VPN Glossary: Essential Terms and Definitions

VPN Terminology A-Z

AES-256

Advanced Encryption Standard with 256-bit keys. Military-grade encryption used by governments and VPNs worldwide.

DNS Leak

When DNS queries bypass the VPN tunnel and go to your ISP, exposing your browsing activity.

Encryption

The process of converting readable data into an encoded format that can only be decoded with the correct key.

Five Eyes

Intelligence alliance between Canada, US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand that shares surveillance data.

IP Address

A unique numerical identifier assigned to your device on the internet. VPNs mask your real IP with their server IP.

Kill Switch

A feature that blocks all internet traffic if the VPN connection drops, preventing data leaks.

No-Logs Policy

A commitment by the VPN provider to not collect, store, or monitor any user activity data.

OpenVPN

An open-source VPN protocol known for its security and configurability. Industry standard for over 15 years.

P2P

Peer-to-peer file sharing. Many VPNs offer specialized P2P servers optimized for torrenting.

Perfect Forward Secrecy

Generates unique encryption keys for each session, so compromising one key does not compromise past sessions.

Split Tunneling

Routes only selected apps or websites through the VPN while the rest uses your regular connection.

WireGuard

Modern VPN protocol offering faster speeds and simpler code than OpenVPN. The new industry standard.