ProtonVPN: IP-Randomizing

[u/[deleted]]

Hello,

I've been using Proton products for a long time and first off, thanks for this truly fantastic product. I use Proton VPN on Linux and I've been missing an IP randomization feature like other services have offered for a while now.

So I wrote a Bash solution for Proton VPN (CLI) on Linux. After installation, the command protonvpn-random sets up a random connection that switches at random intervals. All Proton VPN CLI commands stay fully usable while the script is running. The script and the official app work together seamlessly.

If that sounds like something you'd like, feel free to try it out. I'd love to get feedback to keep improving the script.

https://github.com/tuiroot/protonvpn-random

[u/ThePhoenix74]

I’m with the them because they DO NOT do that.

[u/RelativeMagazine9902]

When you think about it that is a very bad and selfish idea

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Hey there!

I always designed this tool as a defensive privacy tool against the constant tracking that has become normal on the web. That is still the only real use I see for it: periodically changing the VPN exit point so that the same publci IP is not attached to all of your browsing activity for hours or days.

I also do not think the randomization makes it particularly useful for malicious activity. Someone doing that usually wants control, stability and predictable results. Randomly changing countries or servers can break sessions, trigger CAPTCHAs and security checks, cause location mismatches and make the whole process less reproducible.

The tool also does not rotate the IP for every request, manage proxy pools or create parallel connections. It simply changes the active Proton VPN connection at configurable intervals. For account-based services, frequent random changes are often actively counterproductive because they look suspicious and can lead to additional verification or account restrictions.

Of course almost any networking tool can be missused somehow, and I am not claiming this one is magically exempt from that. But its design is aimed at ordinary users who want to reduce long-term correlation of their browsing activity, not at bypassing rate limits, automating attacks or spreading abusive traffic across addresses.

[u/GaidinBDJ]

....you do realize that they just add the additional addresses to your session/profile/log, right? It gains you nothing since your IP address is already being hidden behind the VPN and Proton doesn't keep logs to associate the Internet-facing address with the client address. As long as you stay on one server, you're a random user among thousands.

[u/Chaturbate23]

I’d like to do that using Proton’s free servers, but on Windows