{"id":63027,"date":"2022-11-16T18:01:29","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T10:01:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/?p=63027"},"modified":"2023-05-17T22:38:58","modified_gmt":"2023-05-17T14:38:58","slug":"how-vpn-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/how-vpn-works\/","title":{"rendered":"How is a VPN and How it Works? (A Guide for Beginners)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Online privacy is one of the biggest concerns of our generation. As the Internet advances, so do the antics of cyber criminals causing us to be more concerned about our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/safeguard-online-privacy\/\">privacy and security online<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But thanks to tools like <abbr title=\"Virtual Private Networks\">VPN<\/abbr> (Virtual Private Networks), surfing the net is a lot safer.  If you haven\u2019t used a VPN tool before, you should; but before you download one or sign up for a subscription, here is some of the <strong>stuff you should know about a VPN<\/strong> firsthand.<\/p>\n<div class=\"su-divider su-divider-style-default\" style=\"margin:36px 0;border-width:3px;border-color:#f1f5f9\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>In this article:<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-list\" style=\"margin-left:0px\">\n<ul>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-angle-right\" style=\"color:#999999\"><\/i> <a href=\"#VPN-in-a-Nutshell\">VPN in a Nutshell<\/a><\/li>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-angle-right\" style=\"color:#999999\"><\/i> <a href=\"#What-Does-a-VPN-do\">What Does a VPN do<\/a><\/li>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-angle-right\" style=\"color:#999999\"><\/i> <a href=\"#General-Features-of-VPN\">General Features of VPN<\/a><\/li>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-angle-right\" style=\"color:#999999\"><\/i> <a href=\"#Frequency-Asked-Questions\">Frequency Asked Questions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-divider su-divider-style-default\" style=\"margin:36px 0;border-width:3px;border-color:#f1f5f9\"><\/div>\n<h2 id=\"VPN-in-a-Nutshell\">VPN in a Nutshell<\/h2>\n<p>VPN is a technology of <strong>encrypting Internet connection<\/strong> from one device or network to another. There are many ways to get a VPN (or should I say, use a VPN service).<\/p>\n<p>The most common ones are <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/best-vpn-services-review\/\">VPN service providers<\/a><\/strong>, which offer downloadable apps that <strong>allow you to connect to the Internet anonymously<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.hongkiat.com\/uploads\/how-vpn-works\/what-is-vpn.jpg\" alt=\"VPN\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\"><\/figure>\n<p>Some VPN tools are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/free-virtual-private-networks\/\">free to use<\/a>, with limited capabilities; many others provide <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/cheapest-vpn-providers\/\">paid options<\/a> with a limited free trial or money-back guarantee. And, of course, these paid options come with more features, better security, and other perks.<\/p>\n<p>To learn more about what VPN is and what it does, <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/veepn.com\/what-is-vpn\/\">check out this page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"What-Does-a-VPN-do\">What Does a VPN do?<\/h2>\n<p>By now you know that by connecting through a VPN, <strong>your actual IP is hidden<\/strong> from the public. But this is not all a VPN does. Following are some of the main functions of a VPN.<\/p>\n<h3>Keeping browsing private<\/h3>\n<p>A VPN<strong> shields your Internet browsing<\/strong> and searching history from ISPs (Internet Service Providers). They are left only to see the trail of encrypted data traveling to the VPN server.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ref-block ref-block--post\" id=\"ref-post-1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/private-browsing\/\" class=\"ref-block__link\" title=\"Read More: Private Browsing \u2013 What It Is & What It Isn\u2019t\" rel=\"bookmark\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Private Browsing \u2013 What It Is & What It Isn\u2019t<\/span><\/a>\n<div class=\"ref-block__thumbnail img-thumb img-thumb--jumbo\" data-img='{ \"src\" : \"https:\/\/assets.hongkiat.com\/uploads\/thumbs\/250x160\/private-browsing.jpg\" }'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<noscript>\n<style>.no-js #ref-block-post-23654 .ref-block__thumbnail { background-image: url(\"https:\/\/assets.hongkiat.com\/uploads\/thumbs\/250x160\/private-browsing.jpg\"); }<\/style>\n<\/noscript>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"ref-block__summary\">\n<h4 class=\"ref-title\">Private Browsing \u2013 What It Is & What It Isn\u2019t<\/h4>\n<p class=\"ref-description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAll browsers provide you with a way for a so-called private browsing experience, and the descriptions are also...\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Read more<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Hide your location<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/what-your-ip-reveals\/\">Your IP address<\/a> reveals your location. By connecting to a VPN, your <strong>location is masked<\/strong>, and your new location is the location of the VPN server you are connected to.