We rely on VPNs to preserve our privacy and data in this age of the internet. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a secure communication channel that connects computers to form a private network. As a result, you can save all of your information.
There are numerous VPN options available. These have been around for a long time, and solutions like IPSec and Open VPN are slow. To address this issue, Jason Donenfeld designed a new VPN protocol that is both quicker and more secure than existing protocols.
What is Wireguard?
Although there are other VPN options on the market, WireGuard has established itself. In today’s article, we’ll look at what WireGuard is and why Linux users are going crazy over it.
It is an open-source VPN that is both fast and safe. It mostly makes use of cutting-edge cryptography. WireGuard was originally created for Linux. It is, however, compatible with Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.
WireGuard team said- “WireGuard has been developed with ease of implementation and simplicity in mind”. It is designed to be simple to implement with only a few lines of code and easily auditable for security flaws.
Unlike behemoths like *Swan/IPsec or OpenVPN/OpenSSL, which require big teams of security specialists to audit such massive codebases, WireGuard is designed to be extensively reviewed by single persons.
Why Linux Users are Going Crazy over WireGuard?
If you compare WireGuard with other available options, you will find the reasons for its popularity. Linus Torvalds, creator of Linux is much impressed with Wireguard. So, he is eager to merge Wireguard in the Linux Kernel 5.6.
“Can I just once again state my love for it and hope it gets merged soon? Maybe the code isn’t perfect, but I’ve skimmed it, and compared to the horrors that are OpenVPN and IPSec, it’s a work of art.” -Linus Torvalds.
However, the reasons for WireGuard popularity in the market are as follows:
1. WireGuard has a lean codebase with 400 lines of code whereas Open VPN has 100,000 lines of code. So, it is quite easier to debug WireGuard.
2. It uses all state-of-the-art cryptography like the Noise protocol framework, Curve25519, BLAKE2, SipHash24, HKDF, and secure trusted constructions.
3. It is easy to configure and deploy. It functions in a similar way to SSH. Once connections are made by exchanging the key, you can relax. Moreover, it comes with a basic but powerful interface. So, you no need to manage connection or worry about the state or manage daemons.
WireGuard has already started to gain popularity. The introduction of WireGuard will change the future of VPN no doubt. Besides, some privacy-focused VPNs like Mullvad VPN have already started to use it. I hope this article was helpful to you. If you liked the article, then you can share it with your friends.
