VPN vs Firewall: What is the Difference?

Networking is the practice of sharing resources amongst various nodes over a shared medium. Internet is an excellent example of a network. Thus, it won’t be arduous to think about the varying dangers and threats that besiege it. Security should be a reasonable consideration for every participant due to the interpersonal nature of the communication that facilitates over a network. They ensure security by utilizing various technologies and tools. A prominent networking security tool is what you may know as a firewall, which has been in practice since the inception of networking. But how does VPN (Virtual Private Network) fare vs firewall?

That’s a common question. Recently, thanks to the emergence of other fascinating tools that offer online security, users started comparing a firewall with other protection-based products, one of which is a Virtual Private Network. Our goal is to settle that debate once and for all by pitting a firewall against a VPN. Are they both the same in implementation, and are the two interchangeable? Let’s answer that.

What is a VPN?

Imagine you’re sending secret messages to your friend, and you don’t want anyone else to read them. This is exactly what VPNs are made for. To protect your online privacy and identity. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is like a super-smart bodyguard for your internet connection. It simply creates a secure and secret pathway between your computer and another computer server in a different place, making it nearly impossible for anyone to spy on your online activities. Well, if you use a trusted VPN.

When you use a VPN, all the data becomes encrypted, which means it’s scrambled into a secret code. This code is then sent through the secure tunnel to a dedicated VPN server. The VPN server then decrypts the code and sends your request to the website you want to visit. When the website responds, the data is encrypted again and sent back to your computer.

Why do you need a VPN?

Using a VPN is like wearing an invisibility cloth on the internet. It hides your real location and IP address, so websites and snoopy people can’t track you down. It’s like pretending you’re browsing the internet from another country or location, which is handy for accessing content that might be blocked in your area.

A VPN also protects you when you’re connected to public Wi-Fi networks, which can be risky because hackers could try to steal your personal information. With a VPN, all your data is encrypted. So even if someone tries to snoop, they won’t understand a thing.

Types of VPNs

There are different types of VPNs to suit various needs:

1. Remote Access VPN: It’s like having a secure door to your office network. You can work from home or anywhere else and still connect safely to your company’s network.
2. Site-to-Site VPN: A site-to-site VPN is like a private road connecting different offices in different places. It lets them share data securely as if they were all in the same building.
3. Client-to-Site VPN: It’s similar to the remote access VPN, but instead of connecting to a company network, individuals can securely access resources like files and data.
4. Peer-to-Peer VPN: A direct secret passage between two devices, great for sharing files or playing games privately with friends.
5. Mobile VPN: This one is designed for people on the move, like when you’re using your phone or tablet outside. It keeps your connection secure, no matter where you are.

In a nutshell, a VPN is your online privacy guardian, keeping your internet activities safe and giving you the freedom to explore the web without worries.

What is a firewall?

Firewalls have been in existence since the early 80s, even before the formal implementation of the internet. They have been and currently still are the first line of defense of a network against cyberattacks. What started as simple packet filtering has evolved into something grand. The decades have been kind to this technology as it has seen continuous growth. Today, we bear witness to the next generation of firewalls that can support a potpourri of functions, capabilities, and built-in security features, which include but aren’t limited to:

• NTP (Network Threat Prevention)
• Application and Identity-based control
• Hybrid control support
• Scalable performance

A firewall is a network security solution. Often implemented at the edge of a network, it acts as the first order of defense. It can be a hardware device or software that can monitor and control the incoming and outgoing network traffic based on pre-established security policies/rules. Furthermore, it is a typical barrier between a trusted and a sensitive network, such as the internet. Applicable in personal and corporate avenues, experts consider firewalls a cornerstone of a network security system. Most of the computing devices today come with a preloaded firewall.

Firewalls are important not because they are still relevant but due to their broader implementation in almost every iota of the technical atmosphere. They are the foundation of the central architecture of modern computing.

Fun-fact – The term ‘Firewall’ was first used in a 1983 hacking/computer movie, WarGames. It was supposedly even before its first real-life computing use. Thus, many believe that the name firewall to be inspired by the movie.

How does it work?

A firewall protects a network’s resources from intrusion by users on another network, such as the internet. It can be hardware, software, or even virtual. A firewall protects your device/network by standing between it and any incoming threat. It analyzes any packets passing over the network and checks their content and designation against predefined security rules. If not allowed, it stops the data packet directly, resulting in a network error for the intruder.