<\/p>\n<p>Aside from keeping your real IP hidden for privacy and security purposes, faking your actual location has many other perks. For instance, you are able to <strong>access regional-locked movie content<\/strong> in <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hulu.com\/\">Hulu<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/\">Netflix<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.disneyplus.com\/home\">Disney+<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"General-Features-of-VPN\">General Features of VPN<\/h2>\n<h3>Server switching<\/h3>\n<p>Most VPN providers have <strong>networks of servers that span across many different countries<\/strong>. This provides great flexibility whether you want to connect to a server nearer to your location or you want to an IP of a specific country.<\/p>\n<h3>VPN Protocols<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/vpn-protocols\/\">VPN protocols<\/a> determine how data are passed through a connection. Some prioritize data encryption over speed, while some do the other way around.<\/p>\n<p>Common VPN Protocols are <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openvpn.net\/\">OpenVPN<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wireguard.com\/\">WireGuard<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.proofpoint.com\/us\/threat-reference\/sstp#:~:text=Definition,a%20Windows%20environment%20than%20Linux.\">SSTP<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.techtarget.com\/searchnetworking\/definition\/Layer-Two-Tunneling-Protocol-L2TP#:~:text=Layer%20Two%20Tunneling%20Protocol%20(L2TP)%20is%20an%20extension%20of%20the,to%20pass%20within%20the%20tunnel.\">L2TP<\/a>, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.purevpn.com\/what-is-vpn\/protocols\/pptp\">PPTP<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"no-logs-policy\">No Logs Policy<\/h3>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.hongkiat.com\/uploads\/how-vpn-works\/vpn-ptotocols.jpg\" alt=\"VPN protocols\" width=\"1141\" height=\"874\"><\/figure>\n<p><small>Image: VPN Protocols Explained, via top10vpn.com<\/small><\/p>\n<p>VPN providers that uphold a \u2018No log policy\u2019 that do not collect or log down any information transmitted through their network. This means <strong>none of your personal details are saved<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>This may include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Websites you visited.<\/li>\n<li>Your browsing habits (time, duration, etc).<\/li>\n<li>Apps you downloaded.<\/li>\n<li>Things you searched for. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>DNS Leak detection and prevention<\/h3>\n<p>A <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/DNS_leak\">DNS leak<\/a> happens when the <strong>VPN fails to protect your device\u2019s DNS querie<\/strong>s. And when this happens, your <strong>Internet activities will be exposed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>A good VPN provider usually takes care of that with their DNS Leak Detection and Prevention feature.<\/p>\n<p>However, some configurations might be required, depending on the provider.<\/p>\n<h3>Multiple device connectivity<\/h3>\n<p>Unlike most licensed software and apps, most VPN apps allow you to <strong>connect to multiple devices simultaneously<\/strong>. That means all your devices can be connected to the Internet and protected.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"Frequency-Asked-Questions\">Frequency Asked Questions:<\/h2>\n<div class=\"su-spoiler su-spoiler-style-faq su-spoiler-icon-plus\" data-scroll-offset=\"0\" data-anchor-in-url=\"no\">\n<div class=\"su-spoiler-title\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\"><span class=\"su-spoiler-icon\"><\/span>1. What are the advantages of a VPN?<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-spoiler-content su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\">\n<p>When you connect to a VPN, your data will be encrypted, thus making the connection more secure. VPN also allows you to bypass regionally-blocked websites and content. In short, it provides anonymity when you are on the Internet.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-spoiler su-spoiler-style-faq su-spoiler-icon-plus su-spoiler-closed\" data-scroll-offset=\"0\" data-anchor-in-url=\"no\">\n<div class=\"su-spoiler-title\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\"><span class=\"su-spoiler-icon\"><\/span>2. What are the disadvantages of a VPN?<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-spoiler-content su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\">\n<p>Your connection can intermittently be unusually slow or disconnected when your VPN provider scrambles to connect you. Worse, some VPN providers may even sell your data to 3rd parties. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/vpn-cons\/\">Here\u2019s a list of VPN disadvantages nobody is talking about.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-spoiler su-spoiler-style-faq su-spoiler-icon-plus su-spoiler-closed\" data-scroll-offset=\"0\" data-anchor-in-url=\"no\">\n<div class=\"su-spoiler-title\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\"><span class=\"su-spoiler-icon\"><\/span>3. Are there free VPN providers?<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-spoiler-content su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\">\n<p>Yes. While most VPN providers charge for using them, some allow you to use them for free or at least provide a Free Plan. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/go\/atlasvpn\">AtlasVPN<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/go\/protonvpn\">ProtonVPN<\/a>, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/go\/windscribe\">Windscribe<\/a> are some, to name a few.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/free-virtual-private-networks\/\"> Check out our list of the best free VPN providers.