---
title: Wireguard on Linux
description: Alpine, Debian, Ubuntu, Gentoo, RedHat, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, Oracle Linux
date: 2023-02-20
tags:
- Alpine
- Debian
- Gentoo
- Linux
- vpn
- wireguard
---

## Introduction

This article explains how to configure wireguard on Linux.

## Installation

Alpine >= 3.17:
```sh
apk add wireguard-tools
```

Debian >= 11, Ubuntu >= 22.04:
```sh
apt update -qq
apt install -y --no-install-recommends iproute2 wireguard
```

Gentoo:
```sh
emerge net-vpn/wireguard-tools -q
```

RedHat, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, Oracle Linux >= 9:
```sh
echo wireguard > /etc/modules-load.d/wireguard.conf
modprobe wireguard
dnf install wireguard-tools
```

## Generating keys

The private and public keys for a host can be generated with the following commands:
```sh
PRIVATE_KEY=`wg genkey`
PUBLIC_KEY=`printf $PRIVATE_KEY|wg pubkey`
echo private_key: $PRIVATE_KEY
echo public_key: $PUBLIC_KEY
```

## Configuration

All linux distributions seem to have standardized on a single directory to hold wireguard's configuration file, we are lucky!

Here is an example of my `/etc/wireguard/wg0.conf` that creates a tunnel listening on udp port 342 and has one remote peer:
```cfg
[Interface]
PrivateKey = MzrfXLmSfTaCpkJWKwNlCSD20eDq7fo18aJ3Dl1D0gA=
ListenPort = 342
Address = 10.1.2.7/24

[Peer]
PublicKey = R4A01RXXqRJSY9TiKQrZGR85HsFNSXxhRKKEu/bEdTQ=
Endpoint = 168.119.114.183:342
AllowedIPs = 10.1.2.9/32
PersistentKeepalive = 60
```

To implement this example you will need to generate two sets of keys. The configuration for the first server will feature the first server's private key in the `[Interface]` section and the second server's public key in the `[Peer]` section, and vice versa for the configuration of the second server.

This example is from a machine that can be hidden behind nat therefore I configure a `PersistentKeepalive`. If your host has a public IP this line is not needed.

## Enabling wireguard and starting the tunnel

Alpine:
```sh
service wireguard enable
echo 'wireguard_interfaces="wg0"' >> /etc/rc.conf
service wireguard start
```

Gentoo:
```sh
cd /etc/init.d
ln -s wg-quick wg-quick.wg0
rc-update add wg-quick.wg0 default
/etc/init.d/wg-quick.wg0 start
```

All the other systemd based distributions:
```sh
systemctl enable wg-quick@wg0
systemctl start wg-quick@wg0
```

## Administration

The tunnel can be managed with the `wg` command:
```sh
root@hurricane:~# wg
interface: wg0
  public key: 7fbr/yumFeTzXwxIHnEs462JLFToUyJ7yCOdeDFmP20=
  private key: (hidden)
  listening port: 342

peer: R4A01RXXqRJSY9TiKQrZGR85HsFNSXxhRKKEu/bEdTQ=
  endpoint: 168.119.114.183:342
  allowed ips: 10.1.2.9/32
  latest handshake: 57 seconds ago
  transfer: 1003.48 KiB received, 185.89 KiB sent
  persistent keepalive: every 1 minute
```

The ip configuration still relies on `ifconfig`:
```sh
root@hurricane:~# ifconfig wg0
wg0: flags=80c1<UP,RUNNING,NOARP,MULTICAST> metric 0 mtu 1420
        options=80000<LINKSTATE>
        inet 10.1.2.7 netmask 0xffffff00
        groups: wg
        nd6 options=109<PERFORMNUD,IFDISABLED,NO_DAD>
```