Quick facts
- Full form
- Virtual Private Network
- Main job
- Encrypt + hide IP
- Best protocol
- WireGuard
- Legal?
- Yes, in most countries
- Setup time
- ~5 minutes
A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a service that creates a secure, encrypted connection between your device and the internet. Instead of your traffic travelling directly from your laptop or phone to the websites you visit, it first passes through a private “tunnel” to a server run by the VPN provider — and only then out to the wider web.
Two things happen inside that tunnel. First, your data is encrypted, so anyone watching the connection (your internet provider, a public Wi-Fi operator, a hacker on the same network) sees only scrambled gibberish. Second, the website you connect to sees the VPN server's IP address and location, not your real one — masking who and where you are.
In one sentence
When you connect to a VPN, the app on your device and the VPN server agree on encryption keys and open a secure tunnel. From that moment, every request your device makes is wrapped in encryption, sent to the VPN server, decrypted there, and forwarded to its destination. The reply travels back the same way. Try the toggle below to see the difference:
See it in action
You
Real IP
VPN server
New IP
Website
Sees VPN IP
Traffic between you and the VPN server is encrypted 🔒
What outsiders can see
- Your real IP addressHidden
- Your approximate locationHidden
- Which sites you visit (from your ISP)Hidden
- The content of your trafficHidden
Without a VPN, your ISP is the first party to handle every request, so it can see and log which sites you visit, and each website records your real IP. With the VPN on, your ISP only sees an encrypted connection to a single VPN server, and websites see that server's IP. The protection is only as strong as the provider's no-logs policy, because the VPN itself can see your traffic as it exits the tunnel — which is why a trustworthy, audited provider matters so much.
A VPN is powerful, but it isn't a magic invisibility cloak. It's important to know exactly where its protection starts and stops.
A VPN hides
- Your real IP address from websites
- Your browsing activity from your ISP
- Your traffic from public Wi-Fi snoopers
- Your approximate location
- The type of traffic you send (helps beat throttling)
A VPN does not hide
- Accounts you log into (Google still knows it's you)
- Your browser fingerprint and cookies
- Activity the VPN provider itself could log
- Malware or phishing you click on
- What you post publicly online
For the pieces a VPN can't cover — like browser fingerprinting or managing many identities — people pair a VPN with a privacy browser or an antidetect browser.
People use VPNs for a mix of privacy, security and access. Here are the most common reasons:
Privacy from your ISP
Stops your internet provider from logging and monetising every site you visit.
Safe public Wi-Fi
Encrypts your traffic on café, airport and hotel networks so snoopers can't read it.
Access content anywhere
Change your virtual location to reach your home services and region-locked sites while travelling.
Beat throttling & censorship
Hides the type of traffic you send, which can prevent bandwidth throttling and network blocks.
Hide your IP address
Websites and trackers see the VPN server's IP instead of your real one.
Secure remote work
Protects logins and company access over untrusted networks.
VPNs, proxies and Tor all change how your traffic reaches the internet, but they solve different problems. Here's how they compare:
| VPN | Proxy | Tor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Encrypts traffic | Yes, all of it | Usually no | Yes, multiple layers |
| Scope | Whole device | Single app/browser | Tor browser |
| Speed | Fast | Fast | Slow |
| Hides IP | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Everyday privacy & security | App-level IP change, scraping | Maximum anonymity |
If you mainly need app-level IP rotation for data work rather than system-wide privacy, a proxy is often the better tool — see our proxy directory and the residential proxy explainer.
A VPN protocol is the set of rules that builds the encrypted tunnel. It decides the balance between speed, security and compatibility. You'll usually see these three:
The modern default. WireGuard is lightweight, extremely fast and uses up-to-date cryptography with a tiny, auditable codebase. Most top VPNs now build their fastest option on it (sometimes under a custom name).
Best for: speed, streaming and mobile. The right default for most people.
