VPN Glossary: Essential Terms and Definitions
Complete VPN glossary defining essential terms: AES, kill switch, DNS leak, WireGuard, OpenVPN, split tunneling, no-logs, and more.
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Complete VPN glossary defining essential terms: AES, kill switch, DNS leak, WireGuard, OpenVPN, split tunneling, no-logs, and more.
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.
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