Easy-RSA is a command-line tool used to create X.509 certificate authority (CA) and generate certificates for OpenVPN. In this tutorial, we will be installing Easy-RSA on Debian latest.
Before proceeding with the installation process, ensure that you have the following prerequisites:
Before you begin installing Easy-RSA, update your Debian system by running the following command:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
Easy-RSA requires some dependencies to function correctly. Use the following command to install them:
sudo apt install openssl wget make
Easy-RSA can be downloaded from the official OpenVPN repository on Github. Navigate to the directory where you want to download Easy-RSA and use the following command:
wget https://github.com/OpenVPN/easy-rsa/releases/download/v3.0.8/EasyRSA-unix-v3.0.8.tgz
In this step, extract the downloaded Easy-RSA archive. Use the following command for that:
tar -xvzf EasyRSA-unix-v3.0.8.tgz
After extraction, you should have a new directory called EasyRSA-v3.0.8.
Easy-RSA needs to create a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to generate certificates. You can do this by executing the following commands:
cd EasyRSA-v3.0.8/
./easyrsa init-pki
./easyrsa build-ca
The init-pki command will initialize the PKI and create a directory called pki. The build-ca command will create the CA certificate and key, and save them in the pki directory. You will be prompted to enter a passphrase for the CA.
After creating the CA, you can generate individual certificates. Use the following command to generate a client certificate:
./easyrsa build-client-full CLIENTNAME
The CLIENTNAME should be replaced by the desired name of the client. You can find the generated certificate and key in the pki directory.
You have now learned how to install Easy-RSA on Debian latest. You have also learned how to create a CA and generate certificates for clients. You can use these certificates with OpenVPN to secure your network traffic.
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