WireGuard is a modern, open-source VPN protocol built into the Linux kernel since 5.6. It uses state-of-the-art cryptography, has a minimal codebase (~4,000 lines), and is significantly faster than OpenVPN or IPsec.

How much does it cost to run WireGuard on Raff?

WireGuard is free and open-source. The underlying Raff VM starts at $3.99/month (1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 25 GB NVMe SSD) with hourly billing. There are no additional charges for VPN traffic — all tiers include unmetered bandwidth.

Can I use WireGuard to connect multiple Raff VMs privately?

Yes. You can add multiple peers to your WireGuard server config, each with their own key pair and allowed IP range. This creates a private mesh where all your Raff VMs communicate securely over the VPN tunnel.

Does WireGuard work on Windows and macOS clients?

Yes. Official WireGuard apps exist for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux. The client configuration format is identical across platforms — generate your keys on the server and paste the config into the app.

What is the difference between WireGuard and OpenVPN?

WireGuard uses ~4,000 lines of code vs OpenVPN's ~100,000, making it easier to audit and faster to handshake. WireGuard achieves 3-4x higher throughput in benchmarks and reconnects almost instantly after network changes.

Set Up WireGuard VPN on Ubuntu 24.04

In this tutorial, you’ll install Node.js 24 LTS and npm on a Raff Ubuntu 24.04 VM, verify the installation, install build tools, create a small test project, and run a temporary Node.js HTTP server.

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime used to build web servers, APIs, command-line tools, real-time applications, and backend services. This tutorial installs Node.js from the NodeSource repository so you can use the current Node.js 24 LTS release instead of the older version that may be available in Ubuntu’s default package repository.

Raff Technologies runs over 10,000 VMs across its compute platform in Vint Hill, Virginia, on AMD EPYC hardware with NVMe storage.

Prerequisites:

A Raff Ubuntu 24.04 VM
SSH access with sudo privileges
Port 3000/tcp temporarily available for the test HTTP server
Basic familiarity with running commands in a Linux terminal

This tutorial was tested on a Raff VM with 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, running Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS.

Tested on Raff infrastructure by Aybars Altınyay, platform engineer and technical writer at Raff Technologies.

Step 1 — Update Ubuntu and install prerequisites

Update the package index and install the base packages needed to add an external APT repository.

Bash

sudo apt update

sudo env DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive NEEDRESTART_MODE=a apt upgrade -y \
  -o Dpkg::Options::=--force-confdef \
  -o Dpkg::Options::=--force-confold

sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg lsb-release ufw build-essential

📌 Note: If Ubuntu asks what to do with a modified /etc/ssh/sshd_config file, select keep the local version currently installed. This preserves your current SSH login configuration.

Verify the Ubuntu version:

Bash

lsb_release -ds

Expected output:

Text

Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS

Minor Ubuntu 24.04 point releases are acceptable.

Step 2 — Add the NodeSource Node.js 24 repository

Add the NodeSource setup script for Node.js 24.

Bash

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_24.x | sudo bash -

After the script finishes, update the package index again:

Bash

sudo apt update

Verify that APT can see the NodeSource Node.js package:

Bash

apt-cache policy nodejs | sed -n '1,12p'

Expected output includes a candidate version from NodeSource.

Text

nodejs:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 24.x.x

The exact version may change as Node.js 24 LTS receives updates.

Step 3 — Install Node.js and npm

Install Node.js.

Bash

sudo apt install -y nodejs

The NodeSource package includes Node.js and npm.

Verify the installed versions:

Bash

node -v
npm -v

Expected output from the tested Raff VM:

Text

v24.16.0
11.3.0

Your exact patch versions may be newer.

Step 4 — Verify Node.js from the command line

Run a simple Node.js command:

Bash

node -e "console.log('Node.js is working on Raff')"

Expected output:

Text

Node.js is working on Raff

Verify that npm can initialize a project:

Bash

mkdir -p /opt/nodejs-test
cd /opt/nodejs-test

npm init -y

Expected output includes:

Text

Wrote to /opt/nodejs-test/package.json

Check that the project file exists:

Bash

ls -l package.json

Expected output includes:

Text

package.json

Step 5 — Create a test Node.js HTTP server

Create a small HTTP server.

