Arch Linux Setup and Configuration

2025-12-08

This is my collection of Arch Linux configurations and commands that I use to maintain and optimize my system.

Battery Management

Charge Control Thresholds

To extend battery lifespan, you can configure charge thresholds that prevent the battery from charging to 100% when plugged in constantly:

echo 45 | sudo tee /sys/class/power_supply/BAT0/charge_control_start_threshold
echo 55 | sudo tee /sys/class/power_supply/BAT0/charge_control_end_threshold

This configuration starts charging at 45% and stops at 55%, ideal for a laptop that stays plugged in most of the time.

Check Power Status

To check if your laptop is currently plugged in or running on battery:

cat /sys/class/power_supply/AC/online

Returns:

1 = plugged in
0 = on battery

System Maintenance

Package Cache Cleanup

Regular cleanup of package caches helps free up disk space:

yay -Sc && sudo pacman -Sc

This removes old and uninstalled packages from both AUR (yay) and official repository (pacman) caches.

VPN Configuration

Wireguard VPN Setup

Wireguard is a fast, modern VPN protocol. Here’s how to set it up on Arch:

Installation:

sudo pacman -S wireguard-tools openresolv

Configuration:

sudo cp ~/Documents/VPN-Andrey-Laptop.conf /etc/wireguard/vpn.conf
sudo chmod 600 /etc/wireguard/vpn.conf

Usage:

# Start VPN
sudo wg-quick up vpn

# Check connection status
sudo wg show

# Stop VPN
sudo wg-quick down vpn

Optional DNS resolution update:

sudo resolvconf -u

Xray VLESS+Reality Setup

Xray is a powerful proxy tool that creates an encrypted tunnel to your VPS server, useful for bypassing censorship and improving privacy.

What is Xray?

Client that connects to your VPS server via encrypted tunnel
Creates local proxy: 127.0.0.1:10808 (SOCKS5) and 10809 (HTTP)
Traffic flow: Your apps → Local Xray → Encrypted to VPS → Internet

Installation

yay -S xray
sudo mkdir -p /etc/xray
sudo nvim /etc/xray/config.json

Configuration Requirements

Information needed from your server:

Server IP/domain
Port (usually 443)
UUID
Reality: public key, short ID, SNI domain

Key configuration sections:

Inbounds: Local SOCKS5 (10808) + HTTP (10809)
Outbounds: VLESS+Reality to your server + “freedom” for direct
Routing: Which traffic goes where

Configuration Template

Create /etc/xray/config.json with the following template:

{
  "log": {
    "loglevel": "warning"
  },
  "inbounds": [
    {
      "port": 10808,
      "listen": "127.0.0.1",
      "protocol": "socks",
      "settings": {
        "udp": true
      },
      "tag": "socks-in"
    },
    {
      "port": 10809,
      "listen": "127.0.0.1",
      "protocol": "http",
      "tag": "http-in"
    }
  ],
  "outbounds": [
    {
      "protocol": "vless",
      "settings": {
        "vnext": [
          {
            "address": "YOUR_SERVER_IP_OR_DOMAIN",
            "port": 443,
            "users": [
              {
                "id": "YOUR_UUID",
                "encryption": "none",
                "flow": "xtls-rprx-vision"
              }
            ]
          }
        ]
      },
      "streamSettings": {
        "network": "tcp",
        "security": "reality",
        "realitySettings": {
          "show": false,
          "fingerprint": "chrome",
          "serverName": "www.microsoft.com",
          "publicKey": "YOUR_REALITY_PUBLIC_KEY",
          "shortId": "YOUR_SHORT_ID",
          "spiderX": ""
        }
      },
      "tag": "proxy"
    },
    {
      "protocol": "freedom",
      "tag": "direct"
    }
  ],
  "routing": {
    "rules": [
      {
        "type": "field",
        "outboundTag": "direct",
        "domain": ["geosite:private"]
      },
      {
        "type": "field",
        "outboundTag": "proxy",
        "network": "tcp,udp"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Starting the Service

# Test configuration first
sudo xray run -c /etc/xray/config.json

# If it works, enable as service
sudo systemctl enable xray@config
sudo systemctl start xray@config

# Check status
sudo systemctl status xray@config

# View logs
sudo journalctl -u xray@config -f

Usage Options

1. Browser only (recommended):

Firefox/LibreWolf → Manual proxy → 127.0.0.1:10808 SOCKS5

2. System-wide:

GNOME/KDE Network Settings → Manual proxy

3. Per-app:

proxychains <command>

4. Terminal sessions:

export all_proxy="socks5://127.0.0.1:10808"

Recommended Browser: LibreWolf

LibreWolf is a privacy-focused Firefox fork that’s perfect for use with proxies:

sudo pacman -S librewolf

Configuration:

Settings → Network → Manual proxy → SOCKS5 127.0.0.1:10808
Enable “Proxy DNS when using SOCKS v5”
Disable WebRTC: about:config → media.peerconnection.enabled = false

Testing Your Setup

# Check your real IP
curl ifconfig.me

# Check IP through proxy (should show VPS IP)
curl --socks5 127.0.0.1:10808 ifconfig.me

Security Verification

Test for leaks at:

Technical Notes

Traffic is TLS 1.3 encrypted
Reality protocol makes traffic appear as HTTPS to legitimate sites
Datacenter IPs may still trigger some “VPN detected” warnings - this is normal behavior

Last updated: December 8, 2025