| Updated: January 13, 2025
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WireGuard is a fast, secure, and streamlined VPN protocol introduced in 2016 by Jason A. Donenfeld. It’s quickly become a favorite among VPN providers for its efficient codebase—only 4,000 lines compared to OpenVPN’s 600,000—making it simpler to manage and debug. Unlike older protocols, WireGuard combines both high speed and strong security, allowing users to stream, download, and browse with minimal speed loss.
WireGuard’s advantages lie in its speed and open-source nature, which lets VPN providers easily adopt, audit, and enhance it. Many providers, like NordVPN with its NordLynx feature, have tailored WireGuard for added security and privacy. However, it has limitations: it doesn’t fully hide VPN use (lacking “obfuscation”), and it temporarily stores user IPs, which some privacy-focused users may find concerning.
Compared to OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPsec, WireGuard is faster and simpler but less private without additional security layers. Users seeking strong privacy and speed might consider it, especially when paired with VPN features like NordVPN’s obfuscation servers, though OpenVPN remains a solid choice for maximum anonymity.
WireGuard is undoubtedly the most commonly used VPN protocol in today’s world. Jason A. Donenfeld designed it in 2016 and has written an excellent research paper on his development.
The WireGuard VPN protocol is similar to its predecessors, OpenVPN and IPSec, but with more security and speed. Due to its speed and additional security, the protocol is now included in all modern VPNs.
This article will discuss the WireGuard VPN protocol, how to use it, its advantages over its predecessors, and whether it has any limitations.
WireGuard, a VPN protocol released in 2016, disrupted the technology behind VPN protocols. Unlike its predecessors, WireGuard provides complete security at blazing-fast speed.
Now, users with the WireGuard VPN protocol can stream and download anything securely, which was not possible previously. In a nutshell, WireGuard provides high-level security and speed and is written with a few lines of code.
Like other VPN protocols, WireGuard creates an encrypted tunnel between you (the user) and the VPN server. WireGuard functions on the same concept of making an encrypted tunnel between your device and the VPN server for data transmission.
However, unlike its predecessors, WireGuard can make tunnels with shorter encryption codes. In OpenVPN, the encrypted tunnel was made through 600000 lines of code, which is reduced to 4000 in WireGuard.
Fewer lines of code make it easy for anyone to debug. Additionally, data encryption and description are done quickly, making it the fastest VPN protocol.
When you use the WireGuard VPN protocol to send data from one point to another, it is encrypted into codes after entering the WireGuard VPN tunnel. It then travels through the VPN tunnel before reaching its destination. The data you sent can not be decrypted without authentic encryption keys.
Additionally, WireGuard uses the ChaCha20 encryption keys, which work on shorter cryptographic keys, unlike previously used AES-256, making it faster and more secure.
WireGuard is highly secure and has been tested by several companies before being adopted by leading VPN providers. Its short cryptographic keys are robust and reliable, enabling you to encrypt your data and transmit it securely to VPN servers.
Here is a detailed guide on the performance of the WireGuard protocol.
Here are the advantages of using the WireGuard VPN protocol.
The biggest advantage of using the WireGuard VPN protocol is the speed with which it provides data encryption. Previously, using a VPN made your speed slow because your data was being transmitted through a VPN tunnel, which is encrypted and decrypted.
WireGuard VPN protocol uses the 4000 line code, which encrypts and decrypts data at a faster rate. You won’t feel the sluggishness of speed while using the WireGuard VPN protocol.
WireGuard is regarded as one of the best VPN protocols in the world today. While other VPN protocols can provide higher speeds while compromising security, WireGuard provides both speed and security at the same time.
WireGuard is open source, which means anyone with basic tech knowledge can edit it or fix bugs. VPN providers and experts can check out mistakes in code and fix them. Top VPN providers like NordVPN and Surfshark have adopted the WireGuard technology.
NordVPN has built a more advanced version of WireGurad, which is called NordLynx. ExpressVPN has developed its own VPN protocol called Lightway, which works on 2000 lines of code and looks faster than WireGuard.
The WireGuard VPN protocol is based on minimum coding, unlike many other VPN protocols. This makes it easy to debug and fix problems. VPN providers also find it easy to deploy and maintain in their systems.
WireGuard is the perfect VPN protocol because it provides lightning-fast speed and complete security. However, nothing in this world is perfect, and here are the disadvantages of using WireGuard.
