How does OpenVPN work and why does anyone pay for a VPN? • r/VPN
OpenVPN is like an Ethernet cable. It connects your computer directly to another computer or network, and no one in the middle knows what’s being sent along the cable.
Imagine you could run a VERY long Ethernet cable across the ocean and connect to the Internet in another country. If you did that, all of your computer traffic would go through the cable to the other country. Your own country wouldn’t know what you were sending over that cable, and the rest of the internet would think you were in that other country.
OpenVPN is software that allows you create a direct, private, encrypted connection to somewhere else. You may have to pay someone on the other end to receive the OpenVPN connection, or you might keep your own computer at both ends and not pay anyone else.
You’re paying to be part of someone else’s subnet when you subscribe to a VPN service.
VPN in general establishes a secure connection that makes you appear local to a remote network either to access devices on that remote network or in the case of most commercial VPN services, access to a remote gateway back out to the internet so that it appears you’re on their network and not your own.
Very well explained !
And what does OpenVPN do?
It’s the software that established the connection.
So it doesn’t actually provide any anonymity or encryption? It’s just a peer to peer connection?
There’s some level of encryption to prevent snooping of the connection from your machine to the VPN server, but that’s all.
And you still have to have or pay for a VPN server, correct?
Then why use OpenVPN? Don’t most commercial services also have proprietary software? I’ve used PIA and its simple and seamless. What would the advantage of OpenVPN be?
This conversation sounds like you both are missing each other somewhat and maybe im missing something too, but maybe i can help…
What: OpenVPN is the software that sets up VPN connections (tunneling and encryption)
Why is it good: Since it’s open source, it’s theoretically publicly audited and has gone through extensive testing, it’s also available for anyone to download and install on their own systems for free
What i think you might be missing/misunderstanding: OpenVPN isnt like a paid service (you mentioned PIA), it’s a level below that, you arent getting access to someone else’s network by using OpenVPN, OpenVPN is just the software that works in the background (heck PIA might run some branch of OpenVPN for their service!)
But because OpenVPN is open source, it’s excellent for private use - installing on your own system and using to gain access to your personal network(s) while away
Proprietary software hasn’t been peer reviewed or vetted like OpenVpn has. Plus OpenVpn is still free.
Plus PIA allows OpenVpn clients to work with them.
I use it to for the ability to connect to my own home network when out. I also run pihole on the same server so it filters ads too. FaketoastFT explains the differences