Installation Guide

Get WolfGuard VPN Server up and running on your preferred platform

Before You Begin

WolfGuard is currently in active development (version 1.0.0-alpha). While the server is functional and compatible with Cisco Secure Client, some features are still being refined.

TLS 1.3 / DTLS 1.3

Cisco Compatible

wolfSSL Powered

Server Deployment Options

WolfGuard server runs on Linux systems or in containers. Select the appropriate tab below for detailed installation instructions. For production deployments, we recommend using the container-based approach for easier management and updates.

Note: WolfGuard server is designed for Linux environments only. Client applications for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android will connect to the server using Cisco Secure Client or the upcoming WolfGuard Connect client.

Distribution-Specific Installation

Choose your Linux distribution or installation method. Each guide is tailored to your system's package manager and container runtime.

Debian / Ubuntu Installation

For Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and other Debian-based distributions. We'll use Docker and Docker Compose for containerized deployment.

Installation Methods

Option 1: Package Manager (APT)

Install WolfGuard directly using the APT package manager. This is the recommended method for production systems.

bash

# Add WolfGuard repository
curl -fsSL https://packages.wolfguard.io/gpg.key | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/wolfguard.gpg
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/wolfguard.gpg] https://packages.wolfguard.io/debian stable main" | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/wolfguard.list

# Update package index
sudo apt update

# Install WolfGuard
sudo apt install -y wolfguard

# Enable and start service
sudo systemctl enable wolfguard
sudo systemctl start wolfguard

Option 2: Docker Container

Deploy WolfGuard in a Docker container for easier management and isolation.

Step 1: Install Docker & Docker Compose

bash

# Update package index
sudo apt update

# Install prerequisites
sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg

# Add Docker's official GPG key
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg

# Set up Docker repository
echo \
  "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
  $(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME") stable" | \

Step 2: Deploy WolfGuard with Docker Compose

Create a compose.yaml file following the Compose Specification:

compose.yaml

name: wolfguard

services:
  wolfguard:
    image: ghcr.io/dantte-lp/wolfguard:latest
    container_name: wolfguard-vpn
    restart: unless-stopped

    # Required capabilities for VPN functionality
    cap_add:
      - NET_ADMIN
      - NET_BIND_SERVICE

    # Network ports
    ports:

Step 3: Start Services

bash

# Create config directory
mkdir -p config certs

# Start WolfGuard
docker compose up -d

# View logs
docker compose logs -f

# Check status
docker compose ps

# Stop services
docker compose down