WireGuard does not provide complete online anonymity, which means your ISP can see that you are using a VPN; they won’t be able to see what you are doing online. You will need additional obfuscation servers to bypass VPN blocks and firewalls and complete online anonymity.
The WireGuard VPN protocol was designed for speed and security, not user privacy. Your IP address will be on the WireGuard server until it is rebooted; this issue was addressed with the double NAT system deployed by NordVPN and Surfshark.
A WireGuard VPN service faces some risks when it uses a static IP address. One issue is called a WebRTC leak, where a user’s actual IP address could accidentally be exposed to websites. Additionally, harmful software on a device could detect users’ real IP addresses, affecting their privacy.
We’ve created a guide on dedicated IP addresses for anyone looking to understand how they work.
The WireGuard VPN protocol entered the VPN industry in 2016 and quickly gained popularity because of its speed and security. Previously, users had to face a reduction in speed when using VPN protocols like IKEv2, SSTP, L2TP, etc, but with WireGuard VPN protocols, those days were history.
Another benefit of using WireGuard as a VPN protocol was the 4000-line shortcode. It is easy to manage, deploy, and debug, making it the number one choice for VPN providers.
Here is a quick comparison of WireGuard with other VPN protocols.
OpenVPN is currently the most popular VPN protocol, but WireGuard offers several advantages. WireGuard’s codebase is much smaller, around 4,000 lines compared to OpenVPN’s 600,000, making it easier to set up, review, and maintain securely. Additionally, WireGuard is faster because it primarily uses the quicker UDP transport layer, while OpenVPN often defaults to the slower TCP.
OpenVPN is still the best choice for users, with online security and privacy as their top priority.
WireGuard is far better than IKEv2/IPsec. IKEv2/IPsec was a rival of the OpenVPN protocol due to the high speed it offers. This feature was countered with Wireguard VPN protocol, leaving IKEv2/IPsec without a competitive advantage.
In a head-to-head comparison, WireGuard is faster and more secure than IKEv2/IPsec and will defeat it any day.
We have discussed the merits and demerits of employing the WireGuard VPN protocol. It is slightly newer than its predecessors but widely accepted in the VPN world. It offers great speed and top-notch security making it a combination of OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPsec.
However, as I have discussed in this article, WireGuard has a few disadvantages. I recommend using the OpenVPN VPN protocol if you want top-notch online security and privacy. However, I would go for WireGuard when traveling to a country where VPNs are illegal or heavily regulated.
You can also use the NordLynx feature in NordVPN, which is a more secure version of the WireGuard protocol. Additionally, NordVPN offers obfuscation servers that can be used with the WireGuard protocol to hide your IP address.
Like any VPN, WireGuard encrypts the traffic between your device and the server you’re connected to. However, it’s still essential to use HTTPS to ensure your data remains encrypted even beyond the VPN connection.
Yes, a single WireGuard tunnel can be used for multiple devices, but each device needs its own unique set of keys. In WireGuard, each device is identified by a unique key pair, so to connect several devices through the same tunnel, you’ll configure each with its own public/private key set.
This setup allows multiple devices to share the same WireGuard connection endpoint securely without compromising the privacy or security of each device’s data.
It’s important to note that adding too many devices to the same tunnel can impact performance slightly, depending on the server’s resources.
WireGuard is an open-source VPN protocol that is free to use for anyone with technical knowledge. Most VPN providers offer WireGuard as a VPN protocol in their applications.
WireGuard only supports UDP tunneling. A known limitation of this VPN protocol is that it does not support TCP, as mentioned on Wireguard’s website.
WireGuard is now supported by several routers, including Asus, Vilfo, etc. Here is the list of Asus routers that support the WireGuard protocol.
ExpressVPN does not use the WireGuard VPN protocol. It has developed its own VPN protocol by the name of Lightway, which is a derivative of the WireGuard VPN protocol.
Most commercial VPN providers offer the WireGuard VPN protocol. I have used this VPN protocol with the following VPN providers:
Here are the best ports to use the WireGuard VPN protocol:
UDP ports 53, 80, 443, 1194, 2049, 2050, 30587, 41893, 48574, 58237.
WireGuard utilizes advanced cryptographic technologies to ensure secure and efficient communication. Key components include:
All data packets are transmitted over UDP for speed and reliability.
Mustafa is a cybersecurity analyst and a co-founder of VPN for What. Since 2017, Mustafa has gained international experience, working with governments, NGOs, and the private sector as a cybersecurity and VPN expert and advisor.
