Securing your connections online is vitally important to protect yourself from bad actors watching or intercepting your web traffic. A virtual private network, or VPN, is software that can be used to mask your IP address and encrypt your traffic to prevent such things.
According to software reviewer Aleksander Stevanovic, on average across the globe, data breaches have been seen increasing in 2024. A VPN can help keep you when doing things like streaming, working with data that needs to be protected, or even if you need to get past geo-restrictions for certain web activities.
There have been many updates to VPN technology over the years, leading to the numerous VPN options internet users have today. These new technologies have made VPNs more secure, reliable, and effective. Among the new-age VPN options, decentralized VPNs are gaining a lot of traction among users. In this article, we will explore how these dVPNs (decentralized Virtual Private Networks) work and the safety aspects behind the software.
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What is a Decentralised VPN?
These kinds of VPNs are similar to traditional VPNs. However, as the name suggests, these VPNs don’t have centralized control of their servers. Instead, with this software, dVPNs work on a peer-to-peer network that is run by independent individuals using a set of servers and nodes. As such, they connected to a Blockchain.
In a nutshell, different volunteers are responsible for shifting your traffic through the web as an alternative way of hiding your IP address. In essence, the dVPN is a decentralized network that acts as a remote server run by volunteers who each create a node that allows your traffic to move through the network.
Using a dVPN is similar to using a VPN as connecting to a remote server gives you an alternative IP address while hiding your real one. However, using a dVPN means that you can choose the server you want to use, and it will still protect your internet connection.
Comparison between VPNS and dVPNs
Both traditional VPNs and dVPNs are quite similar in the way they work, however, by comparison, there are slight differences. For starters, with VPNs, maintenance is done by a service provider while dVPNs are managed by both a service provider and the community. For VPNs, a single company controls the server network, while dVPNs are distributed by nodes that are owned by many individuals.
Another difference is that, for VPNs, speed is dependent on the server network and for dVPNs, it depends on the quality of the network and the individual server’s proximity. Despite this, both VPNs and dVPNs have encryption. However, with VPNs payment is subscription-based while dVPNs rely on payment via crypto transactions.
How to Choose a Reliable VPN
If you are looking for a VPN or a dVPN, you need to research to find one that is well-suited to your internet needs. Here are some of the factors that you need to consider when choosing a VPN:
- Extensive server network
- Has compatibility with different operating systems and various devices such as Android, macOS, Windows, Linux, and iOS.
- Transparent No Logs Policy
- Have reliable customer support
- Affordable and flexible pricing
- Have privacy features and basic security such as anti-tracking function, and DNS Leak Protection.
Conclusion
To ensure that your online data is protected, it is important to choose a VPN that protects your personal information and keeps your digital movements private. While traditional VPNs do this effectively, for those looking for extra privacy dVPNs are becoming more popular as these leverage blockchain technology and run on decentralized servers.