Credential access
Reads VPN profiles, private keys, certificates, passwords, and auth files.
brew
Install openvpn with Homebrew, apk, chocolatey, apt, dnf, Nix, pacman, scoop, winget, zypper
SSL/TLS VPN implementing OSI layer 2 or 3 secure network extension. Version 2.7.5 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-02.
agent safety
Agent safety answer
openvpn controls VPN connectivity and can route agent traffic through private networks.
Remote mutation
Primarily changes network reachability, not application data.
Publish/artifact risk
Can expose private network access to downstream tools.
Recommended control
Gate VPN start, config reads, and private-key handling.
Agent-use guidance
Allow config validation; require approval before connecting or reading credential material.
install
Additional install commands
macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install openvpnlocal Homebrew formula metadata
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add openvpnAlpine Linux edge package indexes · openvpn · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install openvpnDebian stable package indexes · openvpn · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install openvpnFedora Rawhide package metadata · openvpn · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#openvpnnixpkgs package indexes · openvpn · source: raw.githubusercontent.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S openvpnArch Linux sync databases · openvpn · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install openvpnopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · openvpn · source: download.opensuse.org
Windows
Chocolateyverified · 92%
choco install openvpnChocolatey community package catalog · openvpn · source: community.chocolatey.org
Scoopverified · 92%
scoop install extras/openvpnScoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/openvpn.json · source: api.github.com
Windows Package Managerverified · 92%
winget install --id OpenVPNTechnologies.OpenVPN -eWindows Package Manager source index · OpenVPNTechnologies.OpenVPN · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com
overview
Package summary
SSL/TLS VPN implementing OSI layer 2 or 3 secure network extension
Project links
Commands and aliases
- openvpn
history
Project history and usage
OpenVPN is a long-running open source VPN implementation built around SSL/TLS, TUN/TAP virtual network interfaces, and a single userspace daemon that can act as client or server. It became one of the default choices for self-hosted and commercial VPN deployments because it crossed operating-system, firewall, NAT, and package-manager boundaries better than many older VPN stacks.
Project history
OpenVPN was created by James Yonan and traces its public history to 2001. The project chose a custom VPN protocol using SSL/TLS for key exchange and OpenSSL for cryptography rather than implementing IPsec, PPTP, or L2TP.
OpenVPN 1.x was mainly a point-to-point tool. OpenVPN 2.0 was the major architectural step: the official how-to and manual describe scalable multi-client TCP/UDP server mode, where many clients connect to a single server process and share one TUN or TAP interface.
The 2.x line added features that made OpenVPN practical in mixed networks: certificate-based TLS deployments, username/password authentication hooks, pushed routes and DNS options, management interfaces, plugins and scripts, IPv6 support, Windows service improvements, and continued crypto and platform updates.
Adoption history
OpenVPN spread through Unix and Linux distributions, router firmware, VPN providers, and enterprise remote-access setups because it used ordinary TCP or UDP ports, worked through many NAT and firewall environments, and could be configured with plain text profile files. Package availability across Linux, BSD, macOS, Windows package managers, and router-oriented ecosystems made .ovpn profiles a portable operational artifact.
OpenVPN Inc. built commercial products such as Access Server and OpenVPN Connect around the open source Community Edition while continuing to support the community project. That split gave the protocol a dual life: a free daemon for administrators and a managed product line for organizations.
How it is used
Operators use OpenVPN to build routed layer-3 VPNs with TUN devices, bridged layer-2 VPNs with TAP devices, site-to-site tunnels, road-warrior remote access, lab networks, router-based VPN clients, and compatibility endpoints for commercial VPN services. A typical deployment combines server and client configuration files, certificates or username/password credentials, route pushes, firewall rules, and system services.
Package users care about the single openvpn executable because it is both the client and the server. That keeps scripting, service supervision, and container use straightforward, while configuration complexity lives in profile files and PKI assets.
Why package nerds care
OpenVPN is one of the canonical networking packages where packaging is operations: binaries, services, sample configs, plugin paths, systemd or launchd integration, certificate locations, and kernel TUN/TAP support all affect whether the package is usable.
Its long history also makes it a compatibility anchor. Even as WireGuard changed expectations for small VPN codebases, OpenVPN remains important for existing .ovpn profiles, mature server deployments, commercial-provider compatibility, and environments that need TLS-style transport flexibility.
Timeline
- 2001: James Yonan releases the first OpenVPN versions.
- 2005: OpenVPN 2.0 establishes multi-client server mode as the core scalable deployment pattern.
- 2013-era 2.3 line: OpenVPN documentation notes complete IPv6 and PolarSSL support among 2.3 improvements.
- 2017-era 2.4 line: the project adds modern client/server negotiation features and continues improving Windows service behavior.
- 2020s: OpenVPN Community Edition continues through the 2.5, 2.6, and 2.7 lines while OpenVPN Inc. maintains commercial Access Server and OpenVPN Connect products around the protocol.
Related projects
- OpenVPN is related to OpenVPN Access Server, OpenVPN Connect, EasyRSA, Tunnelblick, NetworkManager-openvpn, OpenWrt and other router firmware integrations, SoftEther VPN's OpenVPN protocol support, WireGuard, IPsec, and TLS libraries such as OpenSSL and mbed TLS.
