What is a VPN? Why is it important to use a VPN?

Maintaining anonymity while using the internet has never been as important as it is today. A VPN helps you maintain online anonymity and privacy by creating a private network while using a public wifi network. Also, there are various contents on the internet that you may not be able to access because of geo-blocking; VPN allows users to access them by masking the IP addresses. VPN hides your IP address and online footprints, making your online actions virtually untraceable. 

With digitization worldwide, the internet has become one of the essential parts of our life. We don't know who can access our data from your ISP and government agencies to hackers online. That's why using a VPN online has become the need of the hour.

If you are unaware of what a Virtual Private Network can do to help you protect your online security and privacy, you have come to the right place. Here in this article, we will discuss all the nitty-gritty of a VPN. Check out now to learn more about 'what is a VPN?' and how does it work?

What is a VPN?

A VPN or Virtual Private Network connects to the internet (or private network) that provides security and privacy. Normally, organizations use VPNs to protect their sensitive data against possible online threats. However, more people are concerned about their privacy due to news of data breaches, ISP throttling, and geo-blocking. That's why VPNs are becoming extremely popular for personal users. When using a Virtual Private Network, the system will replace your IP address with an IP address of the VPN service provider in a different location than yours. 

How does a VPN work?

Knowing how a VPN connection works will eventually help you decide whether using a VPN while using the internet is important. Here is how a VPN works:

While you use a VPN network, the data gets transmitted from the client's system to a specific point in the VPN network and then forwarded to you. After that, the VPN point encrypts your data and, similarly, sends it to the internet. Whereas at another point on your VPN network server, the same data gets decrypted and sent to the appropriate internet resources, e.g., an email server or a web server. The process does not end here.

The decrypted data sent to the internet resources return to the VPN Network server point and gets encrypted again. Now the data undergoes another decryption process, and only after that is it sent back to the client machine. This way, the source of the actual data remains anonymous.

What kind of VPNs are there?

Depending on the encryption technology, there are several types of VPNs available. However, three are the most popular types that you must know about.

SSL VPN

The most common benefit of using an SSL VPN is that it offers data security and privacy. You may need to use an SSL VPN to access something out of a company network. The SSL VPN offers remote access to several enterprise applications without installing or maintaining a separate client software on every user's computer.

Site-to-site VPN

A site-to-site Virtual Private Network is a connection between multiple networks. These connections can be between a corporate network and its branch office network. Some organizations use site-to-site VPNs to create an internet space to pass through private traffic. Companies mostly use remote offices to communicate and share content through a single secured network.

Client to Server or VPN Client

This is the most popular type of VPN that we use for personal internet surfing needs. A VPN client is software that establishes a secure connection between the users and its server. In the case of a client with a server VPN connection, the user is not connected to the network through his/her internet service provider server. Rather, the client system establishes a direct connection with the VPN server.

Advantages of Using a VPN

VPS offers many advantages when connecting to the internet. So here is the list of top advantages of VPN:

Full Encryption

All the traffic from your computer is encrypted, passing through the VPN server. This encryption prevents any interception of the message from being meaningless, which prevents hackers, ISPs (Internet Service Providers), or Government organizations from keeping track of or stealing your online activities.

Speed

While using a VPN, the data passes through the VPN server while encryptions, resulting in a slightly slower connection. However, this decrease in speed is barely noticeable. A VPN will speed up your connection if you suffer from ISP throttling or network congestion.

Compatible with Most Devices

Everybody wants to be secure and anonymous online without prying eyes. The best VPN providers will provide VPNs for the most common systems. If you have a Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, or iOS operating system, there's a VPN. There is also VPN software that you can install on your routers.

Ease of Use

When it comes to the inner workings of a VPN are a bit technical and complicated, but using a VPN is super easy. First, register with a VPN provider > Download the VPN software > and select the country you want to connect to. That's it! Simple as that, which doesn't require any technical skills or previous knowledge.

Bypassing Censorships

When accessing the internet through a VPN, you will appear as you appear from the country that you chose. In addition, your original IP will be masked with the new location IP address server giving you restriction-free access to sites and streaming services like social media and Netflix.

Disadvantages of a VPN

Now let's get down to the drawbacks of using a VPN. Even though VPNs provide security, there can be situations where your privacy can be compromised.

Software Failure

The client software should function for the VPN to protect your data and provide anonymity. If the software fails, then the data from your device will no longer be secure, and you won't be anonymous. This will lead to your ISP or hackers having access to spy on your activities. However, some VPN software comes with a kill switch that shuts down the internet connection if the software malfunctions.

Payment is Higher 

Many VPNs are free, but the free VPNs don't come with the full benefits of having a VPN, and to get the complete package; usually, there is a subscription fee even though they are usually affordable.

Weak Encryptions

Most top-tier VPN providers use 256-bit encryption, which is almost impossible to break. This military-grade encryption technique makes it possible to keep the data encrypted and safe. However, some VPN providers use weaker encryption techniques which don't guarantee complete security.

Logs Kept by the VPN Provider

The whole point of using a VPN Is to be anonymous when surfing the internet, including the VPN providers. When choosing a VPN provider, you must trust them since you will use their software and servers. Most VPN companies keep logs of their users either because of their use or for government regulations. These users' logs are categorized under

• Logs relating to the usage: This type of log can include where you were online and what you did while using the VPN. The number of logs kept depends on the VPN provider, where some keep complete logs while others keep logs, so it's impossible to identify the individual users.
• Logs related to the connectivity: These types of logs include the number of times you used the VPN services, including your IP address.

Why Do You Need to Use a VPN?

Multiple factors require a VPN connection, so here are some of the reasons to have and use a VPN in your system:

• If you're worried about your private information being used by third parties, then a VPN is a must-have.
• When using a public wifi network, you want to be safe from prying eyes and keep your data secured, and then only a VPN can offer you the right solution.
• VPN can ensure complete freedom online without anyone snooping in and spying on you.
• When surfing online, if you want to be completely anonymous without anyone knowing what you are doing, get a VPN.
• If your country has many online restrictions or is censored, and you want complete access without any surveillance, choose VPN.
• Often or not, there are situations when we need to access a company file on the server, but we can't because of the ever-changing locations while travelling. In such situations, a VPN can offer you the right solution by hiding your location.
• If you are looking to bypass network firewalls or prevent network admins from keeping track of your browsing activities, choose a reliable VPN.

Conclusion

VPN offers the utmost privacy and security while surfing the internet. We have included every possible detail to understand what a Virtual Private Network is and how it works. While conclusion, you need to be much more careful while choosing your client. A VPN service provider that collects user data and stores them for future use can not serve your purpose as a VPN client. If you want to ensure complete privacy protection against data breaches and online threats when using the internet, consider using VPN Surf.

Find out more about VPNs!

• What is a VPN Kill Switch and Why Should You Use It?
• Is Your VPN Not Connecting? Here’s Why
• Best VPN to use for Binance
• How to use a VPN?