As Web-based applications continue to grow in popularity, it’s important to know which VPN protocol will best support them. In this blog post, we take a look at the different options and which one is best for your business.
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Introduction
There are several VPN protocols available, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Some of the most popular protocols include PPTP, L2TP/IPsec, SSTP, and OpenVPN. When choosing a VPN protocol, you need to consider a number of factors, such as security, speed, compatibility, and cost.
One of the most important considerations is whether or not the VPN protocol you choose will be compatible with the applications you use. For example, if you need to access a web-based application over VPN, then you will need to choose a protocol that supports web-based applications. In this article, we will take a look at which VPN protocols support web-based applications.
What is a VPN Protocol?
A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a technology that creates a secure, encrypted connection over a less secure network. VPNs can be used to access region-restricted websites, shield your browsing activity from prying eyes on public Wi-Fi, and more. When it comes to VPNs, there are a variety of protocols to choose from.
Internet Protocol Security (IPsec)
Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) is a suite of protocols used to implement secure communications over an IP network. IPsec supports data confidentiality, data integrity, and data authentication. It can be used in conjunction with other protocols such as the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol to provide more comprehensive security.
IPsec is often used to secure communications between two nodes, such as a client and server, or two networks, such as a corporate network and the Internet. It can also be used to secure communications within a single network. IPsec is available in two modes: transport mode and tunnel mode. Transport mode secures communications between two nodes by encrypting and authenticating each packet of data. Tunnel mode secures communications between two networks by encapsulating each packet of data in an IP packet.
IPsec uses cryptographic algorithms to provide security. The most common algorithms are the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and the Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) algorithm. AES is a symmetric-key algorithm that can be used with various key sizes, including 128-bit, 192-bit, and 256-bit keys. RSA is an asymmetric-key algorithm that uses 1024-bit keys.
IPsec also uses cryptographic protocols to provide security. The most common protocol is the Internet Key Exchange (IKE) protocol. IKE uses the Diffie-Hellman algorithm to exchange keying material between nodes. IKE also provides negotiation of security attributes, such as algorithms and key sizes, between nodes.
IPsec is available in many products, including routers, firewalls, network appliances, and VPN servers and clients.
Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP)
Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) is a standard protocol used by many VPN providers. L2TP is designed to tunnel data at the layer 2 OSI model, which means it can be used to carry any type of data, including voice and video. L2TP uses two protocols to achieve its goal:
IPsec: Provides authentication and encryption
UDP: Used for transport
L2TP/IPsec is often used in conjunction with other protocols, such as PPTP. While L2TP/IPsec provides better security than PPTP, it can be more difficult to configure.
Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP)
PPTP is a network protocol that allows data communication between two network points or endpoints. A VPN can create a secure “tunnel” over the public internet to private networks, such as a company’s internal network. This tunnel is created by using a combination of encryption and compression algorithms to make data unreadable and reduce its size.
Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) was one of the first VPN protocols developed and is still used by many VPN providers today. It is a relatively simple protocol that uses 128-bit encryption. PPTP is fast and easy to set up, but it is not as secure as some of the other VPN protocols.
Web-based applications, such as Email and Web browsing, can be used with PPTP.
Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP)
Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol is a proprietary VPN protocol that uses SSL/TLS to transport PPP data. It is more stable and easier to configure than OpenVPN.
Conclusion
After testing and reviewing all of the most popular VPN protocols, we have found that the best one for leveraging web-based applications is OpenVPN. OpenVPN uses SSL/TLS for key exchange and employs 256-bit AES encryption with 2048-bit keys. It also offers a number of other features that make it the ideal choice for web-based applications, including:
-Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS)
-Cross-platform compatibility
-IPv6 support
-A wide range of server locations