Sources
- https://blog.openvpn.net/the-history-of-openvpn/
- https://community.openvpn.net/
- https://github.com/OpenVPN/openvpn
- https://openvpn.net/access-server-or-community/
- https://openvpn.net/community-docs/community-articles/openvpn-2-6-manual.html
- https://openvpn.net/community-docs/how-to.html
- https://openvpn.net/community/
security posture
Risk level: orange
broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. formula declares a Homebrew service.
Risk classifier
orange risk · medium confidence · infrastructure
Why
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
- formula declares a Homebrew service
Signals
- metadata:service
- text:network
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Formula metadata declares a service or daemon block.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Installs with 4 runtime dependencies.
- Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
Configuration and credential file locations
These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.
Configuration files
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- macOS
~/Library/Application Support/OpenVPN~/Library/Application Support/Tunnelblick/Configurations- Unix
~/.openvpn$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/openvpn~/.config/openvpn
Credential files
Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.
- macOS
~/Library/Application Support/OpenVPN~/Library/Application Support/Tunnelblick/Configurations- Unix
~/.openvpn$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/openvpn~/.config/openvpn
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
openvpn | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version2.7.5
manager updated2026-07-02
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://openvpn.net/community/
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://openvpn.net/community/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:openvpn |
|---|---|
| Version | 2.7.5 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/openvpn |
| Homepage | https://openvpn.net/community/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/OpenVPN/openvpn |
| Upstream docs | https://openvpn.github.io/openvpn |
| License | GPL-2.0-only WITH openvpn-openssl-exception |
| Source archive | https://swupdate.openvpn.net/community/releases/openvpn-2.7.5.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-07-02T16:40:57Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | lz4, lzo, openssl@3, pkcs11-helper |
| Build dependencies | pkgconf |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | openvpn |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
openvpn 2.6.14-1+deb13u1
virtual private network daemon
sudo apt install openvpn- Section: net
- Architecture: amd64
- 12 dependencies
- 5 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Openvpn
Nix95%
openvpn
nix profile install nixpkgs#openvpn- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Openvpn
Ubuntu apt95%
openvpn 2.6.9-1ubuntu4
virtual private network daemon
sudo apt install openvpn- Section: net
- Architecture: amd64
- 12 dependencies
- 5 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Openvpn
apk95%
openvpn 2.7.3-r0
Robust, and highly configurable VPN (Virtual Private Network)
sudo apk add openvpn- License: GPL-2.0-only WITH openvpn-openssl-exception
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: openvpn
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Openvpn
apk95%
openvpn-auth-pam 2.7.3-r0
OpenVPN plugin for PAM authentication
sudo apk add openvpn-auth-pam- License: GPL-2.0-only WITH openvpn-openssl-exception
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: openvpn
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Openvpn
apk95%
openvpn-dev 2.7.3-r0
Robust, and highly configurable VPN (Virtual Private Network) (development files)
sudo apk add openvpn-dev- License: GPL-2.0-only WITH openvpn-openssl-exception
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: openvpn
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Openvpn
apk95%
openvpn-doc 2.7.3-r0
Robust, and highly configurable VPN (Virtual Private Network) (documentation)
sudo apk add openvpn-doc- License: GPL-2.0-only WITH openvpn-openssl-exception
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: openvpn
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Openvpn
apk95%
openvpn-openrc 2.7.3-r0
Robust, and highly configurable VPN (Virtual Private Network) (OpenRC init scripts)
sudo apk add openvpn-openrc- License: GPL-2.0-only WITH openvpn-openssl-exception
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: openvpn
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Openvpn
dnf95%
openvpn 2.7.4-1.fc45
A full-featured TLS VPN solution
https://community.openvpn.net/
sudo dnf install openvpn- License: GPL-2.0-only
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: openvpn
- 19 dependencies
- 3 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Openvpn
dnf95%
openvpn-devel 2.7.4-1.fc45
Development headers and examples for OpenVPN plug-ins
https://community.openvpn.net/
sudo dnf install openvpn-devel- License: GPL-2.0-only
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: openvpn
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Openvpn
pacman95%
openvpn 2.7.4-1
An easy-to-use, robust and highly configurable VPN (Virtual Private Network)
https://openvpn.net/index.php/open-source.html
sudo pacman -S openvpn- License: GPL-2.0-only
- Architecture: x86_64
- 15 dependencies
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Openvpn
zypper95%
openvpn 2.6.14-2.3
Full-featured SSL VPN solution using a TUN/TAP Interface
sudo zypper install openvpn- License: GPL-2.0-only WITH openvpn-openssl-exception
- Category: Productivity/Networking/Security
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: openvpn
- 13 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Openvpn
zypper95%
openvpn-auth-pam-plugin 2.6.14-2.3
OpenVPN auth-pam plugin
sudo zypper install openvpn-auth-pam-plugin- License: GPL-2.0-only WITH openvpn-openssl-exception
- Category: Productivity/Networking/Security
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: openvpn
- 3 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Openvpn
zypper95%
openvpn-devel 2.6.14-2.3
OpenVPN plugin header
sudo zypper install openvpn-devel- License: GPL-2.0-only WITH openvpn-openssl-exception
- Category: Development/Libraries/C and C++
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: openvpn
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Openvpn
zypper95%
openvpn-down-root-plugin 2.6.14-2.3
OpenVPN down-root plugin
sudo zypper install openvpn-down-root-plugin- License: GPL-2.0-only WITH openvpn-openssl-exception
- Category: Productivity/Networking/Security
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: openvpn
- 2 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Openvpn
Chocolatey95%
openvpn
choco install openvpn- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Openvpn
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated agent safety answer
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment