How to install NymVPN on any Linux distribution? – Nym Technologies SA

This article explains how to install NymVPN on any Linux distribution, including how to correctly install the required NymVPN daemon (nym-vpnd) when using Flatpak or AppImage.

NymVPN on Linux is composed of two separate components:

NymVPN app – the graphical desktop application
NymVPN daemon – a background service (nym-vpnd) that handles VPN networking

The app cannot function without the daemon.

Installation method	App installed	Daemon installed
Ubuntu / Debian (APT)	✅	✅
Arch Linux (AUR)	✅	✅
Flatpak	✅	❌ (manual install required)
AppImage	✅	❌ (manual install required)
Universal install script	✅	✅

Ubuntu and Debian-based distributions

Recommended for Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, and related systems.

Step 1: Download the Nym repository setup package

wget https://apt.nymtech.net/pool/main/n/nym-repo-setup/nym-repo-setup_1.0.1_amd64.deb -O /tmp/nym-repo-setup_1.0.1_amd64.deb

Step 2: Install the repository

sudo dpkg -i /tmp/nym-repo-setup_1.0.1_amd64.deb
sudo apt update

Step 3: Install NymVPN

sudo apt install nym-vpn

This installs both the NymVPN app and the daemon, and configures the system service automatically.

Arch Linux and Arch-based distributions

NymVPN is available via the Arch User Repository (AUR).

Option a: Install prebuilt binaries (recommended)

yay -S nym-vpnd-bin nym-vpn-app-bin

Option b: Build from source

yay -S nym-vpnd nym-vpn-app

Enable and start the daemon (run once)

sudo systemctl enable --now nym-vpnd.service

Universal installer script (other Linux distributions)

For unsupported distributions (for example Fedora), use the universal installer script.

Install

curl -SsL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nymtech/nym-vpn-client/refs/heads/develop/.pkg/linux/install | bash

Uninstall

curl -SsL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nymtech/nym-vpn-client/refs/heads/develop/.pkg/linux/install | bash -s uninstall

/.pkg/linux/install | bash -s uninstall

Flatpak installation (any Linux distribution)

Flatpak is supported on most Linux distributions and installs only the NymVPN app.

⚠️ Important: Flatpak does not install the required daemon. You must install nym-vpnd separately using the methods described later in this article.

Step 1: Set up flathub

Follow the instructions for your distribution:

https://flathub.org/setup

Step 2: Install the NymVPN app

flatpak install flathub net.nymtech.NymVPN

Alternatively, install via the Flathub website:

https://flathub.org/apps/net.nymtech.NymVPN

AppImage installation (any Linux distribution)

AppImage provides a portable version of the NymVPN app only. Use the commands below to proceed with installation

Download the latest AppImage from the app release:
```
NymVPN_<VERSION>_x64.AppImage
```
Make it executable:
```
chmod +x NymVPN_<VERSION>_x64.AppImage
```
Run the app:
```
./NymVPN_<VERSION>_x64.AppImage
```

⚠️ Important: You must install nym-vpnd separately using one of the methods below.

Installing the NymVPN daemon (`Nym-vpnd`) for Flatpak or AppImage

The daemon is distributed as part of the NymVPN Core release, separate from the app. Core releases are published here:

https://github.com/nymtech/nym-vpn-client/releases

You can install the daemon using one of the methods below.

Method 1 (recommended): Install the daemon via `.deb` Package

Recommended for Debian/Ubuntu-based systems, even when using Flatpak or AppImage for the app.

Download the daemon package from the latest core release:
```
nym-vpnd_<VERSION>_amd64.deb
```

Install it:

sudo dpkg -i nym-vpnd_<VERSION>_amd64.deb

Enable and start the daemon:

sudo systemctl enable --now nym-vpnd.service

The Flatpak or AppImage app will automatically connect to the running daemon.

Method 2: Install the daemon from the core tarball (any Linux)

Use this method if your distribution does not support .deb packages.

Download the Linux core archive from the latest core release:
```
nym-vpn-core-v<VERSION>_linux_x86_64.tar.gz
```

Extract the archive:

tar -xvf nym-vpn-core-v<VERSION>_linux_x86_64.tar.gz
cd nym-vpn-core-v<VERSION>

Install the daemon binary:

sudo install -m 755 nym-vpnd /usr/local/bin/nym-vpnd

Create a systemd service file:

[Unit]
Description=NymVPN Daemon
After=network.target

[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/nym-vpnd
Restart=on-failure

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Save as:

/etc/systemd/system/nym-vpnd.service