OpenVPN vs WireGuard.

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In this article I would like to describe and compare the 2 most popular VPN protocols: OpenVPN and Wireguard.


Let's start with OpenVPN:

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OpenVPN is an open-source VPN protocol that is widely used to create a secure Internet experience. It's a universal protocol that is compatible with a variety of operating systems and devices, making it a popular choice among VPN providers and users. OpenVPN uses SSL/TLS encryption to establish a secure connection between the user's device and the VPN server. SSL/TLS is a widely used encryption protocol that is commonly used to secure web traffic. By using SSL/TLS, OpenVPN provides a secure and private connection that is resistant to various types of attacks such as man-in-the-middle and data spoofing attacks. The OpenVPN protocol is a server-client protocol. The client is the software installed on the user's device and the server is the software running on the remote server.

To establish a connection the client first initiates a connection request to the server. The request includes various parameters such as the client's IP address, authentication credentials and encryption settings. The server then verifies the client's credentials and negotiates the encryption options to be used for the connection. Once the connection is established the client and server exchange data using a VPN tunnel. All data transmitted through the tunnel is encrypted and decrypted at the endpoints using an agreed-upon encryption method. OpenVPN also provides various features to optimize the performance and security of your VPN connection, such as compression, routing and key management.

A more modern VPN protocol - Wireguard:

WireGuard is a modern, high-performance and secure VPN protocol that was designed to improve upon existing VPN technologies. It's designed to be simple, efficient and flexible while providing reliable connection security. WireGuard uses a new approach to VPN cryptography called the "Noise Protocol Framework". Noise is a modular protocol framework that allows developers to create their own cryptographic protocols tailored to specific use cases. WireGuard uses a combination of cryptographic algorithms, including elliptic curve cryptography to establish secure connections between endpoints. It's based on a peer-to-peer model where each endpoint is considered a peer and has it's own set of cryptographic keys. This approach simplifies the process of creating and managing VPN connections because each endpoint can initiate a connection and exchange cryptographic keys without relying on a central server.

WireGuard's key exchange process is based on a combination of Diffie-Hellman (ECDH) and symmetric encryption (ChaCha20). When two endpoints establish a connection they exchange a set of cryptographic keys that are used to encrypt and decrypt the data sent between them. This key exchange process is designed to protect against various types of attacks, including man-in-the-middle attacks and replay attacks. Once a connection is established data transferred between endpoints is encrypted and authenticated using a combination of symmetric and asymmetric cryptography. Now let’s compare these 2 VPN protocols (Wireguard and OpenVPN) with each other...

Development and release:​

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OpenVPN is a well-studied and widely used protocol that has been around since 2001. It's a complex protocol that uses multiple cryptographic algorithms to establish secure communication between client and server. OpenVPN can work over various network protocols such as TCP and UDP.

Wireguard is a newer and simpler protocol that was introduced in 2016. It's designed to be fast, efficient and easy to use. Wireguard uses modern cryptographic primitives such as ChaCha20, Poly1305, BLAKE2s and Curve25519 to provide strong encryption and authentication. Wireguard uses the UDP protocol for communication and is optimized for performance.

Safety:​

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OpenVPN has a good security reputation and has been verified by independent security experts. It provides strong encryption and authentication mechanisms including support for various cryptographic algorithms. OpenVPN also supports various authentication methods such as passwords, certificates and tokens.

Wireguard is also designed with security in mind and has been verified by independent security experts. It uses modern cryptographic algorithms that are considered secure and resistant to attacks. Wireguard has a smaller attack surface compared to OpenVPN due to it's simpler design and codebase.

Performance:​

OpenVPN is known for it's relatively high CPU usage which can affect it's performance on low-power devices. The protocol can also be affected by network congestion and packet loss, resulting in poor performance.

Wireguard is designed for optimal performance and has lower CPU usage compared to OpenVPN. Wireguard is also less susceptible to network congestion and packet loss, resulting in improved overall performance.

Ease of use:​

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OpenVPN can be difficult to install and configure. The protocol requires various configuration files and commands, which can be intimidating for novice users. Wireguard is designed to be easy to use protocol. It has a smaller configuration file and requires fewer commands to install and configure, making it more accessible to novice users. Wireguard's core code base is about 4,000 lines of code, while OpenVPN has about 400,000 lines of code. Also, Wireguard is included in the Linux kernel since version 5.6


Both of these protocols are good, despite their disadvantages, OpenVPN can be configured for high throughput and set up a server in a few minutes using a Docker container with OpenVPN. Choose the protocol that is more convenient for you.