Glossary · VPN & tunneling

OpenVPN

Also calledopenvpn protocol

Definition

OpenVPN is the veteran open-source VPN tunnel protocol — flexible, well-audited, and configurable over TCP or UDP.

Explanation

In depth

OpenVPN has been the standard for consumer and enterprise VPNs for over 15 years. It runs over TCP (443 typically, to blend with HTTPS traffic) or UDP (faster, less firewall-traversal-friendly). Configuration is highly flexible — cipher choice, key exchange, certificate authorities are all tunable. That flexibility is also the drawback: OpenVPN is heavier and slower than WireGuard, especially on mobile. For firewall traversal in restrictive networks, OpenVPN-over-TCP-443 has a long track record because the traffic looks superficially like HTTPS. Modern DPI systems fingerprint OpenVPN handshakes reliably, though.

Related terms

VPNA VPN is a service that routes every network request from your device through an encrypted tunnel to a remote server.WireGuardWireGuard is a modern VPN tunnel protocol designed for simplicity, speed, and small code footprint — the 2020s default for most VPN services.IKEv2IKEv2 is a VPN tunnel protocol optimised for mobile devices — it survives network switches (Wi-Fi to cellular) without dropping.VPN tunnelA VPN tunnel is the encrypted connection between your device and a VPN server that carries all your device's network traffic.

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