In this article, I will go over a few of the key facets of VPNs, where they can be utilized most effectively, and whether or not you personally need one based on particular use cases.

About VPNs and How They Are Marketed:

As we continually grow more and more security-conscious, especially with regards to how we protect ourselves online, a common occurrence we have all seen pertains to the abundant usage of VPNs, or Virtual Private Networks. Even now, it is not all too surprising to have heard of widely-available VPN solutions, such as NordVPN or ExpressVPN. A common misconception I personally noticed about VPNs in general is the idea that one’s data or online activity is at risk if one is not used. I even noticed that some VPN providers take the public-facing IP address of visitors and display it on the page, noting that their connection is “unprotected”. This is not necessarily the case, and rest assured that the information you input online is fairly secure by default. There are exceptions of course, but standard web-browsing or data transfer between your client and an online server are typically encrypted as is, negating the need for a VPN. Additionally, most VPN providers work as a sort of proxy rather than a true site-to-site or client VPN. I will touch more on that later.

On that note, let us dive into what a VPN actually does for a user. VPNs utilize a type of encryption which will vary depending on what protocol is specifically used to essentially “wrap” your data in a secure tunnel before traversing the internet or a WAN. Over a WAN, anyone can be listening in on a connection, so it becomes imperative to encrypt the traffic, that is, make the data incoherent jargon for unauthorized individuals while allowing the data to be decrypted and presentable to the desired destination. Most websites used a form of encryption known as Transport Layer Security, or TLS (formerly SSL), which utilizes a certificate and private/public key cryptographic system to establish a unique private session between a server and client. I will not cover the intricacies of TLS encryption here, but know that this essentially means that your data can only be read by you and the server that you are sending data to, just like a VPN. Naturally, this also means the server can see your public IP address as the source of the data.

However, allowing the websites you visit to know your IP is hardly a security concern; in fact, it is a necessity. When I was learning about IT for the first time in college, one student asked the professor how one can hide their IP address from anyone and everyone. My professor simply replied: “Well, I guess you should simply not use the internet, then”. The internet is largely based on trust, which means the only question that remains is to whom you should entrust with your data. Without such trust, information cannot be exchanged.

Who Needs a VPN, then?

By design, VPNs are a fantastic way to ensure that your data stays secure over an insecure connection. Websites like Google, YouTube, or even your bank do not benefit much from a VPN since they use TLS. However, those of you who work remotely might have used VPNs, perhaps client-based ones that allow you to easily login via a computer program and connect to your employer or company’s resources. In this case, a VPN is 100% necessary as the data is being sent over the internet, where malicious users like to frolic and probe packets of data. A VPN also prevents these threat actors as well as legitimate companies from seeing exactly what you are doing on servers you are connected to, like your ISP (again, these entities can still see who you are and what server you are accessing, whether by VPN or TLS). The general rule here is that if there is no encryption protocol protecting you by default, a VPN can be useful. If you have a router or server capable of creating a VPN tunnel, you can also securely access your own home’s local resources as if you were still residing on the same LAN by using a client VPN on your mobile device to connect, enabling you to browse the web or access your home network’s local files.

Now, a hallmark feature of VPN providers is the ability to mask your public IP address. This is a key feature they advertise, but what does this mean for the average user? Well, this creates a sort of proxy server where all your data goes to one of the provider’s privately-owned servers via a VPN. This allows your VPN provider to then contact the domain requested on your behalf, using the IP address of their server instead, effectively changing your own address to match theirs. This has some benefits, like bypassing region-locked content that can only be accessed in other countries. Simply select a server in your country of choice, turn on the VPN, and enjoy content that would otherwise be unavailable in your own country. It should be noted that VPNs, especially ones that are encrypting your data over large distances can be subject to severe latency and bandwidth reduction. This is just a natural side-effect of using VPNs and should be taken into consideration if performance is a concern.

Self-Hosting a VPN Access Server on a VPS:

There are several advantages to a VPN, as I have covered. However, do not feel the need to pay for one if you are concerned about security. In most people’s cases, it can be a superfluous feature to have. That said, one project I have been working on is self-hosting my own VPN in the cloud on a VPS, or Virtual Private Server. Managing your own personal VPS comes with many of the benefits of a VPN and the best part is you can get started for free with no strings attached. If you wish to know more and create one for the fun of it, click here for my article on how to do so.

Thank you all for reading, my fellow tech enthusiasts! Feel free to leave comments below.