When it comes to securing your internet connection, accessing a private network, or concealing your own IP address, for many, OpenVPN stands out as a popular choice because it’s open-source, widely supported, and relatively easy to configure.
But what makes OpenVPN different from other options like WireGuard? More importantly, how can you set it up on your own server quickly?
In this article, we’ll explore what OpenVPN actually is, who created it, why it’s so widely adopted, how it works under the hood, and how it compares to other common VPN protocols. After that, we’ll guide you through easily setting up a VPN with it.
First things first:
What is OpenVPN?
OpenVPN is an open-source Virtual Private Network (VPN) protocol first developed by James Yonan in 2001. It has since grown into a full-fledged open-source project supported by a large community as well as by OpenVPN Inc., the company formed to maintain and evolve the software.
Over the years, it’s become a household name in the VPN world, powering numerous commercial VPN services and self-hosted configurations alike.
Why is it so popular?
Well, its open-source nature means anyone can review and audit the code, making it easier to spot and fix vulnerabilities. This transparency also builds trust and helps create continuous improvement.
Additionally, OpenVPN is highly compatible—whether you’re on Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, or Android, it'll work. This universal compatibility, combined with strong security protocols and active community development, makes OpenVPN a go-to solution for businesses, hobbyists, and privacy enthusiasts worldwide.
How does OpenVPN work?
At its core, OpenVPN uses TLS/SSL encryption—similar to what protects your connection when you shop online—to secure the tunnel between you and the VPN server. When you connect, the server and your client exchange cryptographic keys. From that point on, all your internet traffic is wrapped in an encrypted "tunnel" before traveling over the public internet.
Inside this tunnel, your data remains private, protected from bad actors. Beyond encryption, OpenVPN supports various authentication methods, dynamic IP addresses, and a range of cipher options, which gives you control over how secure or performant you want your setup to be.
By default, OpenVPN communicates over UDP port 1194. However, it can be configured to use other ports including TCP port 443 (the standard HTTPS port) when needed. This flexibility is particularly useful in restrictive environments—when using port 443, your OpenVPN traffic can blend in with normal encrypted web traffic, making it harder to detect or block.
How does it compare to other VPN protocols?
When choosing a VPN protocol, you’re essentially deciding how your data is packaged, encrypted, and transmitted. This choice affects things like security, speed, compatibility, and ease of setup.
- IPSec: A well-established protocol commonly used in corporate environments. It’s considered secure but can be more complex to set up.
- WireGuard: A newer protocol that’s quickly gaining popularity. It’s known for simplicity, faster speeds, and a slimmer codebase that’s easier to audit. If you're interested in WireGuard, check out our article on WireGuard Easy.
- L2TP/PPTP: Older protocols that are still around but are often considered less secure and more limited than OpenVPN or WireGuard.
OpenVPN strikes a nice balance here. It’s more established and flexible than WireGuard in terms of long-standing community support and mature tooling, yet easier to work with than something like IPSec. Its broad compatibility means you’ll find clients for just about every platform. In short, OpenVPN might not be the newest or fastest, but it’s battle-tested, flexible, and reliable.
Note: For a full comparison, read our article here where we break down the differences between common popular VPN protocols.
Now let's get into the fun part:
Setting up a VPN with OpenVPN
The good news is that getting OpenVPN up and running doesn’t have to be complicated.
There are many safe and trusted scripts out here that automate the vast majority of the dirty work for you, such as Nyr’s script. Using it, you can setup a VPN using OpenVPN in quite literally less than 5 minutes.
Prerequisites:
- A Linux server (for example, a VPS or dedicated server from xTom--for many use cases, our smallest VPS will work fine)
- Basic command-line knowledge
- Root or sudo privileges
Step-by-step instructions:
- Download and run the script:
wget https://git.io/vpn -O openvpn-install.sh && bash openvpn-install.sh
- Follow the prompts: The script will ask for details like port selection, DNS settings, and client name. It then handles the entire installation and configuration process automatically.
- Generate client profiles: After setup, you can create additional client profiles by rerunning the script. These
.ovpnfiles can be imported into your OpenVPN client application.
Once done, you’ll have a fully functioning OpenVPN server!
Conclusion
OpenVPN has carved out a reputation as a flexible, reliable, and widely adopted VPN solution for good reason. Whether you’re an experienced administrator or just getting started, OpenVPN makes it possible to secure your network traffic and maintain privacy on your own terms.
Why not give it a go? It's free and open source, after all.
Thanks for reading! By the way, if you’re looking to run your VPN on stable, high-performance infrastructure, check out xTom for a variety of solutions, such as scalable NVMe KVM VPS, dedicated servers, and colocation.