What does 'VPN' stand for?

What does “VPN” stand for? VPN stands for Virtual Private Network, an overlay network that extends private connectivity across a public network such as the internet.

A VPN creates a tunnel through which network traffic travels between endpoints. Encryption can protect the contents from interception on the path, while authentication helps ensure that users or devices connect to the intended network. Businesses use VPNs for remote access to office systems and for site-to-site links between offices, data centers, or cloud environments.

Consumer VPN services may make websites see the VPN provider’s address instead of the user’s usual address, which can improve privacy on untrusted networks. However, a VPN is not complete anonymity: the provider may still observe connection details, websites can use other tracking methods, and malware remains a threat.

VPN is often confused with a proxy. Both can relay traffic, but VPNs generally operate at the network level and can protect traffic from many applications. The exact privacy and security benefits depend on the protocol, provider, configuration, and endpoint security.