/homelab-wireguard-vpn

name: homelab-wireguard-vpn
description: WireGuard VPN server setup, peer configuration, key generation, split tunneling vs full tunnel routing, and remote access to a home network from mobile and laptop clients. Use when setting up WireGuard for remote access to a home network, or deciding between split and full tunnel routing.
metadata:
  origin: community

Homelab WireGuard VPN

WireGuard is a fast, modern VPN protocol. It is the right choice for remote access to a home network — simpler to configure than OpenVPN and faster than most alternatives.

All configuration examples show common setups. Review each command — especially the iptables forwarding rules and key file permissions — before applying them to your system, and make changes in a maintenance window.

When to Use

• Setting up WireGuard server on a Raspberry Pi, Linux host, pfSense, or router
• Generating WireGuard keypairs and writing peer config files
• Configuring remote access from a phone or laptop to a home network
• Explaining split tunneling (route only home traffic) vs full tunnel (route all traffic)
• Troubleshooting WireGuard connections that will not come up
• Automating peer configuration generation for multiple clients

How WireGuard Works

Your phone (WireGuard client)
    │
    │  Encrypted UDP tunnel (port 51820)
    │
Your home router (WireGuard server — needs a public IP or DDNS)
    │
    Your home network (192.168.1.0/24, NAS, Pi, etc.)

Every device has a keypair (public + private key).
The server knows each client's public key.
The client knows the server's public key + endpoint (IP:port).
Traffic is encrypted end-to-end with no central server or certificate authority.

Server Setup (Linux)

# Install WireGuard
sudo apt update && sudo apt install wireguard -y

# Generate server keypair — create files with private permissions from the start
sudo mkdir -p /etc/wireguard
sudo sh -c 'umask 077; wg genkey > /etc/wireguard/server_private.key'
sudo sh -c 'wg pubkey < /etc/wireguard/server_private.key > /etc/wireguard/server_public.key'

# Write server config — substitute the actual private key value
# Do not store private keys in version control or share them
sudo tee /etc/wireguard/wg0.conf << 'EOF'
[Interface]
Address = 10.8.0.1/24              # VPN subnet — server gets .1
ListenPort = 51820
PrivateKey = <paste_server_private_key_here>

# Scoped forwarding rules: allow VPN traffic in/out, not a blanket FORWARD ACCEPT
PostUp   = iptables -A FORWARD -i wg0 -o eth0 -j ACCEPT
PostUp   = iptables -A FORWARD -i eth0 -o wg0 -m conntrack --ctstate RELATED,ESTABLISHED -j ACCEPT
PostUp   = iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -o eth0 -j MASQUERADE
PostDown = iptables -D FORWARD -i wg0 -o eth0 -j ACCEPT
PostDown = iptables -D FORWARD -i eth0 -o wg0 -m conntrack --ctstate RELATED,ESTABLISHED -j ACCEPT
PostDown = iptables -t nat -D POSTROUTING -o eth0 -j MASQUERADE

[Peer]
# Phone — replace with the actual phone public key
PublicKey = <phone_public_key>
AllowedIPs = 10.8.0.2/32

[Peer]
# Laptop — replace with the actual laptop public key
PublicKey = <laptop_public_key>
AllowedIPs = 10.8.0.3/32
EOF
sudo chmod 600 /etc/wireguard/wg0.conf

# Replace eth0 with your actual outbound interface name
# Check with: ip route show default

# Enable IP forwarding (required for routing traffic through the server)
echo "net.ipv4.ip_forward=1" | sudo tee /etc/sysctl.d/99-wireguard.conf
sudo sysctl --system

# Start WireGuard and enable on boot
sudo wg-quick up wg0
sudo systemctl enable wg-quick@wg0

Client Configuration

# Generate a unique keypair for each client device
# Run on the client, or on the server and transfer the private key securely — never in plaintext
umask 077
wg genkey | tee phone_private.key | wg pubkey > phone_public.key

# Client config file (phone_wg0.conf):
[Interface]
PrivateKey = <phone_private_key>
Address = 10.8.0.2/32
DNS = 192.168.1.2                  # Optional: use Pi-hole for DNS over the tunnel

[Peer]
PublicKey = <server_public_key>
Endpoint = your-home-ip.ddns.net:51820  # Your public IP or DDNS hostname
AllowedIPs = 192.168.1.0/24            # Split tunnel: only home network traffic
# AllowedIPs = 0.0.0.0/0, ::/0        # Full tunnel: all traffic through VPN

PersistentKeepalive = 25              # Keep NAT hole open (required for mobile clients)

Split Tunnel vs Full Tunnel

# Split tunnel: AllowedIPs = 192.168.1.0/24
  Only traffic destined for your home network goes through the VPN.
  Internet traffic (YouTube, Spotify) goes directly — better performance on mobile.
  Best for: "I just want to reach my NAS and Pi from anywhere."

# Full tunnel: AllowedIPs = 0.0.0.0/0, ::/0
  ALL traffic goes through your home internet connection.
  Useful for: piggybacking home DNS/Pi-hole ad blocking.
  Downside: home upload speed becomes your bottleneck everywhere.

# Multi-subnet split tunnel (most common homelab use case):
  AllowedIPs = 192.168.10.0/24, 192.168.20.0/24, 192.168.30.0/24, 10.8.0.0/24
  Routes all your VLANs through the tunnel; internet stays direct.

Key Generation and Peer Management

import subprocess

def generate_keypair() -> tuple[str, str]:
    """Generate a WireGuard keypair. Returns (private_key, public_key)."""
    private = subprocess.check_output(["wg", "genkey"]).decode().strip()
    public = subprocess.run(
        ["wg", "pubkey"], input=private.encode(), capture_output=True
    ).stdout.decode().strip()
    return private, public

def generate_preshared_key() -> str:
    return subprocess.check_output(["wg", "genpsk"]).decode().strip()

def build_client_config(
    client_private_key: str,
    client_vpn_ip: str,       # e.g. "10.8.0.3"
    server_public_key: str,
    server_endpoint: str,     # e.g. "home.example.com:51820"
    allowed_ips: str = "192.168.1.0/24",
    dns: str = "",
) -> str:
    dns_line = f"DNS = {dns}\n" if dns else ""
    return f"""[Interface]
PrivateKey = {client_private_key}
Address =