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Outline VPN Installation & Management Guide

Here is a clear and complete Wiki-style guide for installing and managing Outline Server and Manager on a Linux server (Ubuntu-based) using Docker:

🛡️ Outline VPN Installation & Management Guide (Linux + Docker)

📋 Overview

Outline is a secure VPN built on Shadowsocks, easy to set up and manage. This guide walks you through:

  • Installing Outline Server
  • Managing it via Outline Manager
  • Making configuration tweaks
  • Reinstalling/Resetting the setup if needed

⚙️ Requirements

  • A Linux server (Ubuntu 20.04/22.04 preferred)
  • Root or sudo privileges
  • Docker installed and running

🚀 Installation Steps

1. Install Outline Server

Run the following command to install the Outline Server:

sudo bash -c "$(wget -qO- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Jigsaw-Code/outline-server/master/src/server_manager/install_scripts/install_server.sh)"

This will:

  • Verify Docker is installed and running
  • Set your public IP
  • Generate TLS certificates and secret keys
  • Start the shadowbox (VPN server) and watchtower (auto-updates)
  • Create your first access key

✅ If successful, you’ll see: 

CONGRATULATIONS! Your Outline server is up and running.

You’ll get something like this:

{"apiUrl":"https://<your-server-ip>:5874/<token>","certSha256":"<sha256-fingerprint>"}

📌 Copy this line — you’ll need it in Outline Manager.

📱 Install Outline Manager (Desktop GUI)

Download from: https://getoutline.org

Available for:

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • Linux (AppImage or .deb)

📌 Paste the connection line from above into Step 2 of the Outline Manager interface to connect and manage your server.

📲 Install Outline Client (to Connect to VPN)

Also available at: https://getoutline.org

Use the access key generated in Outline Manager to connect your devices (Windows, Android, iOS, macOS).

🔧 Optional Configuration

A. Set server hostname (optional) 

sudo hostnamectl set-hostname outline-server

B. Force Shadowbox to listen on all interfaces

Edit the Shadowbox config:

sudo sed -i 's/"hostname":.*/"hostname": "0.0.0.0",/g' /opt/outline/persisted-state/shadowbox_config.json

Restart services:

docker stop shadowbox watchtower
docker start shadowbox watchtower

C. Tune Docker Networking (Optional IPv6, iptables settings) 

sudo mkdir -p /etc/docker
cat <<EOF | sudo tee /etc/docker/daemon.json
{
  "ipv6": false,
  "iptables": true,
  "userland-proxy": false
}
EOF

sudo systemctl restart docker

Then restart Outline containers:

docker start shadowbox watchtower

🔁 Reinstallation / Resetting Outline Server

If you need to reinstall Outline:

docker stop shadowbox watchtower
docker rm shadowbox watchtower 2>/dev/null
sudo rm -rf /opt/outline 2>/dev/null

Then re-run the installation script:

sudo bash -c "$(wget -qO- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Jigsaw-Code/outline-server/master/src/server_manager/install_scripts/install_server.sh)"

🔓 Firewall Ports to Open

Ensure these ports are open in your firewall/router/cloud provider:

Port Protocol Purpose
5874 TCP Management API
21680 TCP/UDP VPN Access Keys

📖 Notes

  • The Outline Server will auto-update via Watchtower.
  • You can create/revoke keys and monitor data usage in Outline Manager.
  • You can use custom domain and Let’s Encrypt manually if needed.