Self-Hosting VPN ── NetBird

The VPN I used before was Tailscale. Tailscale’s limitation for free users: only three people in one tailnet. But my Minecraft buddies number more than three… So I migrated the whole family to NetBird.

NetBird is a zero-trust VPN based on WireGuard. In plain terms: it helps us connect devices scattered around (laptops, Raspberry Pi, cloud servers) into a secure virtual local area network. Though they offer official servers, I just want to self-host!

Basic Setup Tutorial

Prerequisites

1. A Linux host with a public IP (I use GCP Ubuntu 22.04).
2. Your own domain
3. Docker installed—it’s a good thing

Step 1: Configure GCP Firewall

Before installing, you must open up network access on the server. GCP blocks external connections by default. Go to GCP console VPC Network -> Firewall, add a rule to open these ports to all sources (0.0.0.0/0):

• TCP 80, 443: For web dashboard and automatic Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate requests.
• TCP 33073: NetBird gRPC management port.
• UDP 3478: STUN service (this is key for devices to successfully P2P hole-punch).
• UDP 33073: Signal service.

Step 2: Configure Cloudflare DNS

Go to Cloudflare dashboard, add an A record:

• Name: whatever you like
• IPv4 address: Your GCP server’s public IP
• Proxy status: Set to DNS Only (gray cloud)

Step 3: Run Official Installation Script

SSH into your GCP server, download and run the official installation script:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird/releases/latest/download/setup.sh | bash

During execution, the script will ask a few questions. If you want simple, choose 0 for the first one—no need to manually handle SSL certificates. Next it’ll ask if you need a reverse proxy—personal preference. Finally enter your URL and you’re done.

Step 4: Connect

Open your custom website in a browser. First login requires creating an admin account. Download the client based on your operating system.

• Server Settings
  Click Setup Key > Create Setup Key—this is the key for connecting, only used during initial setup. Give it a name, other settings can stay as is. The key only appears once, so copy it.

• Client Settings

  • Linux

    netbird up --management-url https://your-vpn-url --setup-key YOUR_SETUP_KEY

  • Windows
    After downloading the client, click Settings > Advanced Settings. Change the URL to your own. Then open PowerShell and enter:

    netbird up --setup-key YOUR_SETUP_KEY