What is a Peer to Peer VPN (P2P VPN)?

Peer-to-peer servers have acquired a somewhat unsavory reputation over the years. A Peer to Peer (P2P) VPN can help restore trust in P2P networks, because of their built-in security and privacy benefits. Read on to learn what P2P means and what P2P VPN servers are used for. Then, get a VPN that supports P2P networking to protect your device and data when sharing files online.

What is a Peer-to-Peer Network?

In a peer-to-peer network, all the computers within the network (referred to as peers) can connect to each other directly to share files.

Unlike when you use a website, there is no centralized server. Instead, every individual computer within the system is both a server and a client. For example, if you were using a P2P network yourself, you would have access to browse files held on your peers’ computers, and conversely, those peers could browse the files on yours.

One of the best-known examples of a peer-to-peer network is BitTorrent. Created in 2001, it offered the first mainstream platform for P2P file sharing and has over 1 billion users.

What is a Peer-to-Peer VPN (P2P VPN)?

A peer-to-peer (P2P) virtual private network (VPN) is a type of VPN that is compatible with a peer-to-peer network. A peer-to-peer network enables users to transmit and receive data across the network through several nodes rather than a single place because every member or peer acts as a potential point of connection. In this way, data can be transferred from numerous sources, resulting in quicker and more effective downloads.

In the context of this P2P VPN meaning, you can think of a peer-to-peer VPN setup as a regular P2P connection but with VPN features as well. In a P2P network, individual devices connect to each other directly. In a regular network, there is typically a server that multiple users connect to, and the server then forwards messages from one user to another. In a P2P network, the messages go straight from individual users to other individual users.

A VPN creates a secure tunnel through the internet and encrypts the data flowing through it. Therefore, a P2P VPN connects users directly while also encrypting the data they send to each other.

How does a P2P VPN work?

It creates an encrypted tunnel for data passing through the network, preventing a hacker from being able to intercept sensitive information.

If you’re using a VPN to interact with a public P2P network, it serves your personal security by routing your connection through a server within the VPN’s network, thus masking your IP address.

The benefits of using a Peer-to-Peer VPN

Using a Peer-to-peer VPN provides numerous VPN benefits, especially for file-sharing users seeking strong online privacy.

• Enhanced Privacy for Users – Concerned about online privacy? A P2P VPN masks your IP address, providing anonymity online. The decentralized nature enhances privacy by distributing data across peers, making it difficult to intercept or monitor your traffic.
• Optimized Speeds for File Sharing – P2P VPNs are ideal for sharing large files efficiently. Unlike traditional VPNs that can slow down your internet connection, P2P VPNs use collective bandwidth from connected peers for high-speed networks. With downloads and uploads distributed across multiple peers, speeds are faster.
• Accessibility and Freedom in Internet Browsing – P2P VPNs provide internet freedom by bypassing geo-restrictions and censorship. By connecting to a global network of peers, you can access content from multiple different devices as if you were in another country.
• Secure Torrenting with Anonymity – P2P VPNs encrypt torrent traffic, protecting your identity and online activities. This enhanced anonymity allows secure torrenting without worrying about tracking or identification by ISPs or copyright holders.
• Access to Restricted Content Globally – P2P VPNs offer a global server network for accessing restricted content worldwide. By connecting to servers in different countries, you can bypass geo-blocking and enjoy diverse entertainment, information, and services.

Are Peer-to-Peer VPNs safe?

A P2P VPN keeps your online activities hidden. This guarantees that no one—including your internet service provider (ISP), applications, websites, or government organizations—will have access to your data. For example, if you are worried that a hacker employed by a rival company will intercept communications sent to or from your organization’s network, using a P2P VPN can make that nearly impossible. The bad actor, if they intercept anything at all, will merely get a jumbled, illegible text that contains no indication of what it was before the encryption.

Also, a VPN adds an extra degree of security. It safeguards users’ identities and what they do, including the files they download, within a peer-to-peer network. This makes it extremely difficult to trace any activity back to a user. For example, if you work on an IT team’s threat investigation unit, you may use a P2P VPN when looking into the activities of threat actors. In this way, you can conceal your true identity, instead of using a company IP address that a hacker may be able to spot right away.

However, a P2P VPN can only protect data from compromise. It does not protect users against harmful files. A peer-to-peer network may expose users to someone who may send them malicious files, which can cause serious problems.

For instance, your VPN will not shield users from malicious software if they download a file that has been purposefully mislabeled, such as a virus. Also, if a downloaded file contains any other harmful software that can be executed on a computer, a P2P VPN will not identify and discard it. In other words, a VPN protects data, but it will not protect your organization from malicious data.

Conclusion

Peer-to-peer network connections are risky and difficult for most users due to ISP throttling and 3rd party surveillance.

Luckily, Peer-to-Peer VPNs allow users to enjoy reliable, high-performance, and safe file sharing within their networks. However, P2P VPNs may come with underlying security and legal issues due to the nature of P2P networks.

A controlled and malware-free P2P network that avoids illicit activities and content is a recipe for a good P2P experience.