131
Why does every VPN need to rewrite their own client? (programming.dev)
submitted 1 month ago by to c/programming@programming.dev
29 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

I've been testing VPN services and somehow every one with a client has written their own. Proton, Windscribe, IVPN, Mullvad, AirVPN, NordVPN, and the list goes on.

Don't these services all do the same thing? Connect to a server to get a list of servers, then use WireGuard or OpenVPN to make a connection, and have some fancy stuff like split tunneling or a killswitch. It should just take configuration by adding profiles per service and it should be possible to use the same client.

What am I missing?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 4 points 1 month ago

A lot of it is convenience. An app lets people pick multiple destinations without worrying about config or hopping connections, whereas doing it totally manually you'll have to configure and connect/disconnect each endpoint yourself.

A good example is AzireVPN. They let you grab Wireguard config files directly and just connect on your own terms (up to 5 active connections per account, but eh), and they have an app if you prefer.

They did recently get bought out by some fucking shithole company, so I do not know if I even should mention them by name, but it does exemplify the issue you're asking about.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
    •