Installing on Linux

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for installing and configuring the NordLayer application on Linux-based operating systems.

NordLayer for Linux is officially supported on the distributions and versions listed below. These are the releases the application is built, packaged, and tested for. Other distributions or versions may work, but they are not officially supported.

Supported Linux distributions

NordLayer is distributed as a .deb package for Debian-based systems (Debian, Ubuntu) and as an .rpm package for RPM-based systems (Fedora, openSUSE).

As distributions reach their end of life, support for them is dropped and newer releases are added, so the exact set of supported versions changes over time. For the most up-to-date list, check the operating systems article.

Installation process

1. Download the package for your Linux distribution from the downloads page

2. Install the package

During the installation both the repository and the application will be installed. Additionally, a new user and user group nordlayer will be created and you will be added to this group.

To install, you can double-click on the downloaded file or run the commands bellow in the terminal.

Ubuntu/Debian

sudo apt install <path-to-downloaded-deb-file>

Fedora

sudo dnf install <path-to-downloaded-rpm-file>

openSUSE

sudo zypper install <path-to-downloaded-rpm-file>

3. Optional: install systray application

A graphical system tray application is available, allowing to manage NordLayer connections without the terminal. Not all features are supported. For full functionality always use the terminal application.

Ubuntu Debian

sudo apt update && sudo apt install nordlayer-tray

Fedora

sudo dnf install nordlayer-tray

openSUSE
For systray functionality on openSUSE, you will need to add the appropriate repository and refresh it prior to the installation. Use the following commands:

zypper addrepo https://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:huakim:matrix/openSUSE_Tumbleweed/home:huakim:matrix.repo
zypper refresh home_huakim_matrix
sudo zypper install nordlayer-tray

Relogin or reboot

For the group assignment to take effect re-login to your desktop user or reboot the system. Otherwise permission error is encountered.

Note: If you install systray separately, you will need to re-login again for the changes to take effect.

Upgrade

For best experience and compatibility between the main application and systray, always upgrade both to the latest version.

Ubuntu/Debian
Run the following commands:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install nordlayer nordlayer-tray

Fedora
Run the following commands:

sudo dnf update nordlayer nordlayer-tray

openSUSE
Run the following commands:

sudo zypper update nordlayer

Note: In case you have any questions or are experiencing any issues, please feel free to contact our 24/7 customer support team.