If inbound connectivity is required, Bitcoin Core requires port 8333 to be open to the internet. When running over a VPN, most providers, including PIA, will completely block incoming traffic. Even if you pay for a dedicated IP, that alone doesn’t guarantee that your peers can reach your node. Because of this, the setup works fine when connecting directly to your ISP, but when connecting via VPN it shows zero incoming peers.
If you require inbound connectivity while using a VPN, you should choose a provider that explicitly supports port forwarding. Once you have that, log into your VPN dashboard, enable port forwarding, and make sure port 8333 is forwarded to your machine. Make sure port 8333 is open in your system firewall or UFW rules, then restart the node. At this point, peers will be accessible through the VPN’s address.
If your VPN does not support port forwarding, the node will still work, but only for outgoing connections. This still contributes to the network, but not in the same way as fully reachable nodes.
If your real goal is privacy rather than just using a VPN, it’s often easier to run Bitcoin Core than Tor. Tor automatically gives nodes a .onion address that peers can connect to, so you never have to worry about dedicated IPs or forwarding rules.
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