Configure a Wireguard interface (wg): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:55, 25 July 2023

WireGuard has become a nearly ubiquitous vpn solution for multiple platform and is available in the community repository since Alpine 3.10.

WireGuard itself is now integrated into the linux kernel since v5.6. Only the userland configuration tools are required.

Install required packages

The most straightforward method, and the one recommended in WireGuard documentation, is to use wg-quick.

Install wireguard-tools, iptables, and sysctl:

apk add wireguard-tools-wg-quick
apk add iptables
apk add sysctl

Create Server Keys and Interface Config

Create a server private and public key:

wg genkey | tee server.privatekey | wg pubkey > server.publickey

Then, we create a new config file /etc/wireguard/wg0.conf using these new keys:

[Interface]
Address = 192.168.2.1/24
ListenPort = 45340
PrivateKey = <server private key value> # the key from the previously generated privatekey file
PostUp = iptables -A FORWARD -i %i -j ACCEPT; iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -o eth0 -j MASQUERADE;iptables -A FORWARD -o %i -j ACCEPT
PostDown = iptables -D FORWARD -i %i -j ACCEPT; iptables -t nat -D POSTROUTING -o eth0 -j MASQUERADE;iptables -D FORWARD -o %i -j ACCEPT

The PostUp and PostDown iptable rules forward traffic from the wg0 subnet (192.168.2.1/24) to the lan subnet on interface eth0.

Refer to this WireGuard documentation for information on adding peers to the config file.

Bring up the new wg0 interface:

wg-quick up wg0

To take it down, we can use wg-quick down wg0 which will clean up the interface and remove the iptables rules. Note: If running in a Docker container, you will need to run with --cap-add=NET_ADMIN to modify your interfaces.

Enable IP Forwarding

With a NAT destination rule in place on your router, you should be able connect to the wireguard instance and access the host. However, if you intend for peers to be able to access external resources (including the internet), you will need to enable ip forwarding.

Edit the file /etc/sysctl.conf (or a .conf file under /etc/sysctl.d/) and add the following line:

net.ipv4.ip_forward = 1

Add the sysctl service to run at boot:

rc-update add sysctl

Then either reboot or run sysctl -p /etc/sysctl.conf to reload the settings. To ensure forwarding is turned on, run sysctl -a | grep ip_forward and ensure net.ipv4.ip_forward is set to 1.

Running with modloop

If you are running from a RAM disk, you can't modify the modloop.

You can get around it by unpacking the modloop, mounting the unpacked modules folder, then installing WireGuard.

#!/bin/sh
apk add squashfs-tools # install squashfs tools to unpack modloop
unsquashfs -d /root/squash /lib/modloop-lts # unpack modloop to root dir
umount /.modloop # unmount existing modloop
mount /root/squash/ /.modloop/ # mount unpacked modloop
apk del wireguard-lts # uninstall previous WireGuard install
apk add wireguard-lts
apk add wireguard-tools

