How Does a VPN Work?

A VPN works by creating an encrypted tunnel between your device and the VPN server to transmit data. The VPN server then forwards the information you send, and the information you need to receive. In this way, it is possible to change your IP address while keeping your data safe. A simplified VPN workflow is shown below:

How a VPN Works Technically

1. Connect to a Server: Your device connects to a VPN server through the installed VPN client, forming an encrypted tunnel between the two.

2. Encrypt Your Data: The VPN client packs the data you need to transmit into packets and encrypts them so that a third party can't read the data even if it leaks during transmission. And this is how do VPN apps work.

3. Transmit Data Through Encrypted Tunnels: Your data still needs to be transmitted over the Internet, but it is transmitted through encrypted tunnel between the client and the server. Therefore, no one on the Internet can see your information, including your ISP.

4. Decrypt Data at the Server: After the data reaches the VPN server, the server decrypts it before sending your request to the target website. The VPN server uses its IP instead of your real IP to access the Internet. And because of this, your real IP gets hidden.

5. Encrypt the Returned Data: The data returned by the target website is then encrypted by the VPN server and then "tunneled" back to your device again. This is how do VPN servers work.

6. Final decryption: The VPN client decrypts the received data and then you can access the content you requested!

This is the answer to how do VPNs work, and if you want to know how does a VPN work on a phone, the principle is the same.

The unique way VPNs work ensures excellent security and guarantees that your privacy will not be stolen. Also, you can use VPN servers to change your IP address to hide your location and bypass geo-restrictions to access content. If you haven't used a VPN yet, or you are not satisfied with the one you are using, you can download iTop VPN to try it out.