Ubuntu

VSCode SOCKS5 VPN Namespace - Ubuntu

Prerequisites

This script requires the following packages to be installed:

• openvpn - OpenVPN client
• dante-server - SOCKS5 server (provides danted)
• socat - Socket relay
• curl - For testing connectivity
• iproute2 - Network namespace management (usually pre-installed)
• iptables - Firewall rules (usually pre-installed)

Quick Installation

Install Dependencies

sudo apt update
sudo apt install openvpn dante-server socat curl iproute2 iptables

Usage

Connect to VPN

cd /path/to/dev-socks-isolation/linux/Ubuntu
chmod +x connect.sh
./connect.sh

The script will prompt you for:

• Namespace name (default: vpnspace)
• Path to your OpenVPN config file (.ovpn)
• Network interface (auto-detected)
• Host IP address (auto-detected)
• SOCKS5 ports configuration
• DNS server (default: 8.8.8.8)
• Whether to launch VSCode automatically

Disconnect from VPN

./disconnect.sh

Ubuntu-Specific Notes

Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and Later

Ubuntu 20.04+ uses systemd-resolved for DNS management. The script handles this automatically by creating namespace-specific DNS configuration in /etc/netns/.

AppArmor Considerations

Ubuntu uses AppArmor for security. If you encounter permission issues with OpenVPN, you may need to adjust the AppArmor profile:

sudo aa-complain /usr/sbin/openvpn

Or disable AppArmor for OpenVPN (not recommended for production):

sudo ln -s /etc/apparmor.d/usr.sbin.openvpn /etc/apparmor.d/disable/
sudo apparmor_parser -R /etc/apparmor.d/usr.sbin.openvpn

systemd Service

Create a systemd service for automatic startup:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/vscode-vpn-proxy.service

Add:

[Unit]
Description=VSCode VPN SOCKS5 Proxy
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target

[Service]
Type=oneshot
RemainAfterExit=yes
ExecStart=/path/to/dev-socks-isolation/linux/Ubuntu/connect.sh
ExecStop=/path/to/dev-socks-isolation/linux/Ubuntu/disconnect.sh
StandardInput=tty-force
StandardOutput=journal
StandardError=journal

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Then enable it:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable vscode-vpn-proxy.service

Compatibility

This script is compatible with:

• Ubuntu (20.04 LTS, 22.04 LTS, 24.04 LTS and newer)
• Linux Mint (20, 21, 22)
• Pop!_OS (20.04, 22.04 and newer)
• Zorin OS (16, 17)
• Elementary OS
• Other Ubuntu-based distributions

Troubleshooting

Issue: "danted: command not found" or "sockd: command not found"

Solution:

sudo apt install dante-server

Note: On Ubuntu/Debian, the Dante server binary might be called danted instead of sockd.

Issue: DNS not working in namespace

Solution: Check if systemd-resolved is running:

systemctl status systemd-resolved

If it's active, the script should handle DNS automatically. If not, you can manually set DNS servers.

Issue: "Operation not permitted" errors

Solution: Ensure your user has sudo privileges:

sudo usermod -aG sudo $USER

Then log out and log back in.

Issue: Network interface not detected

Solution: List your network interfaces:

ip link show
# Common names: eth0, enp*, wlp* (wifi)

Issue: UFW Firewall blocking connections

If you're using UFW (Ubuntu's default firewall), you may need to allow forwarding:

sudo ufw allow from 10.200.200.0/24
sudo ufw route allow from 10.200.200.0/24

Advanced Configuration

Using with Network Manager

If you're using NetworkManager's OpenVPN plugin, you can still use this script with manually exported .ovpn files.

Custom DNS Servers

For better privacy, consider using:

• Cloudflare: 1.1.1.1
• Quad9: 9.9.9.9
• OpenDNS: 208.67.222.222

Multiple VPN Connections

You can run multiple isolated VPN connections simultaneously by using different namespace names.

Support

For Ubuntu-specific issues, check:

• Ubuntu OpenVPN Documentation
• Ubuntu Network Namespaces