OpenVPN on GCP - Developer Guide

Welcome to the Meetrix OpenVPN developer guide for Google Cloud Platform! OpenVPN is a widely adopted open-source VPN solution that builds encrypted tunnels between client devices and your private cloud infrastructure. With the Meetrix pre-configured GCP image, you can deploy a production-ready OpenVPN server in minutes.

This guide walks you through finding the product on GCP Marketplace, configuring the deployment, generating client profiles, and connecting with the OpenVPN Connect application.

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Meetrix OpenVPN - Developer Guide (AWS)

Step-by-step guide for deploying and configuring OpenVPN on AWS using the Meetrix pre-configured AMI and CloudFormation.

Meetrix.IO • Binuka Ranatunga

Launch the Product

Step 1: Find the Product

1. Log in to your Google account.
2. Go directly to the product page: OpenVPN Server on GCP Marketplace
3. You can also browse all Meetrix products at the Meetrix Solutions Page.
4. You will see the following product listing page. Click GET STARTED.

Step 2: Accept the Terms and Agreements

1. Confirm the GCP project shown at the top of the page is the one you want to deploy into.
2. Tick the terms and agreements checkbox.
3. Click AGREE.

Free Trial

This product includes a 5-day free trial with license fee credits. To activate it, tick I accept the solution trial Terms and Conditions on the launch screen before proceeding.

Step 3: Configure the Deployment

You will see the deployment configuration form. Fill in the fields across the following sections:

• Deployment name — A unique name for this deployment.
• Deployment Service Account — Use an existing account with the required roles, or create a new one.
• Zone — Select the GCP zone closest to your users.
• Machine type — Default e2-small (1 shared vCPU, 2 GB RAM) works for most setups. Choose a larger type for high-traffic production use.

Step 4: Configure Networking

In the Networking section, leave the network and subnetwork as default unless you have a custom VPC, and keep External IP set to Ephemeral so the server is reachable over the internet.

Under Firewall, leave Allow SSH (TCP port 22) from the Internet enabled, or restrict the source IP range to your own IP for better security. The vendor-recommended firewall rule also opens UDP/1194 for the OpenVPN tunnel automatically.

Click DEPLOY and wait a few minutes for the deployment to complete.

Get the Server IP

Once deployment is complete, click the VM instance resource name in the deployment details to open the network interfaces panel, and copy the External IP address. You will use this to SSH into the server and to connect from OpenVPN Connect.

Generate a Client Configuration

Step 1: Log in to the Server

Open your SSH client and connect to the server using its external IP:

ssh -i /path/to/your-key ubuntu@<ExternalIP>

You are now logged into the server.

Step 2: Add a Client

Run the built-in client generation script, replacing myclient1 with your desired client name:

sudo bash /opt/openvpn/add-client.sh myclient1

The script generates a PKI certificate and produces a ready-to-use .ovpn profile file at:

/home/ubuntu/clients/myclient1.ovpn

Download the .ovpn File

Use an SFTP client (e.g. Termius, Cyberduck, FileZilla) to connect to the server with your SSH key and download the generated profile from /home/ubuntu/clients/myclient1.ovpn to your local machine.

Alternatively, you can use scp from your terminal:

scp -i /path/to/your-key ubuntu@<ExternalIP>:/home/ubuntu/clients/myclient1.ovpn ./

Connect Using OpenVPN Connect

Step 1: Open OpenVPN Connect

Launch the OpenVPN Connect application on your local machine and click the "+" button to import a new profile.

Step 2: Import the Profile

1. Choose the UPLOAD FILE tab.
2. Click BROWSE and select the myclient1.ovpn file you downloaded, or drag and drop it into the upload area.

Step 3: Connect

After the profile is imported, you will see the Profile Name and Server Hostname pre-filled from the .ovpn file. Click CONNECT.

Once connected, the profile toggle turns green and the status changes to CONNECTED. The connection stats panel shows live bandwidth and packet metrics.

Check Server Logs

SSH into the server and use journalctl to follow the OpenVPN server logs in real time:

sudo journalctl -u openvpn@server -f

You will see client connection events, assigned virtual IPs, cipher negotiation, and tunnel activity.

Manage the Server

Check OpenVPN Status

sudo systemctl status openvpn@server

Stop and Start OpenVPN

sudo systemctl stop openvpn@server
sudo systemctl start openvpn@server

Shut Down the VM

To stop the VM without deleting it, go to Compute Engine → VM Instances in the GCP console, select your instance, and click Stop. You can restart it at any time by clicking Start.

Delete the Deployment

To fully remove the deployment and stop all billing:

1. Go to Solution deployments in the GCP console.
2. Find your OpenVPN deployment.
3. Click Delete to remove all associated resources.

Always back up your client .ovpn files and any custom server configuration before removing the deployment.

Upgrades

When a newer version of the OpenVPN GCP image is published, we will update the product listing in GCP Marketplace. To upgrade, check the product version on the listing page. If a newer version is available, back up your client .ovpn files and custom configuration, remove the previous deployment, and redeploy using the updated image.

Troubleshoot

Deployment Fails to Complete

If the deployment status doesn't reach a completed state, check the deployment's error details on the Solution deployments page. Insufficient quota for the selected machine type or zone is the most common cause — try a smaller machine type or a different zone.

Cannot Connect Over SSH

Confirm the firewall rule created during deployment still allows TCP port 22 from your IP. In the GCP console, go to VPC Network → Firewall and verify the rule for your instance.

OpenVPN Connect Fails to Connect

SSH into the server and check the service status and logs:

sudo systemctl status openvpn@server
sudo journalctl -u openvpn@server -f

Also confirm the firewall rule allows UDP port 1194 from the internet under VPC Network → Firewall.

Disk Usage Full

Check disk usage to ensure the instance storage is not full. Log into the server and run:

df -h

If the root volume is between 90–100% used, increase the boot disk size from the VM instance's Edit page in the GCP console, then reboot the instance.

Conclusion

The Meetrix OpenVPN developer guide for GCP helps you set up a secure VPN server on Google Cloud quickly and reliably. Whether you're a DevOps engineer securing internal service access or an administrator managing remote team connectivity, this guide provides everything you need to deploy OpenVPN, generate client profiles, and connect securely from any device.

Technical Support

If you run into any issues, our support team is here to help. Reach out to us at support@meetrix.io and we will respond within 12 hours.