GreenTunnel Blog

Guides and notes on a local VPN

Step-by-step guides to GreenTunnel VPN, plus plain explanations of DPI, secure DNS, proxies and tunnels.

Install GreenTunnel VPN on Windows and Linux
Get the MSI for Windows, the snap for Ubuntu, or .deb and .rpm packages for Debian and Fedora. Check the file, install, turn it on, update and uninstall. October 30, 20265 min read
Unicorn HTTPS alternative: GreenTunnel
A fair comparison of Unicorn HTTPS and GreenTunnel: both target SNI filtering, but differ in DNS, Requester, Inspect URL, free tier and Premium. October 26, 20266 min read
NordVPN alternative? Local vs remote VPN
NordVPN is a remote VPN that masks your IP via its servers. GreenTunnel is a local VPN that doesn't. When each is the right tool. October 26, 20266 min read
Which websites are blocked on my Wi-Fi?
Router filters, Pi-hole, parental controls, school and work networks: what you can and can't see. Safe nslookup, dig and curl checks explained. October 25, 20266 min read
Site opens on mobile data, not Wi-Fi?
Why a site fails only on Wi-Fi: router DNS, content filters, IPv6, Private DNS, captive portals. How to find the cause and fix it. October 25, 20265 min read
Check if a website is blocked on Wi-Fi
Six steps to find out whether your home, school or office Wi-Fi blocks a site: compare with mobile data, change DNS, check the router, use Inspect URL. October 25, 20265 min read
How to unblock a website: what works
Why a site won't open: DNS, SNI/DPI, IP or protocol blocks. How to test it, switch to encrypted DNS, and what a local tool can't fix. October 24, 20267 min read
How to check if a website is blocked
Tell a blocked site from a down site or a bad connection with simple tests: another network, DNS comparison, HTTPS. How to read each result. October 24, 20265 min read
Do I need a VPN? A balanced guide
Public Wi-Fi, what your ISP sees, censorship, geo-restrictions, privacy: what a VPN does and doesn't do, when you need one and when you need nothing. October 23, 20266 min read
Site still blocked with GreenTunnel on? Troubleshooting guide
Step by step: read the Inspect URL verdict, check the unblocking mode, QUIC, Android Private DNS, other VPN apps and Wi-Fi login pages, then report it. October 22, 20266 min read
Public Wi-Fi safety at cafés, airports and hotels
What others on public Wi-Fi can see with HTTPS, DNS spoofing, captive portals, what a local VPN does and doesn't protect, and a checklist. October 22, 20266 min read
How to spot scam and phishing sites before you tap
Signs of fake bank login pages, fake delivery texts and account-locked scares. How to read a domain, block it with GreenTunnel and report it. October 21, 20266 min read
Keep your VPN running on Android: Always-on and battery
Turn on Always-on VPN and Block connections without VPN, stop battery savers on Xiaomi, Samsung, Oppo and Vivo, and use the tile and the 15-minute pause. October 21, 20267 min read
Run your own Shadowsocks server with shadowsocks-rust
Run ssserver on a VPS: a 2022-blake3 config, a systemd service, TCP and UDP open, an ss:// link and QR code, then import it into GreenTunnel's Proxy Route. October 20, 20267 min read
IPv6 and VPNs: how IPv6 can leak around a VPN
What IPv6 is, why a VPN that only handles IPv4 can leak, how GreenTunnel handles IPv6 as you switch networks, and how to check your own connection. October 20, 20266 min read
Set up your own WireGuard server on an Ubuntu VPS
Install WireGuard on an Ubuntu VPS: keys, wg0.conf, NAT, firewall, a phone config and QR code, then import it into GreenTunnel's Tunnel Link. October 19, 20268 min read
What is ECH? Encrypting the site name in the first HTTPS packet
ECH (Encrypted ClientHello) hides the site name from DPI filters. How it works, why it isn't everywhere yet, and how it pairs with GreenTunnel's split. October 19, 20266 min read
No leaks: why GreenTunnel won't go direct when a proxy fails
When your proxy or tunnel fails, connections stop instead of quietly going direct. Reading errors in Requester, testing profiles, why UDP is blocked. October 18, 20265 min read
What are QUIC and HTTP/3, and why does GreenTunnel block QUIC?
QUIC runs over UDP, so it can't be split like TCP. Why GreenTunnel blocks UDP/443 so browsers switch to TCP at once, and when QUIC is allowed through. October 16, 20265 min read
Import proxy and WireGuard profiles from links, QR, .conf files
GreenTunnel reads ss://, socks5://, http(s):// links, WireGuard .conf files and QR codes. What gets checked, and how to keep password-bearing links safe. October 16, 20264 min read
Routing rules: pick a route by domain or by app
Streaming through WireGuard, banking direct, one app through the office proxy. How GreenTunnel's rules work and the order it uses to decide each route. October 14, 20264 min read
SOCKS5 vs HTTP vs HTTPS proxy vs Shadowsocks: which to pick?
Which ones encrypt the hop to the proxy, what your ISP can see, which carry UDP. An honest comparison of the four proxy types GreenTunnel supports. October 12, 20265 min read
Tunnel Link: your own WireGuard server, with GreenTunnel on
Phones run one VPN at a time, so GreenTunnel has WireGuard built in. Import a .conf or QR code and choose which traffic goes through your server. October 10, 20265 min read
Requester: see which apps connect where
Requester lists every connection on your device: app, domain, and whether it was Bypass, Direct, Blocked, Error or Proxy. Domains only, kept on-device. October 10, 20264 min read
Proxy Route: use your own proxy inside a local VPN
Proxy Route sends GreenTunnel traffic through a SOCKS5, HTTP, HTTPS or Shadowsocks proxy you choose. When it helps, how it differs from a VPN, and setup. October 8, 20266 min read
Is a site blocked on your network? Find out with Inspect URL
Inspect URL compares your ISP's DNS with encrypted DNS and tests HTTPS with and without bypass. How to read fake DNS, SNI filtering and IP blocks. October 5, 20265 min read
Encrypted DNS with DoH, DoT and DoQ: why plain DNS gets faked
Plain DNS sends names in clear text, so it can be read, blocked or answered with fake addresses. Learn DoH, DoT, DoQ and how GreenTunnel picks a server. September 30, 20265 min read
What is DPI? How SNI blocking works and how splitting beats it
DPI filters read the site name in the first HTTPS packet. Learn what SNI is, how TLS record splitting makes the filter miss it, and what it can't fix. September 25, 20265 min read
Local VPN vs remote VPN: what's the difference, which to use?
Who sees your traffic, how fast it is, whether your IP is hidden: an honest comparison of a local VPN like GreenTunnel and a regular remote VPN. September 20, 20266 min read