Table of Contents
Both IPsec and Open VPN are important terminologies in networking where the end objective is to ensure secure communication. However, IPSec is a network communication protocol which operates at layer 3, network layer in OSI model and designed to secure IP communication using two primary methods – authentication and encryption.
On the other hand, Open VPN is an open source IP protocol which is meant to offer a variety of encryption techniques and key exchange is performed using Secure socket layer (SSL) and Transport layer security (TLS). Open VPN operates at layer 3 network layer and layer 4 transport layer in OSI model.
In today’s article we will understand the difference and commonalities between IPSec vs Open VPN, why they are used, their key characteristics and how to make a choice between them.
What is IPSec
IPSec or Internet protocol security is meant to provide secure communication for IP based networks. Each IP packet is authenticated and encrypted during the session establishment. The IPSec is widely used in virtual private networks (VPNs) as a means to have a secure channel for data transmission over public networks or the Internet.
IPSec was established by the Security Association (SA) for device communication. Security association (SA) established guidelines for authentication and encryption to ensure both parties sender and receiver have common agreement on security policy. This agreement ensures trustworthy transmission between both the parties.
Features
- Authentication head (AH) and Encapsulating security payload (ESP) protocols are used to ensure integrity of data and authenticity so as to ensure data is not tampered during the transmission.
- Packets are encrypted with ESP to ensure they do not become victims of potential eavesdropping during the transit.
- In IPSec, tunnel mode and transport mode ensures data protection.
- Payload only is encrypted in transport mode and the entire packet is encrypted in tunnel mode.
What is an Open VPN
Open VPN is an open source protocol used to establish a secure communication tunnel over a public network or Internet. It is a preferred choice for enterprise VPNs across organizations. Secure tunnelling of IP traffic can be achieved using a wide variety of authentication and encryption techniques in Open VPN.
Features
- Open VPN can traverse firewalls and NAT as it supports any ports and create a secure site-to-site or point-to-point tunnel using a custom security protocol having a key exchange mechanism based on SSL/TLS.
- 256-bit encryption which is considered the highest level of protection is supported which can withstand man-in-the-middle and brute force attacks effectively.
- It is flexible and compatible with various operating systems starting from Windows, MacOS, Solaris and FreeBSD.
- Both TCP and UDP protocols are supported by open VPN and clients can choose the one to deploy based on the network architecture and desirability for speed or reliability.
IPsec vs Open VPN
| Features | IPSec | Open VPN |
|---|---|---|
| OSI layer | IPSec operates on network layer 3 of OSI model | Open VPN operates on layer 4 transport layer in OSI model |
| Secure protocols | IPSec provides Authentication header (AH) and Encapsulating security payload (ESP) protocols | Open VPN uses OpenSSL library which supports wide range of cryptography algorithms |
| Flexibility | IPSec uses narrower cipher range, supports hardware acceleration | Open VPN uses wider cipher range and key exchange options |
| Integration | IPSec integrates with the OS kernel and is faster compared to its counterpart as it provides efficient packet processing and overhead is lesser. | Open VPN provides double encryption hence slower |
| Native support | Native support is available across operating systems and devices | Additional third-party software and needs installation , supports multiple operating systems |
| Ease of setup | Extensive options make its implementation complex | It is simple to setup using a single configuration file |
| Environments supported | Ideal for environments which are stable or fix and do not change much | It is ideal for dynamic and frequently changing environments and resilient against various attack vectors |
| Usage | IPSec is ideal for site-to-site VPN connectivity | Open VPN is ideal for navigating firewalls as it can run on any port and remote access for users and well suited to connect multiple fixed locations |
Download the comparison table: IPsec vs Open VPN
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