Firewalls guard the entry point of a network, known as ports. Ports are essential for exchanging information with external networks/devices. Thus, a firewall monitors it, carefully analyzing the incoming or outgoing traffic via hardware or software. If it deems a packet suspicious, it blocks it by creating data pockets for containment and prevention of user entry according to set security policies.

It established a border between an external network and the network it guards. A firewall operates on protocols defined by the administrator of a network. Its sole job is to monitor data packets to deny entry to malicious packets. These packets contain data and information about the data. Thus, a firewall determines whether a data packet is abiding by the rule or not. Network administrators set these rules based on packet data itself, which includes their:

• Source
• Destination
• Content

Different types of firewalls

Firewalls can be categorized under different branches depending on their uses, implementation, and setup. Thus, a firewall can be:

VPN vs firewall

We will cover the three main differences between a VPN and a firewall:

1. Goal – While both are security tools, they don’t have the same goals. A firewall forbids the entry of suspicious and or malicious content to a network. It can deny access to users outside/inside the network it protects. But a VPN doesn’t block or filter anything. It simply protects the data traffic between two networks/hosts through encryption. In a way, firewalls and VPNs counter each other.
2. Setup – Firewalls exist at the entry point of a network. They are the connecting point between two networks and act as a barrier between them. VPNs use tunnels to bypass such nodes to connect two networks. They are not a specific point on a network but can connect any two (or more) such points.
3. Configuration – The configuration of a firewall depends on the network it connects and protects. The network administration decides the rules and security policies. However, a VPN relies on security protocols for configuration.

Firewall	VPN
A firewall protects the network by defending against intruders, malicious data packets, and denying access to suspicious entities.	A VPN protects the user/network by ensuring the traffic remains secure. It uses tunneling to provide cover for online communication and ensures safety by practicing encryption.
It can defend against malware.	It can ensure your privacy.
A firewall can protect your computer and your network, but not your online activities.	Although it can protect your online communication, your device/network remains vulnerable.
It creates restrictions.	It can help you bypass restrictions.

Can a VPN bypass a firewall?

Honestly, it depends on what kind of firewall you are attempting to bypass. A VPN can, most of the time, help you to circumvent certain restrictions on the internet which firewalls implement. Thus, when you use a VPN to bypass Netflix’s restriction to watch the Squid Games from a country it isn’t available in, you are sidestepping a firewall.

However, inversely speaking, some latest firewalls (NGFWs, for example) use a technique known as DPI (Deep Packet Inspection) that can block a VPN. It doesn’t stop the VPN tunnel but the data packets themselves. This phenomenon is what we call VPN blocking. Although we have already covered this topic in a previous article, here is a quick recap.

A VPN can tunnel through a firewall to access the content and does so by encrypting traffic. But with DPI, firewalls became more advanced. They can recognize the attempt and block such encrypted data access. It is what we refer to as VPN blocking. Bypassing a VPN block is possible, as there are solutions. However, we do not recommend doing so because VPN blocking happens lawfully, and attempting to circumvent it may be illegal.

For a detailed explanation, read our article on “Can VPN bypass a Firewall“.

Do I need both?

For best results, we propose using both firewalls and VPNs simultaneously. They are different tools aimed at distinct goals. Therefore, objectively speaking, you can use them together to experience the best of both worlds. While a firewall creates restrictions based on security policies, a VPN uses tunnels to bypass such restrictions. Firewalls offer shields and defend the network architecture, whereas a VPN protects your privacy by securing data.

Therefore, we suggest using both. It will help you defend our network and online activities simultaneously.

VPN firewall

Once again, you can disregard the whole VPN vs firewall debate. Instead, opt for a VPN firewall to fulfill your networking obligations. It is a firewall device designed specifically to protect against unauthorized and malicious users intercepting or exploiting a VPN connection. It can be a form of hardware, software, or an appliance that combines the two. The sole objective of a VPN firewall is to allow legitimate VPN traffic across the VPN.

Typically installed at the server end of a VPN, it can be either front-ended or back-ended. On the backend, it is configured to filter VPN-specific packets and to allow them access. At the front end, it only permits tunnel data on its internet interface to be carried over to the server.