The VPN provider, NordVPN unveiled recently through a blog post launching a client for linux open source, the Libtelio network library and the Libdrop file sharing library.

the linux client provides a command line interface to manage connections to NordVPN servers, allowing you to select a server from the list based on your desired location, change protocol settings, and enable Kill Switch mode, which blocks network access if the server's VPN connection is lost .

For those of you who are new to NordVPN, you should know that this is a VPN service provided by the Nordsec company with apps for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and Android TV.

NordVPN routes traffic through a remote server thus hiding the IP address and encrypting all incoming and outgoing data. For encryption, NordVPN has been using OpenVPN and Internet Key Exchange v2/IPsec technologies in its applications and also introduced its proprietary NordLynx technology.

NordLynx is a VPN tool based on the WireGuard protocol, which aims for better performance than IPsec and OpenVPN tunneling protocols.

NordVPN for Linux

About the client for Linux, it is mentioned that is compatible with NordLynx protocols (based on WireGuard) and OpenVPN. use iptables to change firewall settings, iproute for routing, tuntap for tunneling connections, and systemd-resolved for resolving DNS names.

The Libtelio library includes typical network functions and provides an implementation of a virtual MeshNet network formed from user systems and used to communicate with each other. Meshnet allows you to establish encrypted tunnels between devices and create the appearance of a separate local network based on them.

We are making these products open source as a sign of our commitment to transparency and accountability. We want the input and scrutiny of the programming community and show them that we have confidence in our own software.

This step also underscores our strong belief in collaborative progress. The cybersecurity and app development community is full of talented coders and pentesters who can bring their own unique perspectives to our apps.

Unlike VPN, connections in Meshnet are not established between the device and the VPN server, but between end devices, which also participate as nodes for routing traffic.

For the entire MeshNet network, you can define a common server to interact with the outside world (for example, if the outgoing node is located in the user's home, then it does not matter what trips and places the user connects to from the devices connected to MeshNet, for external services, the network activity will look like this, as if the user was connecting from their home IP address).

Open sourcing Libtelio is a particularly important step because this code forms the backbone of all of our NordVPN apps, not just our Linux client. Putting this material in the hands of the Linux community, one of the strongest open source communities currently active, encourages talented coders and developers to examine our code and improve our service.

Various implementations of Wireguard can be used to encrypt traffic on MeshNet. Both VPN servers and user nodes within MeshNet can be used as exit nodes.

A configurable packet filter is provided to limit traffic within the network and a DNS-based service is provided to determine hosts. The published library allows you to host your own MeshNet networks in your applications.

Library Libdrop provides features to organize secure file sharing between user devices. Supports direct sending and receiving of files over MeshNet or the global network, without involving third-party servers.

finely if you are interested in knowing more about it, you can check the details in the following link.

Know that client code is open under the GPLv3 license. The programming languages ​​Go, Rust, C and Python were used in the development. Supported distributions are Ubuntu, Fedora, Manjaro, Debian, Arch, Kali, CentOS, and Rasbian.