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6/27/2026
I Built a Serverless VPN on Lambda MicroVMs — 12 Builds, 5 Dead Ends, 1 Working Architecture

I Built a Serverless VPN on Lambda MicroVMs — 12 Builds, 5 Dead Ends, 1 Working Architecture

Short summary

Author built a serverless VPN on AWS Lambda MicroVMs (launched 4 days ago), documenting 12 builds and 5 failed approaches before finding a working solution. Final architecture uses veth pairs, microsocks SOCKS5 proxy, and wstunnel to work around unavailable kernel TUN drivers. Cost model: ~$0.13/hr when active, zero when suspended.

  • •Serverless VPN built on AWS Lambda MicroVMs with ~20-second startup and per-second billing
  • •12 builds and detailed debugging journey; WireGuard/TUN not available in Firecracker kernel
  • •Final stack: wstunnel (WSS tunnel) + microsocks (SOCKS5) + iptables MASQUERADE—no VPC needed

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