If you’ve ever wondered how your online traffic gets encrypted, you’ve likely noticed the various options for VPN protocols. There are common and proprietary ones, each offering a slightly different level of security and speed.If you are looking for a VPN to get online, you have to decide which protocol is best. You can choose between Wireguard, PPTP, L2TP, IPSec, SSTP, and PPTP-L2TP. If you have no idea what these acronyms mean, then you can read our article below to find out what they are. Read on to find out the pros and cons of each protocol. 

1. Wire guard

Most VPN protocols have huge codebases, performance problems, and are increasingly targeted by repressive governments. WireGuard addresses these issues by implementing a lightweight codebase and extensive security review, along with integrating many important security features lacking in previous protocols. 

WireGuard vpn protocol is open source and uses a simpler codebase to make connections faster and more secure. It also solves problems associated with IPSec and OpenVPN. It is also easier to configure on Linux because it only uses UDP. The WireGuard protocol is faster than IPSec and OpenVPN, due to its lightweight codebase and efficient CPU usage.

OpenVPN was released 18 years before WireGuard, which makes it much more secure. Its AES cipher is a decade older than WireGuard’s. Moreover, WireGuard’s minimal codebase makes it easier to audit. 

WireGuard’s code is 99% shorter than OpenVPN’s, so it’s easier to read and install. WireGuard was also released before the stable version. It’s not yet fully enterprise-ready, and the developers don’t want to add features for subsets of users or cover edge cases. Nonetheless, WireGuard is a promising candidate for the future of VPN. Astrill VPN supports this cryptography utilizing protocol.

2. PPTP

PPTP VPN stands for Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol. The protocol was developed by Microsoft to increase security and privacy while sharing private information. Its security measures are based on encryption of the data sent over the tunnel. Generally, PPTP uses Microsoft Point-to-Point Encryption (MPPE), MS-CHAP, or EAP-TLS for encryption. A good VPN server will encrypt all the data in the connection before it is sent over the network.

The issue with PPTP is its insecure encryption. Although it is widely accepted as safe, it’s vulnerable to attacks. The encryption key has been cracked by criminals and governments. Microsoft hasn’t invested in further updates to the protocol, so cybercriminals are now able to intercept your data using off-the-shelf password hacking and eavesdropping tools. Furthermore, brute-forcing PPTP encryption is trivial, and it doesn’t require a powerful computer or specialized technical skills.

3. L2TP

While PPTP VPNs are very popular, there are a few key differences between PPTP and L2TP VPN protocols. The first is that L2TP uses stronger encryption than PPTP, enabling 256-bit encryption instead of the standard 128-bit. The other is that L2TP uses fixed ports, making it a poor choice for slow connections. Whether or not this is an issue for you depends on your personal preference.

The second difference between PPTP and L2TP is how they separate the control and data streams. PPTP doesn’t offer GRE support, making it less firewall-friendly. L2TP VPN protocol has a few downsides, but it is still a good option for a VPN. If you don’t want to deal with firewalls, L2TP is an excellent option for you. In addition, it is highly secure, so you won’t have to worry about security breaches.

4. IPSec

IPSec VPN protocol provides secure connections using the IP network. It uses encryption and authentication to secure outgoing data packets. IPsec also uses UDP instead of TCP to overcome firewalls. IPsec uses a two-phase process: Phase I begins with authentication of the connected hosts. This phase also involves negotiation of the IKE SA policy, and setting up a secure tunnel. Phase II is the key negotiation phase.

The IPSec VPN protocol is a common way to set up a secure connection over the internet. It uses the IPv4 and IPv6 protocol to create a virtual encrypted link. To use it, you will need a third-party client program. In addition to providing encryption, IPSec offers protection from replay attacks and protects against duplicate sequence numbers. This method is commonly used for secure remote access between offices.

5. SSTP

SSTP VPN is one of the most common protocols in use today. The underlying technology is simple and secure. It uses a connection through a handshake. This handshake ensures data integrity and leaves a “stamp” on it. This type of authentication is only necessary for the SSTP server. This protocol is not supported by Windows XP, and requires that you use a password to connect. 

6. OpenVPN

There are several reasons to use the OpenVPN VPN protocol. This is because it has an excellent security record and is the gold standard in the VPN-world. OpenVPN is an open source software developed by James Yonan in 2001. It’s the most secure and popular VPN protocol, and it is also compatible with a variety of encryption ciphers. There are other VPN protocols as well. L2TP/IPSec, which combines Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol and Internet Protocol Security encryption, and IKEv2 is also a snel VPN. The Internet Key Exchange Versie 2 (IKEv2) is a relatively new protocol that has some privacy risks.

Another reason to use the OpenVPN VPN protocol is that it is free and open source. This means that the community is responsible for developing it and maintaining it. OpenVPN protocol supports HMAC Firewall, which ensures that only the correct devices and users can encrypt information. This VPN protocol also supports User Datagram Protocol (UDP), which is the fastest VPN protocol. It uses OpenVPN’s advanced encryption to keep your data secure. Astrill VPN also supports this secure protocol for enhanced encryption.