The trusted veteran. OpenVPN is open-source, heavily audited and highly compatible. It can run over TCP to slip through restrictive firewalls and disguise itself as normal HTTPS traffic.
Best for: maximum compatibility and getting past network blocks, at some cost to speed.
The mobile specialist. IKEv2/IPsec is fast and exceptionally good at re-connecting when you switch between Wi-Fi and cellular, which makes it a favourite for phones.
Best for: mobile devices that hop between networks.
For everyday use, a reputable VPN is both safe and legal in most of the world. The risk isn't the technology — it's which provider you trust, because they can technically see the traffic leaving their servers. That's why independent audits, a proven no-logs policy and a privacy-friendly jurisdiction are the signals that matter.
Watch out for
Common myths, cleared up:
It doesn't. A VPN hides your IP and encrypts traffic, but logins, cookies and browser fingerprinting can still identify you. Treat it as one strong layer, not a cloak of invisibility.
Far from it. Providers differ hugely on logging policy, audits, jurisdiction, protocol support, leak protection and speed. The provider you choose is the whole ballgame.
Usually not. Infrastructure costs money, so many free apps recoup it by logging and selling data or serving ads. A few audited providers offer safe free tiers, but unknown free apps are a real risk.
No. A VPN secures your connection, but it won't stop malware or phishing. You still need good security habits and, ideally, anti-malware protection.
Ignore the marketing and focus on the things that actually protect you. Work through this checklist — it saves your progress in your browser:
Your VPN checklist
Loading… — saved in your browser.
Want the shortlist done for you? We score every provider against these criteria — browse the VPN directory, put two head to head, or check current VPN deals. For a deeper walkthrough, read our guides.
Getting protected takes just a few minutes:
- 1
Choose a trustworthy VPN
Pick an independently-audited, no-logs provider with the servers, speed and features you need. Compare options on the DriftProxy VPN directory.
- 2
Download and install the app
Get the official app for your device from the provider's site or your app store, then sign in with your account.
- 3
Connect to a server
Open the app and connect — pick the nearest server for speed, or a server in another country to change your virtual location.
- 4
Turn on the key protections
Enable the kill switch and confirm there are no DNS or WebRTC leaks. You are now browsing through the encrypted tunnel.
Think it's clicked? Take this quick 4-question quiz to check what you've learned.
Test your knowledge
1 / 4What does a VPN mainly do?
In most countries, yes — using a VPN is completely legal. A handful of governments (such as China, Russia and Iran) restrict or ban VPNs, and using one to commit a crime is still a crime. But for everyday privacy, secure Wi-Fi and accessing your own accounts while travelling, VPNs are legal in the US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia and most of the world.
No. A VPN hides your IP address and encrypts your traffic, but you can still be identified by logging into accounts, browser fingerprinting, cookies and tracking scripts. A VPN is one strong layer of privacy, not total anonymity. For the highest anonymity people combine it with a privacy browser and careful habits.
A little. Encryption and the extra hop to a VPN server add some overhead, so you may lose a small percentage of speed. With a fast protocol like WireGuard and a nearby server, the drop is usually unnoticeable for browsing and streaming. Choosing a congested or far-away server has the biggest impact.
Be cautious. Running a VPN costs money, so some free providers monetise by logging and selling your data, injecting ads, or throttling speeds. A few reputable providers offer genuinely safe free tiers with limits. If privacy matters, prefer an audited no-logs provider over an unknown free app.
A VPN encrypts all of your device's traffic and routes it through a secure tunnel, protecting everything system-wide. A proxy usually only reroutes traffic for a single app or browser and often adds no encryption. VPNs are better for privacy and security; proxies are common for scraping and app-level IP changes.
It depends on your goals. At home your Wi-Fi is usually secure, but your ISP can still see and log the sites you visit, and websites still see your real IP and location. A VPN stops ISP tracking, masks your IP, and lets you access region-locked content — useful even on a trusted home network.
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