Bash

cd /opt/nodejs-test

cat > server.js <<'EOF'
const http = require('http');

const hostname = '0.0.0.0';
const port = 3000;

const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
  res.statusCode = 200;
  res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/html; charset=utf-8');
  res.end(`
<!doctype html>
<html>
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <title>Hello from Node.js on Raff</title>
  <style>
    body {
      font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
      background: #111;
      color: #fff;
      max-width: 760px;
      margin: 120px auto;
      line-height: 1.6;
    }
    h1 {
      color: #db4a2b;
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <h1>Hello from Node.js on Raff!</h1>
  <p>This page is served by a Node.js HTTP server running on an Ubuntu 24.04 VM.</p>
</body>
</html>
`);
});

server.listen(port, hostname, () => {
  console.log(`Node.js test server running at http://${hostname}:${port}/`);
});
EOF

Start the test server in the background:

Bash

nohup node server.js > node-server.log 2>&1 &
echo $! > node-server.pid

Verify that the server is listening on port 3000:

Bash

sudo ss -tulpn | grep ':3000'

Expected output includes:

Text

LISTEN
0.0.0.0:3000

Step 6 — Verify Node.js with a test HTTP server

Allow temporary access to port 3000.

Bash

sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw allow 3000/tcp
sudo ufw --force enable
sudo ufw status numbered

Expected output includes:

Text

Status: active
OpenSSH                    ALLOW IN
3000/tcp                   ALLOW IN

Test the server locally:

Bash

curl -I http://localhost:3000
curl -s http://localhost:3000 | grep "Hello from Node.js on Raff"

Expected output includes:

Text

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
<h1>Hello from Node.js on Raff!</h1>

Find your VM’s public IP address:

Bash

curl -4 icanhazip.com

Open your browser and visit:

Text

http://your_server_ip:3000

Visible state check:

Text

The browser shows the message "Hello from Node.js on Raff!".
The URL uses http://your_server_ip:3000.
The Node.js server is running on the Raff Ubuntu 24.04 VM.

Node.js test HTTP server running on Ubuntu 24.04

The test is successful when the browser displays the Node.js page and curl -I http://localhost:3000 returns HTTP/1.1 200 OK.

📌 Note: Port 3000 is opened only for this temporary verification step. In production, place Node.js applications behind a reverse proxy such as Nginx or Caddy and serve traffic through ports 80 and 443.

Step 7 — Review the installed Node.js environment

Check the final versions and project files:

Bash

node -v
npm -v

cd /opt/nodejs-test
ls -l

Expected output includes:

Text

v24.x.x
11.x.x
package.json
server.js
node-server.log

Check the Node.js server process:

Bash

ps aux | grep '[n]ode server.js'

Expected output includes:

Text

node server.js

Check the server log:

Bash

cat /opt/nodejs-test/node-server.log

Expected output includes:

Text

Node.js test server running at http://0.0.0.0:3000/

Step 8 — Verify the complete Node.js setup

Run a final verification sequence:

Bash

echo "Checking Node.js:"
node -v

echo "Checking npm:"
npm -v

echo "Checking project file:"
test -f /opt/nodejs-test/package.json && echo "package.json exists"

echo "Checking HTTP server:"
curl -I http://localhost:3000

echo "Checking page content:"
curl -s http://localhost:3000 | grep "Hello from Node.js on Raff"

echo "Checking firewall:"
sudo ufw status numbered

Expected output includes:

Text

v24.x.x
11.x.x
package.json exists
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Hello from Node.js on Raff
3000/tcp ALLOW IN

The Node.js installation is complete when Node.js and npm return versions, the test project exists, and the test HTTP server responds successfully.

Cleanup (Optional)

Use this section to stop the temporary test server and close port 3000.

