I’m posting here because I assume a lot of you use vpns and this sub seems to have the most users to ask.
I was thinking about getting a VPN but was wondering about port forwarding.
I’m a Linux head so I would be downloading distros via torrent. If the VPN does not support port forwarding is it still possible to use for Linux torrents? I’m not going to be “seeding” media and extreme amounts of data, but the device would always be on and torrenting. In this case does port forwarding matter?
I guess I don’t really understand dynamic and static port forwarding.
For my use case would mullvad or protonvon work even though they both use dynamic port forwarding? Or do I have to find one with static ports…?
This VPN would be used on a server with docker…
The other one I was looking at was airvpn, which is static, but I also read it might become more popular for people that use it for… Whatever… since mullvad stopped static ports.
Are there work around for dynamic ports? In case I ever want to host a website in the future?
Most VPNs these days don’t allow for static ports; Creeps figured out how to use them for sharing CSAM. So instead, the VPN assigns you a random port every time you connect.
For your torrent client, it’s just a matter of going to your settings and updating the port number when you reconnect. If the system has a stable connection and doesn’t sleep (like a server) then you won’t need to do this often. The port only changes when the VPN reconnects, so it’ll only be an issue if you have a blackout or your internet drops.
As for torrenting without port forwarding, results will be mixed. Some trackers will still allow it, some won’t. Some will only allow very limited speeds. So on the two extreme ends, you may be able to torrent just fine, or you may stall even when there are hundreds of available seeds.