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Protocols

Understand the role of each protocol, its transport and configuration requirements. These reference pages separate the tunnel mechanism from client behavior, DNS settings and provider services.

Three checks when reading a VPN or proxy protocol: identity and keys, data transfer, and traffic and DNS policy.
Check authentication, data transfer, and traffic/DNS policy separately. VPNs and proxies can cover different traffic; routing and DNS depend on the protocol and client.
Protocol reference

IKEv2 / IPsec

IKEv2 negotiates security associations; IPsec protects IP traffic.

2026-10-10IKEv2 / IPsecprotocolstunnel
Protocol reference

L2TP / IPsec

An older combination using L2TP for tunneling and IPsec for protection.

2026-10-10L2TP / IPsecprotocolstunnel
Protocol reference

Lightway

A VPN protocol developed by ExpressVPN, with a publicly available core.

2026-10-10Lightwayprotocolstunnel
Protocol reference

OpenVPN

A configurable tunnel with a TLS control channel and a separate data channel.

2026-10-10OpenVPNprotocolstunnel
Protocol reference

Shadowsocks

An encrypted proxy protocol, distinct from a full device IP tunnel.

2026-10-10Shadowsocksprotocolsproxy
Protocol reference

SSTP

Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol carries PPP traffic over HTTPS.

2026-10-10SSTPprotocolstunnel
Protocol reference

WireGuard

A compact IP tunnel using public keys and a defined cryptographic suite.

2026-10-10WireGuardprotocolstunnel