# Install and Configure OpenVPN Client

### Install OpenVPN client

```
apt install openvpn -y

```

### Manually connect to OpenVPN server

- Generate .ovpn file on OpenVPN server and copy to OpenVPN client machine
- Run the command below to connect:

```
openvpn --config client.ovpn

```

### Automatically connect to OpenVPN server

- Generate .ovpn file on OpenVPN server and copy to OpenVPN client machine under /etc/openvpn directory as a .conf file. For example, if you have a my-server.ovpn file you would run the following command:

```
cp my-server.ovpn /etc/openvpn/my-server.conf

```

- Create credentials file in /etc/openvpn/my-server-creds.txt

```
vi /etc/openvpn/my-server-creds.txt

```

- Enter the username and password each one in a separate line like below:

```
openvpn_username
somepassword

```

- Save the file
- Edit /etc/openvpn/my-server.conf file:

```
vi /etc/openvpn/my-server.conf

```

- Locate the **auth-user-pass** line in the file and add the credentials file filename next to it like below:

```
...
auth-user-pass my-server-creds.txt
...

```

- Save the file
- Edit /etc/default/openvpn:

```
vi /etc/default/openvpn

```

- Uncomment the following line (remove the **\#** from the front) :

```
AUTOSTART="all"

```

- Save the file
- Restart the OpenVPN service on the OpenVPN client:

```
systemctl restart openvpn

```

- Reboot the OpenVPN Client server and ensure it connects automatically