WireGuard: The Modern VPN Protocol
WireGuard has become the default VPN protocol for good reason — it's faster, simpler, and more secure than its predecessors. Here's everything you need to know.
Why WireGuard Matters
Cryptography
| Function | WireGuard | OpenVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Encryption | ChaCha20 | AES-256-GCM |
| Authentication | Poly1305 | HMAC-SHA256 |
| Key Exchange | Curve25519 (ECDH) | RSA / ECDH |
| Hashing | BLAKE2s | SHA-256/512 |
| PFS | Built-in (1-RTT) | Optional (TLS) |
Both are considered highly secure. WireGuard's advantage is using modern, purpose-built cryptography with no legacy algorithm options that could be misconfigured.
Provider Implementations
NordVPN → NordLynx
WireGuard with double NAT system to address the static IP privacy concern. The most popular WireGuard implementation.
Surfshark → WireGuard
Standard WireGuard implementation with their own privacy layer. Default protocol on all platforms.
ExpressVPN → Lightway
Not WireGuard, but inspired by it. Uses wolfSSL instead. Smaller codebase (~2,000 lines) and open-source.
Proton VPN → WireGuard
Standard WireGuard with NAT-based privacy. Also offers Stealth protocol for obfuscation.
Mullvad → WireGuard
One of the first providers to adopt WireGuard. Native implementation with multihop support.