Setting Up Shadowsocks on a Debian 11 VPS for Secure Proxy Connections [2023]

Are you tired of dealing with slow internet speeds and blocked websites while browsing the web? Look no further than Shadowsocks, a powerful proxy server that allows you to bypass online restrictions and enjoy lightning-fast connection speeds. In this blog post, we’ll guide you through the process of setting up Shadowsocks on your Debian 11 VPS so you can experience an unrestricted and seamless online experience. Follow along as we break down each step in simple terms for even the most novice users. Let’s get started!

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1. Update your system:

Open the terminal and run the following commands to update your system:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

2. Install necessary dependencies:

Install pip, which is a package manager for Python, and the ‘build-essential’ package:

sudo apt install python3-pip build-essential

3. Install Shadowsocks:

Install Shadowsocks using pip:

sudo pip3 install https://github.com/shadowsocks/shadowsocks/archive/master.zip

4. Create a Shadowsocks configuration file:

Create a new configuration file for Shadowsocks:

sudo nano /etc/shadowsocks.json

Paste the following configuration into the file. Replace <password> with your desired password, and <encryption_method> with a supported encryption method (e.g., aes-256-cfb, chacha20-ietf-poly1305, xchacha20-ietf-poly1305):

{
“server”: “0.0.0.0”,
“server_port”: 8388,
“local_address”: “127.0.0.1”,
“local_port”: 1080,
“password”: “<password>”,
“timeout”: 300,
“method”: “<encryption_method>”,
“fast_open”: false,
“workers”: 1
}

Save the file and exit the text editor.

5. Start the Shadowsocks server:

You can start the Shadowsocks server using the following command:

sudo ssserver -c /etc/shadowsocks.json -d start

6. Enable Shadowsocks to start on boot:

Create a systemd service file for Shadowsocks:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/shadowsocks.service

Paste the following configuration into the file:

[Unit]
Description=Shadowsocks Server
After=network.target

[Service]
User=root
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/ssserver -c /etc/shadowsocks.json
Restart=on-abort

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Save the file and exit the text editor.

Enable and start the Shadowsocks service:

sudo systemctl enable shadowsocks
sudo systemctl start shadowsocks

Now, your Shadowsocks server is set up and running on your Debian 11 VPS. To connect to it, you’ll need a Shadowsocks client on your local device. Configure the client with the server’s IP address, the port number (8388), the password, and the encryption method you specified in the configuration file.

As of April 16, 2023, the above method has been tested and is working properly.