Many a time we have heard others talking about using a VPN while working or playing games online. And this, in turn, led us to believe that there must be clear benefits of using a VPN.
Well, there are numerous uses of a VPN and of course advantages that you can easily find out by checking nordvpn review on the internet. But if you get the fundamental concept of a VPN, you can better relate to it.
The basic aim of a VPN is to offer you secure access to a remote network through a private connection. When you access the internet by using a VPN, your requests pass through a private server which is offered by a VPN provider. But the websites you surf only gets the IP address and data of your VPN, thereby concealing your confidential information.
Now, to get a bit technical here, there are certain protocols that work behind the flawless functioning of a VPN.
The prime job of VPN protocols is to look after the transfer of data between your system and the VPN server. While this is a generalized view of how a VPN works, these are the 5 most important protocols that take care of various features of a VPN.
1. OpenVPN
As the name suggests, it is an open-source VPN protocol and therefore it enables users to examine its shortcomings and implement it in countless projects. Over the years, OpenVPN has turned out to be one of the popular VPN protocols because it ensures tight-lipped security and privacy of users. With the help of security algorithms and standards, users would be able to safeguard their data effortlessly.
2. SSTP
It stands for Security Socket Tunneling Protocol and it is another must-have VPN protocol. Since the launch of Windows Vista Service Pack 1, it has been designed in a way to integrate completely with every Microsoft (News - Alert) OS to date. Also, SSTP is quite secure and it uses 256-bit SSL keys to encrypt your data and 2048-bit SSL/TLS for authentication purposes.
3. L2TP
Also known as the Layer 2 Tunnel Protocol, it is the successor of the backdated PPTP, a product of Microsoft. Although L2TP does not offer any privacy or security itself, services that use this protocol consists of numerous security protocols.
4. PPTP
Launched during the mid-1990s, PPTP is indeed one of the oldest formulated VPN protocols and today most of its services are transferred to other upgraded protocols. It was designed for integration with Windows 95 for securing dial-up connections. But PPTP cannot be said to be completely safe to use now due to lack of security features but it still offers the best connection speeds.
5. IKEv2
It stands for Internet Key Exchange Version 2 and it was jointly developed by Cisco (News - Alert) and Microsoft. It acts as a tunneling protocol and it works to offer a secure session. This protocol is an expert when it comes to reconnecting after temporary connection loss and during switching from one Wi-Fi hotspot to another.
