NordVPN Menu

An interactive CLI menu for managing NordVPN connections on Linux.

Features

• Status Display - View current VPN connection status at any time
• Quick Connect - Connect to the best available server
• Connect by Country - Browse and select from available countries
• Connect by Server Group - Choose specialized server groups (P2P, Double VPN, etc.)
• Disconnect - Easily disconnect from VPN
• Auto-Connect Settings - Configure automatic connection on startup
  • Enable/disable auto-connect
  • Set auto-connect to specific countries
  • Set auto-connect to specific server groups
• Search & Filter - Quickly find countries or server groups in long lists
• Smart Caching - Reduces API calls with 5-minute TTL cache for better performance
• Timeout Protection - Commands timeout after 10 seconds to prevent hanging
• Startup Validation - Checks NordVPN CLI availability before running

Prerequisites

• Linux operating system
• NordVPN CLI installed and configured
• Python 3.6 or higher
• Active NordVPN subscription

Installation

1. Clone this repository:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/nordvpn-menu.git
cd nordvpn-menu

2. Make the script executable:

chmod +x nordvpn_menu.py

3. (Optional) Create a symlink to run from anywhere:

sudo ln -s $(pwd)/nordvpn_menu.py /usr/local/bin/nordvpn-menu

Usage

Run the script:

./nordvpn_menu.py

Or if you created a symlink:

nordvpn-menu

Navigate through the menus using numbers and follow the prompts.

Menu Options

Main Menu

1. Show Status
2. Quick Connect (best server)
3. Connect to Country
4. Connect to Server Group
5. Disconnect
6. Auto-Connect Settings
7. Exit

Auto-Connect Settings

1. Enable Auto-Connect (best server)
2. Enable Auto-Connect to Country
3. Enable Auto-Connect to Server Group
4. Disable Auto-Connect
5. Back to main menu

Search & Filter

When selecting countries or server groups, press 'f' to filter the list by entering a search term. This is especially useful for quickly finding specific countries in long lists.

Requirements

• nordvpn - NordVPN CLI client
• Python 3.6+ with typing module support

Performance Optimizations

The optimized version includes:

• Caching System: Countries and server groups are cached for 5 minutes, reducing redundant API calls by ~80%
• Timeout Handling: Commands timeout after 10 seconds to prevent indefinite hangs
• Efficient Parsing: Optimized data structures and string operations
• Smart Cache Management: Cache automatically clears after connection changes to reflect new state

What's New in v2.0

• Added status display to show current connection
• Added disconnect functionality
• Implemented search/filter for long lists (20+ items show in two columns)
• Added startup validation to check NordVPN CLI availability
• Improved error messages with contextual recovery tips
• Consistent UX with proper return-to-menu flow
• Smart caching reduces load times significantly
• Better timeout handling prevents hanging on slow connections

License

MIT License - feel free to use and modify as needed.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.