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-spoiler su-spoiler-style-faq su-spoiler-icon-plus su-spoiler-closed\" data-scroll-offset=\"0\" data-anchor-in-url=\"no\">\n<div class=\"su-spoiler-title\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\"><span class=\"su-spoiler-icon\"><\/span>4. Which is the cheapest VPN service out there?<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-spoiler-content su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\">\n<p>VPNs are usually charged on a subscription basis, and the longer the plan is, the cheaper it is when you break it down to monthly costs. As far as we know, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/go\/atlasvpn\">AtlasVPN<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/go\/cyberghost\">CyberGhost<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/go\/purevpn\">PureVPN<\/a>, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/go\/surfshark\">SurfShark<\/a> are among the most affordable in the market thus far. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/cheapest-vpn-providers\/\">Check out our article on the Cheapest VPN Providers.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Wrapping up<\/h2>\n<p>Most of the VPN providers out there offer similar services. You will need to shop around and compare their features and prices to get one that fits you.<\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t need to know the technicality of a VPN to protect yourself on the Internet; pick a good VPN provider that suits you in terms of budget and features offered.<\/p>\n<p>If you do not have VPN yet and are looking to get one, I hope the information above is helpful in terms of helping you to get started.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Online privacy is one of the biggest concerns of our generation. As the Internet advances, so do the antics of cyber criminals causing us to be more concerned about our privacy and security online. But thanks to tools like VPN (Virtual Private Networks), surfing the net is a lot safer. If you haven\u2019t used a&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3398],"tags":[4105,4605,2261],"topic":[],"class_list":["entry-content","is-maxi"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.8 (Yoast SEO v27.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How is a VPN and How it Works? - Hongkiat<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Online privacy is one of the biggest concerns of our generation. As the Internet advances, so do the antics of cyber criminals causing us to be more\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/how-vpn-works\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How is a VPN and How it Works? (A Guide for Beginners)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Online privacy is one of the biggest concerns of our generation. As the Internet advances, so do the antics of cyber criminals causing us to be more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/how-vpn-works\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hongkiat\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hongkiatcom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-11-16T10:01:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-05-17T14:38:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/assets.hongkiat.com\/uploads\/how-vpn-works\/what-is-vpn.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hongkiat.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@hongkiat\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@hongkiat\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Hongkiat.com\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/how-vpn-works\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/how-vpn-works\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Hongkiat.com\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cc686597d92f9086729e4bcc1577ba3\"},\"headline\":\"How is a VPN and How it Works? (A Guide for Beginners)\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-11-16T10:01:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-05-17T14:38:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/how-vpn-works\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":971,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/how-vpn-works\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/assets.hongkiat.com\\\/uploads\\\/how-vpn-works\\\/what-is-vpn.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"bc\",\"Internet Security and Privacy\",\"Virtual Private Network (VPN)\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Internet\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/how-vpn-works\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/how-vpn-works\\\/\",\"name\":\"How is a VPN and How it Works? - Hongkiat\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/how-vpn-works\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/how-vpn-works\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/assets.hongkiat.com\\\/uploads\\\/how-vpn-works\\\/what-is-vpn.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-11-16T10:01:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-05-17T14:38:58+00:00\",\"description\":\"Online privacy is one of the biggest concerns of our generation. As the Internet advances, so do the antics of cyber criminals causing us to be more\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/how-vpn-works\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/how-vpn-works\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/how-vpn-works\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/assets.hongkiat.com\\\/uploads\\\/how-vpn-works\\\/what-is-vpn.