Stop the test server:

Bash

cd /opt/nodejs-test

if [ -f node-server.pid ]; then
  kill "$(cat node-server.pid)" 2>/dev/null || true
  rm -f node-server.pid
fi

sudo fuser -k 3000/tcp 2>/dev/null || true

Close the temporary firewall rule:

Bash

sudo ufw delete allow 3000/tcp

Verify that port 3000 is closed:

Bash

sudo ss -tulpn | grep ':3000' || echo "Port 3000 is closed"

curl -I --max-time 3 http://localhost:3000 || echo "Node.js test server is stopped"

Expected output:

Text

Port 3000 is closed
Node.js test server is stopped

If you want to remove the test project files as well:

Bash

sudo rm -rf /opt/nodejs-test

📌 Note: Do not remove Node.js itself if you plan to use this VM for Node.js applications.

Troubleshooting

`node: command not found`

Cause: Node.js is not installed, or the package installation did not complete.

Fix:

Bash

apt-cache policy nodejs
sudo apt install -y nodejs
node -v

Expected output includes a Node.js version.

`npm: command not found`

Cause: npm is missing or Node.js was installed from a package source that does not include npm.

Fix:

Bash

sudo apt install -y nodejs
npm -v

The NodeSource Node.js package includes npm.

The browser cannot open port 3000

Cause: The Node.js server is not running, UFW blocks port 3000, or the wrong public IP address is being used.

Fix:

Bash

sudo ss -tulpn | grep ':3000'
sudo ufw status numbered
curl -4 icanhazip.com
curl -I http://localhost:3000

Expected output includes:

Text

0.0.0.0:3000
3000/tcp ALLOW IN
HTTP/1.1 200 OK

`EADDRINUSE: address already in use`

Cause: Another process is already using port 3000.

Fix:

Bash

sudo ss -tulpn | grep ':3000'
sudo fuser -k 3000/tcp

Then restart the test server:

Bash

cd /opt/nodejs-test

nohup node server.js > node-server.log 2>&1 &
echo $! > node-server.pid

The page works locally but not from the browser

Cause: The server may be listening only on localhost, or the firewall may block external access.

Fix:

Check that server.js uses:

Text

const hostname = '0.0.0.0';

Then verify the firewall:

Bash

sudo ufw allow 3000/tcp
sudo ufw status numbered

I should not expose port 3000 directly in production

Correct. Port 3000 is used only for this tutorial’s temporary verification step.

For production deployments, run the Node.js application on an internal port and place it behind a reverse proxy such as Nginx or Caddy. You can start with Install Nginx on Ubuntu 24.04, then configure HTTPS with a certificate before serving real users.

Conclusion

You have installed Node.js 24 LTS and npm on a Raff Ubuntu 24.04 VM, verified the command-line runtime, initialized a test project, and confirmed a Node.js HTTP server works in the browser.

From here, you can build APIs, run backend services, deploy full-stack JavaScript applications, or place your Node.js app behind Nginx for production traffic. If you haven’t deployed your Raff VM yet, you can create one from the Raff Linux VM page.

Next: Install Nginx on Ubuntu 24.04 Related: Install Docker on Ubuntu 24.04 Guide: Deploy Uptime Kuma with Docker on Ubuntu 24.04

How to Set Up WireGuard VPN on Ubuntu 24.04 (Step-by-Step)

Prerequisites

Step 1 — Update Ubuntu and install prerequisites

Step 2 — Add the NodeSource Node.js 24 repository

Step 3 — Install Node.js and npm

Step 4 — Verify Node.js from the command line

Step 5 — Create a test Node.js HTTP server

Step 6 — Verify Node.js with a test HTTP server

Step 7 — Review the installed Node.js environment

Step 8 — Verify the complete Node.js setup

Cleanup (Optional)

Troubleshooting

`node: command not found`

`npm: command not found`

The browser cannot open port 3000

`EADDRINUSE: address already in use`

The page works locally but not from the browser

I should not expose port 3000 directly in production

Conclusion

Put it into practice

Frequently asked questions