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How Does a VPN Work?
More About VPN Functionality!

A VPN is a tool to create a secure tunnel between the user and the internet. It is done by creating an encrypted tunnel in the location of the user’s choice. A VPN server works to encrypt your web traffic, hides your IP address, and prevents other third parties from spying on your browsing activities.

Working of a VPN

The working of a VPN is a very interesting phenomenon. To understand this working of VPN, let us first understand how an internet connection works with and without a VPN.

Internet without VPN

While browsing, when you access a website on the internet without a VPN, you are directly connected to the browsing site through your ISP. In this case, the ISP is handling and directing all your traffic, and it assigns you a unique and original IP address. This IP address can be used to identify you to the website. The website knows who you are and what your location is. As your ISP is handling and directing all your traffic, it can also keep a check on the websites you visit, and your activity can be linked to you by your original IP address.

Internet with VPN

When you connect to the internet after installing a VPN app, you enter into a safe tunnel created by the VPN app on your device. With this secure connection with a VPN server, a mask is provided to your identity, and your traffic passes through your ISP, but now your ISP is not allowed to read or see your traffic and cannot spy on your activities. The VPN will hide your IP address from the websites by replacing the original IP address with the IP address of the VPN server. This IP address is shared by several users and keeps on changing regularly.

How does a VPN hide the IP address?

Hiding the IP address is an essential function of a VPN. The significant risk to the privacy of an internet user is through IP address. When you connect to the internet without using a VPN, your original IP address is shown to the website. The IP address is a complete picture of your location and browsing activities.

A VPN server helps you get rid of this privacy risk. When you search a website using a VPN app or software, before coming in contact with the webserver, your data and traffic reach the VPN server. The VPN server then forwards that data to the web server hosting your website.

After that, when the web server sends some information back to you, that information first goes to the VPN server and then is forwarded to you. In this way, there is no way that a website can come in direct contact with you and get access to your original IP address.

VPN function: briefly explained

Below is a brief step-by-step explanation of how a VPN works.
1. You download the VPN app on your smartphone, TV, laptop, or tablet.
2. While browsing, you type the address of a website you want to access.
3. A connection request will be sent to the VPN server connected with your device.
4. The VPN software will encrypt that request and make your location and identity hidden to any third party.
5. That data will be sent to the VPN server and will be decrypted.
6. The VPN server will connect to the webserver, displaying the new IP address that is not unique for you.
7. The website will send information that will go to the VPN server.
8. The VPN server will encrypt the information and sent it to you on the device.
9. The VPN software on your device will decrypt the information and will allow the website to appear on your browsing screen.
How does a VPN work?

How does a VPN work?

The working of a VPN can also be explained and understood by the following activities done by VPN while providing a secure connection.

Encryption

Encryption is the most popular activity done by VPN software. When you are connected to a private VPN server, the data is encrypted into a secret code and hidden from third parties. In this way, traffic contents are kept confidential, and only the intended receiver is allowed to decrypt and see the normal plain text. The encryption and decryption of data are done by using an algorithm called encryption cipher. Ciphers are linked with the keys or passwords used in the authentication process. With an encrypted VPN service, the data remains safe, and even the local Wi-Fi operator or the internet service provider cannot see or read the data or traffic contents.

Authentication

Proving a secure connection to a user is not a simple task. It involves some tricky mathematical solving process called authentication. Authentication is a form of proof that a user is allowed access and provides access control. Authentication is a kind of password made of long and complex characters. It is provided to the parties who are creating a VPN tunnel between their VPN devices. Once authentication is done, it makes sure that the VPN server and the user are directly communicating, without the interference or spying of a third party. It is said that the more complex and long the characters of an authentication password, the more secure it is.

Tunneling

Tunneling is a process that provides a way to cloak some of your online activities. A VPN tunneling is explained as an encrypted link between your device and an outside internet network. In tunneling, a VPN connects your smart devices like phones, laptops, tablets, or computers to another network while hiding your IP address and encrypts all the data generated while surfing on the internet. By creating an indirect connection to websites through a VPN tunnel, you can protect your online activities and the IP address from hackers, government bodies, and other snoops. Tunneling is useful when you are using the internet in public, hotels, library or coffee shops.

Proxying

Proxying is an activity done by VPN. In this process, a user can hide the actual location by hiding the IP address and can show the location from anywhere in the world. Proxy helps to unblock and visit the sites that are restricted in specific locations. By showing the location through the IP address of the private VPN server, the user can become more anonymous to the websites.

In a nutshell

For maximum secure internet browsing, VPN is the simplest tool that is recommended by the majority. If you have understood how it works, it will have become clearer how important it is to protect your data from third parties. Choose the best VPN for your need and enjoy safe browsing.