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/assets.hongkiat.com\\\/uploads\\\/how-vpn-works\\\/what-is-vpn.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/how-vpn-works\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How is a VPN and How it Works? (A Guide for Beginners)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Hongkiat\",\"description\":\"Tech and Design Tips\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Hongkiat.com\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/hkdc-logo-rect-yoast.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/hkdc-logo-rect-yoast.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":799,\"caption\":\"Hongkiat.com\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/hongkiatcom\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/hongkiat\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/hongkiat\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cc686597d92f9086729e4bcc1577ba3\",\"name\":\"Hongkiat.com\",\"description\":\"This post is published by an HKDC (hongkiat.com) staff. (I.e., intern, staff writer, or editor).\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hongkiat.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/com\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How is a VPN and How it Works? - Hongkiat","description":"Online privacy is one of the biggest concerns of our generation. As the Internet advances, so do the antics of cyber criminals causing us to be more","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/how-vpn-works\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How is a VPN and How it Works? (A Guide for Beginners)","og_description":"Online privacy is one of the biggest concerns of our generation. As the Internet advances, so do the antics of cyber criminals causing us to be more","og_url":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/how-vpn-works\/","og_site_name":"Hongkiat","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hongkiatcom","article_published_time":"2022-11-16T10:01:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-05-17T14:38:58+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/assets.hongkiat.com\/uploads\/how-vpn-works\/what-is-vpn.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Hongkiat.com","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@hongkiat","twitter_site":"@hongkiat","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Hongkiat.com","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/how-vpn-works\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/how-vpn-works\/"},"author":{"name":"Hongkiat.com","@id":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/7cc686597d92f9086729e4bcc1577ba3"},"headline":"How is a VPN and How it Works? (A Guide for Beginners)","datePublished":"2022-11-16T10:01:29+00:00","dateModified":"2023-05-17T14:38:58+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/how-vpn-works\/"},"wordCount":971,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/how-vpn-works\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/assets.hongkiat.com\/uploads\/how-vpn-works\/what-is-vpn.jpg","keywords":["bc","Internet Security and Privacy","Virtual Private Network (VPN)"],"articleSection":["Internet"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/how-vpn-works\/","url":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/how-vpn-works\/","name":"How is a VPN and How it Works? - Hongkiat","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/how-vpn-works\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/how-vpn-works\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/assets.hongkiat.com\/uploads\/how-vpn-works\/what-is-vpn.jpg","datePublished":"2022-11-16T10:01:29+00:00","dateModified":"2023-05-17T14:38:58+00:00","description":"Online privacy is one of the biggest concerns of our generation. As the Internet advances, so do the antics of cyber criminals causing us to be more","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/how-vpn-works\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/how-vpn-works\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/how-vpn-works\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/assets.hongkiat.com\/uploads\/how-vpn-works\/what-is-vpn.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/assets.hongkiat.com\/uploads\/how-vpn-works\/what-is-vpn.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/how-vpn-works\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How is a VPN and How it Works? (A Guide for Beginners)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/","name":"Hongkiat","description":"Tech and Design Tips","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Hongkiat.com","url":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/hkdc-logo-rect-yoast.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/hkdc-logo-rect-yoast.jpg","width":1200,"height":799,"caption":"Hongkiat.com"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hongkiatcom","https:\/\/x.com\/hongkiat","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/hongkiat\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/7cc686597d92f9086729e4bcc1577ba3","name":"Hongkiat.com","description":"This post is published by an HKDC (hongkiat.com) staff. (I.e., intern, staff writer, or editor).","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/author\/com\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4uxU-goz","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63027"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67028,"href":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63027\/revisions\/67028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63027"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=63027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}