Best VPNs for OpenVPN Protocol

We review the best VPNs that offer OpenVPN tunnel protocol to encrypt internet traffic. OpenVPN is one of the most secure protocols available, and it’s also one of the most recognized protocols by most of the VPN providers. Open VPN is a leader in its field offering impressive features; it is also outstripping other popular VPN protocols like PPTP and L2TP/IPsec by far. Although OpenVPN isn’t the easiest protocol to install and set up, it offers greater security and excellent fast speeds.

 What is an OpenVPN?

OpenVPN is a VPN tunnel protocol; it creates a secure and encrypted internet connection between several devices communicating online. There are other modern tunnel protocols like PPTP, L2TP/IPSec, SSTP and others, these work a little differently when establishing the secure VPN network.

OpenVPN is one of the most well known and popular of all tunnel protocols used by VPN software solutions. It offers many great features, it’s easy to use and provides extensive support. Open VPN is an Open Source software that can be utilized by anyone and modified when needed. The best use of OpenVPN is for anonymous and private internet access, however it can be used also for other various connection needs.

As OpenVPN works in client server mode, then this means that connection to the internet goes through OpenVPN server. Once a client connects to the server, it uses the server to encrypt all of its web traffic and data, which allows client to appear as the server and it assumes that the user’s physical location and administrative contacts are the same as the server’s location. Because of this process the privacy of the OpenVPN user is fully protected and secure.

If you wish to start using OpenVPN you have to obtain access to the OpenVPN server to connect to. Installing your own OpenVPN server is possible. However, it isn’t that easy and requires more technical knowledge. Also, it can lack leading privacy features that you need from OpenVPN. Therefore the best is to use of of the VPN service providers, like ExpressVPN, VyprVPN, StrongVPN, SaferVPN or HideMyAss that already support OpenVPN protocol and offer many other advantages.

What can you do with OpenVPN software

With OpenVPN you can do following steps:

  • Over a single UDP or TCP port, you can tunnel any IP subnetwork and virtual ethernet adapter
  • Construct an extensive, proportional VPN server farm by using one or more devices that are capable of handling hundreds of thousands of dynamic connections from incoming VPN users
  • To protect your private internet network traffic and data as it travels through the internet, you can use all of the features from the OpenSSL like encryption, authentication and certification
  • Supported by the OpenSSL library, you can also use HMAC digest for datagram integrity check and well as any code or key side
  • Choose between static-key based conventional or either certification based public key data encryption
  • Choose to use either static and pre-shared keys or TLS based dynamic keys for exchange
  • Choose a tunnel network over NAT
  • Choose to control your OpenVPN network using a GUI on Windows OS or Mac OS X.

Installation of OpenVPN

OpenVPN isn’t genetically supported by one particular platform, that means that your VPN provider is going to offer you one of the following options:

An open-source OpenVPN software

Using this OpenVPN software it’s a good way to build a essential VPN service. It can be slightly complicated to set it up, with a few different steps involved, it still is the best and the cheapest option. The open-source OpenVPN software works well, however it might require some technical knowledge to get it up and running.

Open VPN client software can be used by following operating systems: Windows, OS X, iOS, Android and Linux / Ubuntu.

A custom OpenVPN software

A custom made VPN clients are slightly more expensive, however it offers a lot of other advantages. One of the main advantages is the convenience of setting up, usually custom made OpenVPN comes with pre-configured settings, which makes it easy for any users to start and get running. Custom made OpenVPN comes with other additional features too. Some of them include kill switch as well as DNS leak protection.

Best VPN and OpenVPN books

To learn more about the VPN and OpenVPN protocol we recommend you reading some of the best VPN books available:

Mastering OpenVPN

by Eric F Crist and Jan Just Keijser

  • it will teach how to configure and set up a secure OpenVPN
  • it will explain how to enhance user experience by using several authentications
  • it will let you reach inside better reporting, monitoring, logging and controlling with OpenVPN software

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Hands-on: OpenVPN: Installing and configuring an OpenVPN server and gateway, and setting up OpenVPN clients on Linux and Android (Private and Secure Computing)

by Adrian Offerman

  • it will guide you on the full installation and configuration of the OpenVPN server and gateway on Linux as well as by the setting up on Android
  • you will find a number of tips and tricks, warnings and security implications when configuring and using an OpenVPN

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OpenVPN: Building and Integrating Virtual Private Networks – Second Edition

by Markus Feilner (Author), Norbert Graf (Author)

  • it will show you the use of all the features that OpenVPN tool has to offer
  • it will explain how to install OpenVPN on your Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, BSD and iOS devices
  • you will learn about encryption, symmetric and asymmetric keying as well as certificates

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OpenVPN Building And Integrating Virtual Private Networks

by Feilner (Author)

  • you will learn how to create a secure VPN using a powerful open source application called OpenVPN
  • you will find out how to install and create tunnels on several devices, including Windows OS, Mac OS X and Linux
  • you will learn how to use OpenVPN with DHCP, VPN router, firewall, and http proxy servers

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Conclusion

Every VPN provider support several tunnel protocols, the most popular being OpenVPN protocol offered by most of the VPN service providers it does stand out for it’s exceptional features and fast speed. Some of the best VPN providers offer great privacy, amazingly fast speeds and easy to use software. But not all the VPN providers offer as great experience therefore in our list of the best OpenVPN providers you will find only reliable VPN service providers that will make your internet identity secure and your life easier.