# OpenVPN/openvpn

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13,256 stars · 3,266 forks · C · other

## Links

- GitHub: https://github.com/OpenVPN/openvpn
- Homepage: http://community.openvpn.net
- awesome-repositories: https://awesome-repositories.com/repository/openvpn-openvpn.md

## Topics

`security` `vpn`

## Description

OpenVPN is a cross-platform networking solution that establishes secure virtual private network connections by wrapping data traffic within encrypted tunnels. It functions as a server-side application that authenticates remote endpoints and routes encrypted traffic to provide access to private network resources across untrusted public networks.

The software utilizes standard cryptographic protocols to perform mutual authentication and key exchange over a dedicated control channel. It verifies the identity of remote systems through certificate-based authentication, ensuring that only trusted endpoints can establish a connection. By processing network traffic within the application layer and utilizing virtual network interfaces, it presents encrypted data as standard local network packets to the operating system.

The project supports a range of networking configurations, including secure remote access for individual devices, site-to-site infrastructure linking, and zero trust network access models. It maintains persistent session metadata to allow for reconnection without requiring a full re-authentication handshake, while protecting data integrity through keyed hash authentication for every packet.

## Tags

### Networking & Communication

- [Virtual Private Networks](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/networking-communication/virtual-private-networks.md) — Functions as a server-side application that authenticates remote endpoints and routes encrypted traffic to private network resources.
- [Site-to-Site VPN Networking](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/networking-communication/site-to-site-vpn-networking.md) — Links separate physical office networks into a single unified infrastructure for seamless communication.
- [Network Tunnels](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/networking-communication/network-tunnels.md) — Routes encapsulated traffic through virtual network interfaces to present encrypted data as standard local packets.
- [Packet Authentication](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/networking-communication/packet-engines/packet-authentication.md) — Protects data integrity by appending keyed hash authentication to every transmitted packet.
- [Connection State Recovery](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/networking-communication/network-reliability-diagnostics/network-reliability/connection-state-recovery.md) — Maintains persistent session metadata to enable seamless reconnection without requiring full re-authentication.
- [Encapsulation Engines](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/networking-communication/packet-engines/packet-processing-frameworks/encapsulation-engines.md) — Wraps raw data packets inside encrypted transport headers within the application layer.

### Security & Cryptography

- [Encrypted Tunneling Protocols](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/encrypted-tunneling-protocols.md) — Implements a secure networking protocol that establishes encrypted tunnels using X509 certificate authentication.
- [Secure Remote Access](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/secure-remote-access.md) — Connects remote workers and devices to private networks over the internet with encrypted, private data transmission.
- [VPN Solutions](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/vpn-solutions.md) — Provides a cross-platform networking solution that secures remote connections using standard cryptographic protocols.
- [Encrypted Tunneling](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/encrypted-tunneling.md) — Creates secure virtual private network connections to protect data transmission across untrusted public networks. ([source](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/OpenVPN/openvpn@master/README.md))
- [Client Certificate Authentication](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/client-certificate-authentication.md) — Verifies X509 certificate fields during the handshake to confirm the identity of remote systems. ([source](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/OpenVPN/openvpn@master/README.md))
- [Handshake Protocols](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/handshake-protocols.md) — Establishes secure communication channels through structured TLS-based handshake negotiation and mutual authentication.
- [Key Exchange Protocols](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/key-exchange-protocols.md) — Negotiates ephemeral session keys using public-key cryptography to ensure private communication over untrusted networks.
- [Zero Trust Access](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/zero-trust-access.md) — Verifies user and device identity through certificate-based authentication before granting access to internal resources.
- [Public Wi-Fi Security](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/public-wi-fi-security.md) — Protects sensitive data from interception when using untrusted public internet connections.