Open source software comes in many shapes and sizes and offers all kinds of services and perks. One of these is the VPN. We’ll explain briefly what VPN does and what open source services you should keep an eye out for.
What Is VPN?
VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. It is used when you want to see the sections of the internet that are not allowed in your region, regardless of whether the sanction was put in place by your government or the website itself. For example, if you wanted to visit
betting-promo-codes.co.uk from the United States, you needed to mask your IP address so it would seem you are accessing it from a country where it is allowed. It also allows you to download files anonymously and share data with other computers. In addition to that, it protects your computer from unauthorized attacks from the internet by masking your presence. When people want to browse the internet anonymously, they use VPN to mask their IP and their preferences. Now that that is out of the way, here are 5 open source VPNs.
OpenVPN
OpenVPN is one of the most popular VPN providers on the market nowadays. It gives you remote access, site-to-site VPNs, and it’s affordable. It protects your internet traffic and allows you to choose your own type of data encryption. It runs on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, so it is not compatible with open source operating systems.
SocialVPN
What separates this VPN from others is that its main purpose is to connect your computer to someone else’s, with their permission, of course. It protects your privacy in terms of hiding what types of files you share with one another. Its compatibility with Android devices allows you to connect your mobile phone and tablet to your desktop computer and servers. You can also create your own decentralized Online Social Network, or OSN. To put it simply, you can make your own Facebook alternative just for you and your friends.
strongSwan
Running on Linux, Ubuntu, Windows, macOS, as well as Android devices, strongSwan is used in order to provide strong authentication and security, as well as for storing smart cards securely. To use this VPN effectively, you should have at, at the very least, some basic understanding of how networking works, including the setup of DNS servers, assigning IPs, firewalls, and the like. It is also not suitable for newbies, as its users are expected to know how to install binary software packages, or at least compile source code.
Openswan
Openswan is another open source VPN server where some tech-knowledge is necessary. Furthermore, its target audience consists of Linux users. So, if you like working on Linux and prefer to keep your data private and secure, it is one of the best solutions on the market, seeing as how it has been around for a little over a decade.
The Securepoint TERRA
If you own a small company with its own private network and around 10 employees, The Securepoint Terra may be right for you. The selling point of this system lies in its compatibility with many other VPN systems, including the aforementioned OpenVPN.
