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Why does every VPN need to rewrite their own client? (programming.dev)

submitted 5 days ago by onlinepersona@programming.dev to c/programming@programming.dev

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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?

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[–] LurkingLuddite@piefed.social 4 points 4 days 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.