- WireGuard, contrary to what it sounds like
it has nothing to do with guarding your wires
from rodents or children.
WireGuard is a fairly new VPN protocol,
aiming to replace the old OpenVPN protocol.
And if you are using or planning to use a VPN,
you should absolutely care about
which protocol your VPN is using.
The difference are colossal,
and that's why I'm going to discuss them today.
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or only plan to use a VPN,
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Now, if you have heard about WireGuard before,
I'm quite positive that it was mostly tech talk.
After all VPNs are an IT product,
so the surrounding discourse is quite technical.
But if you did manage
to get the general idea about WireGuard,
it probably revolved about a few key points.
One, it's faster.
Two, it's simpler.
Three, it's more secure.
And surprisingly, not everyone uses it.
So why?
And before that,
how does WireGuard show better results
than for example, OpenVPN?
And even before that, what is WireGuard?
So let's start unraveling
the string of questions from the bottom up.
WireGuard is some VPN protocol created in 2017
for the Linux kernel.
Back then, the future creator of our WireGuard,
Jason Donnenfeld, yeah, that guy over here,
needed a stealthy tunneling protocol.
but the existing VPN protocols like OpenVPN and IPsec
yielded unsatisfactory results
and were hard to configure.
So instead of trying to adapt existing code to its needs,
Jason created WireGuard,
a VPN protocol that utilizes less code
and more efficient cryptographic algorithms,
essentially becoming a faster
and more secure counterpart to OpenVPN.
So here's the what question answered,
and a little bit of the how there as well,
but let's delve a little deeper.
As I've already said,
WireGuard utilized less code,
only about 4,000 lines.
So it's possible to read it in one afternoon,
while it's snuggling in your armchair
with a big cup of coffee, of course.
You might think that's a lot,
but try to guess how many lines of code OpenVPN has,
10,000, 20,000?
No, OpenVPN currently
has over a hundred thousand lines of codes,
and as a basis, it can get up to 400,000
if you want to utilize all the capabilities of the protocol.
WireGuard is at least 25 to 100 times less bulky
than OpenVPN.
This also means that it's easier
for developers to find and fix bugs or security breaches.
They don't have to search through a literal novel,
which could have a single line written wrong,
yet what makes WireGuard a favorite is the speed.
Connections are significantly faster
than OpenVPN connections,
revolutionizing VPN performance.
So now that we are done with what and how,
let's get to why.
And here I have to mention
some of the inherent flaws of WireGuard.
Created for Linux kernel,
WireGuard really excels when used on Linux.
But when it comes to windows and mobile platforms,
WireGuard runs in user space,
which decreases the overall performance.
That said, it still outperforms the hell out of OpenVPN.
Another concern is WireGuard's age.
Its first stable release happened on March 29, 2020.
WireGuard is young and developing,
which by default makes it more susceptible
to attacks and less stable.
And while developers
do a great job fixing vulnerabilities
and adding new enhancements,
it could be ages
before WireGuard gets the same versatility OpenVPN has.
Right now there's a limit
to how you can configure WireGuard to your needs,
especially if you're not running it on Linux.
That's why some VPN providers
are avoiding WireGuard for the time being,
waiting until it evolves
into a truly revolutionary protocol.
And even those who decided to implement WireGuard
do it as an option,
rather than switching to WireGuard completely.
A wise choice.
So who are those brave VPN providers
who decided to give WireGuard a try?
Well, there are a few of those,
NordVPN, Surfshark, PIA and CyberGhost
stand out the most as the industry leaders.
Among them all, NordVPN stands out the most
for a single reason.
They don't actually use WireGuard as it is,
instead NordVPN has used WireGuard as a basis
and develop their own protocol called NordLynx.
NordLynx premiered last summer,
and has to become a favorite of NordVPN users.
Just look at the differences
between the speed using OpenVPN and NordLynx
through the NordVPN app.
It might not look much,
but if you also add on the non VPN connection to the mix,
you'll see that download speed
is barely reduced with NordLynx,
and falls considerably with OpenVPN.
And if we compare it with the competitors,
the results are even more impressive.
AV-TEST has concluded,
that NordVPN significantly out speeds the competition.
Of course, it isn't perfect.
NordLynx is still in development just like WireGuard
and developers recommend using NordLynx at your own risk.
But let's be real,
with NordVPN co-located RAM-only servers,
there's little danger to your privacy.
However, while NordVPN mentions a possible danger,
some decides to omit this important point
from their presentation.
PIA, for instance,
straight up lists only the positives of using WireGuard,
which is unsurprising.
If you take into consideration
that they've been supporting development for a long time.
CyberGhost too keeps quiet
about possible cons of the WireGuard.
Despite the fact that,
it's currently the only protocol available
on their iOS and Android apps.
Surfshark though is a bit different.
While it doesn't outright mention the cons of WireGuard,
their page about this protocol
explains how their own functions and capabilities
compliment the shortcomings of WireGuard.
All in all, WireGuard has great potential,
and that is being recognized
by most of the VPN providers using it.
But if you have to choose,
consider a VPN that's honest with you
and offers more than just WireGuard.
So, let's sum it up.
WireGuard is a great protocol, at least on paper.
It has shown great improvements
in speeds, security, and reliability
when implemented right.
But the protocol being so new carries some risks.
Despite that, there are VPN providers using it
and users enjoying it's plentiful benefits.
And whichever of these VPNs you choose,
I have deals for them.
Just follow the link in the description
to claim time limited VPN discounts.
And please subscribe.
While you are here,
ringing the bell will also help.
I'll see you guys later,
and safe browsing, with or without WireGuard.
(upbeat music)