 to connect to your OpenVPN server.

Step 4. Apply the OpenVPN Configuration to OpenVPN Connect

Finally, you need to to apply the OpenVPN configuration to the OpenVPN Connect application.

  1. Open the OpenVPN Connect application on your device.
  2. Select Upload File and then tap BROWSE.
  3. Look for the file with the .ovpn extension (itā€™s at the end of the file name.) You can also type ā€œ.ovpnā€ in the search option to find the OpenVPN configuration file.
  4. Once you have found the file, select it. Hereā€™s what youā€™ll see:
Mobile screenshot showing import .ovpn profile for OpenVPN Connect
Figure 5: Import the OpenVPN configuration
  1. Tap OK.
  2. On the Imported Profile screen, tap CONNECT.
Screenshot of OpenVPN Connectā€™s ā€œImported Profileā€ screen
Figure 6: Connect to the OpenVPN server
  1. On the Connection request pop-up, tap OK to accept the request.
  2. On the Profiles screen, youā€™ll see the status CONNECTED, which means you are now connected to the OpenVPN server.
Screenshot of OpenVPN Connectā€™s connection stats
Figure 7: The established VPN connection

Congratulations! You can now access any online service anywhere in the world while maintaining your personal privacy.

Conclusion

OpenVPN provides a quick and easy workaround for accessing banned services, including Instagram, Facebook, and Telegram. Using a preconfigured Gcore Cloud OpenVPN instance is a reliable option, allowing you to enjoy unrestricted internet access wherever you are in the world.

More about Gcore Cloud

Check out our other articles dedicated to setting up different types of software on our Cloud instances:

Privately Access Instagram and Telegram with a Gcore OpenVPN Instance

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