5 Advantages and Disadvantages of WireGuard | Limitations & Benefits of WireGuard

What is WireGuard ?

WireGuard is a type of VPN implementation that intends to bring changes in the VPN industry. In fact it can be considered as the future of VPN technology. However WireGuard is still under development, trying to become a standard in the VPN industry. 

Why is WireGuard popular ?

 

In its initial stages it was released for Linux devices only, but as of now it is supported by all the operating systems. Moreover, WireGuard tends to be faster and well designed compared to an IPSec protocol. It is well preferred by the users due to its speed and performance. Al though WireGuard posses potential benefits, there are certain drawbacks that goes ignored. Before using the WireGuard VPN it is necessary to examine its pros and cons. 

 

In this article, I will be examining about 5 Advantages and Disadvantages of WireGuard | Limitations & Benefits of WireGuard. Through this post, you will know the pros and cons of using WireGuard.

 

Let's get started,

 

Advantages of WireGuard

 

1. Performance

 

WireGuard is type of fast VPN protocol as it uses high speed cryptographic primitives (More than 1000Mbps in terms of through put). And also because of the fact that it executes its processes inside the kernel module of Linux, it is suppose to provide faster performance and bandwidth among all the protocol solutions. This recommends WireGuard to be used in embedded devices such as the smartphone and home routers.

 

 

2. Configurations

 

Most at times, WireGuard does not require a certificate infrastructure because it uses Public keys only. That too for the purpose of identification and encryption. This makes every particular software easy to configure in WireGuard.

 

 

3. Security 

 

For providing high secure online connection, WireGuard uses a cryptographic key routing process. It does not follow the industry standard AES-256 encryption techniques. In here authorized VPN IP addresses are combined with Public encryption keys for better security.

 

 

4. Code Base

 

WireGuard uses only about 3800 lines of codes which is very few compared to OpenVPN and IPSec. This lean coding structure ensures protocol easier to get audit so that it can experience least number of vulnerabilities.

 

 

5. Platform Support

 

Except Windows, WireGuard has the capability to support most of the platforms out there. Windows version is still under development. Currently it supports Android, IOS, Mac OS and Linux.

 

Disadvantages of WireGuard

 

1. Development Stage

 

A major problem with WireGuard is that it is still under development. It has not yet finished completing. Therefore, it has to go through many security audits. Even the developers have agreed that the WireGuard is experimental and the code should not be relied always.

 

 

2. Privacy Concerns

 

Al though WireGuard has many advantages in terms of Performance and Security, it lacks on the side of privacy. Its privacy is mainly questioned due to the fact that it requires users to log their data. This violates Privacy Policies of the VPN provider. Some services have also declared that they will not use WireGuard until this problem is rectified.

 

 

3. Protocol Support

 

Most at times WireGuard has the tendency to get blocked by a network admin. This is because currently it only supports UDP. HTTPS traffic port known as the Port 443 will not be supported too.

 

 

4. Stability Issues

 

As of now the WireGuard protocol might experience a lot of stability issues. Either that can be in the form of speed or security. These issues are common as the WireGuard is under trial mode. Necessarily, these can be rectified once the development stage is over.

 

 

5. Infrastructure Requirement

 

Unlike OpenVPN and IPSec, WireGuard needs to have its own infrastructure for them to function. It requires separate servers, distributions and key managements.