VPN Terms

• AES-256 AES-256 is a symmetric encryption standard that uses a 256-bit key to encrypt and decrypt data, and is considered virtually unbreakable with current computing technology — making it the industry standard for VPN encryption.
• Always-On VPN Always-on VPN is a configuration in which a device automatically maintains a persistent VPN connection at all times, preventing any unencrypted traffic from reaching the network — commonly deployed in enterprise environments to ensure all employee traffic routes through corporate security.
• Bandwidth Throttling Bandwidth throttling is the intentional slowing of internet speeds by an ISP for specific types of traffic, services, or users — and a VPN can prevent it by encrypting traffic so the ISP can't identify and target it.
• Browser Fingerprinting Browser fingerprinting is a tracking technique that identifies and tracks users online by collecting a unique combination of browser settings, hardware specs, and behavioral traits — without using cookies or IP addresses.
• Dedicated IP VPN A dedicated IP VPN gives you a fixed IP address that is used only by you — rather than a shared IP used by hundreds of users simultaneously — which can reduce CAPTCHA challenges, improve access to IP-restricted services, and avoid being blocked due to other users' behavior.
• DNS Leak A DNS leak occurs when your DNS queries are sent outside the encrypted VPN tunnel to your ISP's default DNS servers, revealing which websites you're visiting even though you're connected to a VPN.
• Double VPN A Double VPN (also called multi-hop) routes your internet traffic through two separate VPN servers instead of one, adding an extra layer of encryption and making it significantly harder to trace your activity back to your real IP address.
• Five Eyes Alliance The Five Eyes Alliance is an intelligence-sharing agreement between the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand that allows member nations to collect and share surveillance data on each other's citizens — a key consideration when choosing a VPN's country of jurisdiction.
• Geo-Blocking Geo-blocking is the practice of restricting access to online content based on the user's geographic location, determined by their IP address — and a VPN can bypass it by making your traffic appear to originate from a different country.
• IKEv2 IKEv2/IPSec is a VPN protocol developed by Microsoft and Cisco that is known for fast reconnection speeds and strong security, making it a popular choice for mobile devices that frequently switch between Wi-Fi and cellular networks.
• IP Address (VPN) An IP address is a unique numerical identifier assigned to every device connected to the internet. A VPN replaces your real IP address with the VPN server's IP address, masking your location and identity online.
• Kill Switch (VPN) A VPN kill switch is a safety feature that automatically blocks all internet traffic if your VPN connection drops unexpectedly, preventing your real IP address and unencrypted data from being exposed.
• No-Log Policy A VPN no-log policy is a commitment by a VPN provider not to collect, store, or share records of users' online activity, connection timestamps, IP addresses, or browsing data.
• OpenVPN OpenVPN is an open-source VPN protocol that has been the industry standard for secure VPN connections for two decades, known for its strong security, flexibility, and wide compatibility across platforms.
• P2P VPN A P2P VPN refers to a VPN service or specific servers within a VPN that are optimized and permitted for peer-to-peer file sharing, offering the speed, stability, and privacy features needed for torrenting safely.
• PPTP PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) is one of the oldest VPN protocols, developed by Microsoft in 1999. It is fast and easy to set up but considered cryptographically broken and should not be used for any security-sensitive purpose.
• RAM-Only Servers (VPN) RAM-only servers are VPN servers that run entirely from volatile memory (RAM) rather than persistent hard drives, meaning all data is permanently wiped every time the server reboots — making it impossible to recover logs even if a server is physically seized.
• Split Tunneling Split tunneling is a VPN feature that lets you route some of your internet traffic through the VPN while allowing other traffic to go directly through your normal connection, giving you control over what gets encrypted and what doesn't.
• Tunneling Protocol A VPN tunneling protocol is the set of rules that determines how data is packaged, transmitted, and decrypted between your device and a VPN server — with different protocols offering different tradeoffs between speed, security, and compatibility.
• VPN A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a service that encrypts your internet traffic and routes it through a secure server, masking your IP address and protecting your data from surveillance, hackers, and tracking.
• VPN Encryption VPN encryption is the process of scrambling your internet data into an unreadable format before it leaves your device, so that only the intended VPN server can decode and read it.
• VPN Jurisdiction VPN jurisdiction refers to the country where a VPN provider is legally incorporated, which determines which government's laws, data retention requirements, and court orders the provider must comply with.
• VPN Obfuscation VPN obfuscation is a technique that disguises VPN traffic to look like regular internet traffic, allowing users to bypass firewalls and censorship systems that detect and block standard VPN connections.
• VPN Server Location A VPN server location is the physical country or city where a VPN provider's server is based. Your apparent IP address and geographic location online is determined by which server you connect to.
• WireGuard WireGuard is a modern, open-source VPN protocol designed to be faster, simpler, and more secure than older protocols like OpenVPN and IPSec, using state-of-the-art cryptography and a lean codebase of roughly 4,000 lines.