You can repack the squash filesystem or put this script in the /etc/local.d/ path so it runs at boot-up.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{TOC left}}
-WireGuard is a very promising VPN technology available in the community repository since Alpine 3.10.
+WireGuard has become a nearly ubiquitous vpn solution for multiple platform and is available in the community repository since Alpine 3.10.
-There are several ways to install and configure an interface.
+WireGuard itself is now integrated into the linux kernel since v5.6. Only the userland configuration tools are required.
-In order to load the WireGuard kernel module, you need a compatible kernel:
+== Install required packages ==
-* linux-lts
-* linux-virt
-== Bringing up an interface using wg-tools ==
 The most straightforward method, and the one recommended in WireGuard documentation, is to use <code>wg-quick</code>.
-Install wireguard-tools
+Install wireguard-tools, iptables, and sysctl:
-  apk add wireguard-tools
+  apk add wireguard-tools-wg-quick
+ apk add iptables
+ apk add sysctl
-Reboot and then load the module
+== Create Server Keys and Interface Config ==
- modprobe wireguard
+Create a server private and public key:
-Add it to <code>/etc/modules</code> to automatically load it on boot.
+ wg genkey | tee server.privatekey | wg pubkey > server.publickey
-Then, we need to create a private and a public key:
+Then, we create a new config file <code>/etc/wireguard/wg0.conf</code> using these new keys:
- wg genkey | tee privatekey | wg pubkey > publickey
-Then, we create a new config file <code>/etc/wireguard/wg0.conf</code> using those keys:
   [Interface]
-  Address = 10.123.0.1/24
+  Address = 192.168.2.1/24
   ListenPort = 45340
-  PrivateKey = SG1nXk2+kAAKnMkL5aX3NSFPaGjf9SQI/wWwFj9l9U4= # the key from the previously generated privatekey file
+  PrivateKey = <server private key value> # the key from the previously generated privatekey file
   PostUp = iptables -A FORWARD -i %i -j ACCEPT; iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -o eth0 -j MASQUERADE;iptables -A FORWARD -o %i -j ACCEPT
   PostDown = iptables -D FORWARD -i %i -j ACCEPT; iptables -t nat -D POSTROUTING -o eth0 -j MASQUERADE;iptables -D FORWARD -o %i -j ACCEPT
-The PostUp and PostDown steps are there to ensure the interface wg0 will accept and forward traffic to eth0. The postrouting and forward to %i is not required, but it will enable "VPN mode" where users can access the internet via this server if desired.
+The PostUp and PostDown iptable rules forward traffic from the wg0 subnet (192.168.2.1/24) to the lan subnet on interface eth0.
-Note that this requires <code>iptables</code> installed and enabled: <code>apk add iptables && rc-update add iptables</code>.
-Reference [https://github.com/pirate/wireguard-docs#user-content-config-reference this WireGuard documentation] for information on adding peers to the config file.
+Refer to [https://github.com/pirate/wireguard-docs#user-content-config-reference this WireGuard documentation] for information on adding peers to the config file.
-To bring up the new interface we use:
+Bring up the new wg0 interface:
   wg-quick up wg0
@@ Line 48: / Line 41: @@
 Note: If running in a Docker container, you will need to run with <code>--cap-add=NET_ADMIN</code> to modify your interfaces.
-== Bringing up an interface using ifupdown-ng ==
+== Enable IP Forwarding ==
-The official documents from WireGuard show examples of how to set up an interface with the use of wg-quick.
+With a NAT destination rule in place on your router, you should be able connect to the wireguard instance and access the host. However, if you intend for peers to be able to access external resources (including the internet), you will need to enable ip forwarding.
-In this how-to, we are not going to use that utility. We'll use the plain wg command and [https://github.com/ifupdown-ng/ifupdown-ng/blob/master/doc/interfaces-wireguard.scd ifupdown-ng].
- apk add wireguard-tools-wg
+Edit the file <code>/etc/sysctl.conf</code> (or a <code>.conf</code> file under <code>/etc/sysctl.d/</code>) and add the following line:
-Now that all the tools are installed, you can setup the interface.
+ net.ipv4.ip_forward = 1
-The setup of your interface config is out of the scope of this document. You should consult the [https://git.zx2c4.com/WireGuard/about/src/tools/man/wg.8 manual page of wg].
-After you have finished setting up your wgX interface config, you can add it to your <code>/etc/network/interfaces</code>:
+Add the sysctl service to run at boot:
- auto wg0
- iface wg0 inet static
-        requires eth0
-        use wireguard
-        address 192.168.42.1
-        post-up iptables -A FORWARD -i wg0 -j ACCEPT; iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -o eth0 -j MASQUERADE;iptables -A FORWARD -o wg0 -j ACCEPT
-        post-down iptables -D FORWARD -i wg0 -j ACCEPT; iptables -t nat -D POSTROUTING -o eth0 -j MASQUERADE;iptables -D FORWARD -o wg0 -j ACCEPT
-This config will automatically:
-* bring the WireGuard interface up after the eth0 interface
-* assign a config to this interface (which you have previously created)
-* setup the interface address and netmask
-* add the route once the interface is up
-* remove the interface when it goes down
-* enable traffic forwarding (the <code>post-up</code> and <code>post-down</code> lines; requires <code>iptables</code>) (note that this is not required unless you want peers to be able to access external resources like the internet)
-{{Note|If you are using the same config (/etc/wireguard/wg0.conf) from a <code>wg-quick</code> setup, you must comment out the <code>Address</code> line in the <code>[Interface]</code> section. Otherwise, the interface will not come up.}}
-To start and stop the interface, you execute:
- ifup wg0
- ifdown wg0
-If your interface config is not stored under <code>/etc/wireguard/</code> you need to specify a <code>wireguard-config-path</code> as well.
-== Enable IP Forwarding ==
-If you intend for peers to be able to access external resources (including the internet), you will need to enable forwarding.
-Edit the file <code>/etc/sysctl.conf</code> (or a <code>.conf</code> file under <code>/etc/sysctl.d/</code>) and add the following line.
- net.ipv4.ip_forward = 1
-Then either reboot or run <code>sysctl -p /etc/sysctl.conf</code> to reload the settings.
+ rc-update add sysctl
-To ensure forwarding is turned on, run <code>sysctl -a | grep ip_forward</code> and ensure <code>net.ipv4.ip_forward</code> is set to <code>1</code>.
-To make the change permanent across reboots, you may need to enable the <code>sysctl</code> service: <code>rc-update add sysctl</code>.
+Then either reboot or run <code>sysctl -p /etc/sysctl.conf</code> to reload the settings. To ensure forwarding is turned on, run <code>sysctl -a | grep ip_forward</code> and ensure <code>net.ipv4.ip_forward</code> is set to <code>1</code>.
 == Running with modloop ==