Building VPN profiles for standard clients, not forced apps
Hi Indie Hackers,
I’m building Lisar Connect, a secure connectivity product based on standard VPN clients.
The idea is simple: most VPN products force users into a proprietary app. Lisar takes a different approach by letting users create connection profiles and connect with standard clients such as OpenVPN and compatible L2TP/IPsec setup.
What is available now:
- Create connection profiles
- Download an OpenVPN .ovpn file
- Use compatible L2TP/IPsec setup values
- View active VPN sessions
- Review connection history
- Manage entry and exit routing options
- Use the dashboard without installing a mandatory Lisar app
The current version is public and usable, but I’m still looking for honest feedback from early users, especially around:
- Is the positioning clear?
- Is the setup flow easy enough?
- Is “standard VPN clients instead of a forced app” understandable?
- Does the dashboard explain profile status and active sessions clearly?
- What would make you trust or try a VPN/connectivity product like this?
Website:
Product Hunt:
https://www.producthunt.com/products/lisar-connect
I’d appreciate any feedback, especially from founders, developers, sysadmins, remote workers, or people who already use OpenVPN/L2TP.
I like that you're questioning the assumption that a VPN service needs its own app.
The interesting challenge is making people realize the product isn't replacing OpenVPN—it's removing vendor lock-in. That's a much stronger distinction than simply supporting standard clients.
That’s exactly the distinction I’m trying to make clearer.
Lisar is not trying to replace OpenVPN or other standard VPN clients. The goal is to remove the vendor lock-in around the VPN service layer: profile creation, routing, credentials, active sessions, and connection history should not require a proprietary client.
The user should be able to use a standard client they already trust, while still getting a managed profile and dashboard experience.
I’ll probably adjust the wording to make “removing VPN vendor lock-in” more explicit. Thanks for pointing that out.
Glad it resonated.
Your reply made me think there's one strategic decision sitting underneath that positioning which becomes much more significant as Lisar grows, but I don't think I can explain the reasoning properly in a thread without oversimplifying it.
If you're interested, what's the best email to reach you on?