Peer-to-peer-based VPN alternatives
Tunnel Vision
© Lead Image © Warakorn Harnprasop, 123RF.com
People wanting to encrypt the network traffic sent over public lines usually use either IPsec, SSL via port 443, or OpenVPN. We look at four alternative tunnel builders that promise VPN using the peer-to-peer method.
The P2P-based VPN solutions described here range from software following the classic model to a simple peer-to-peer model. The first approach uses two networks; in the second approach, the computer joins the network using an ID, and routing is done automatically.
Some of the projects also offer clients for other operating systems, including those for mobile devices. I looked at four candidates in all, and the tests were performed in a virtualized environment with suitable remote peers on the Internet.
Tinc [1] is the most senior of the programs being tested. Freelan [2] is still quite a young project, which offers clients for Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X. Students from the University of Florida have been instrumental in helping develop IPOP [3], which is similar to Tinc. ZeroTier [4] is the only candidate implemented as a pure peer-to-peer VPN.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
TUXEDO Unveils New InfinityBook Pro with an AMD Ryzen AI 300
This new notebook offers serious power that is ready for your business, development, or entertainment needs.
-
Danish Ministry of Digital Affairs Transitions to Linux
Another major organization has decided to kick Microsoft Windows and Office to the curb in favor of Linux.
-
Linux Mint 20 Reaches EOL
With Linux Mint 20 at its end of life, the time has arrived to upgrade to Linux Mint 22.
-
TuxCare Announces Support for AlmaLinux 9.2
Thanks to TuxCare, AlmaLinux 9.2 (and soon version 9.6) now enjoys years of ongoing patching and compliance.
-
Go-Based Botnet Attacking IoT Devices
Using an SSH credential brute-force attack, the Go-based PumaBot is exploiting IoT devices everywhere.
-
Plasma 6.5 Promises Better Memory Optimization
With the stable Plasma 6.4 on the horizon, KDE has a few new tricks up its sleeve for Plasma 6.5.
-
KaOS 2025.05 Officially Qt5 Free
If you're a fan of independent Linux distributions, the team behind KaOS is proud to announce the latest iteration that includes kernel 6.14 and KDE's Plasma 6.3.5.
-
Linux Kernel 6.15 Now Available
The latest Linux kernel is now available with several new features/improvements and the usual bug fixes.
-
Microsoft Makes Surprising WSL Announcement
In a move that might surprise some users, Microsoft has made Windows Subsystem for Linux open source.
-
Red Hat Releases RHEL 10 Early
Red Hat quietly rolled out the official release of RHEL 10.0 a bit early.