What are the differences between SSH tunneling and VPNs, and which one is better?
There are times when you need to make your internet browsing more private and safer. A widely used option is using a VPN. This is useful in situations where we connect to a public network, for example. However, there are alternatives such as using SSH tunneling. But what is the difference between them? When should you use each option? In this article, we will discuss this so that it is clear to you.
In both cases, the goal is to create a secure, private channel between the device you're using to connect to the network and a remote server. The two may seem similar, as they share the same objective. However, there are differences in how they work. This means that, depending on the situation, it might be more advantageous to use one or the other.
Differences
The first thing to note is how each option works. Starting with SSH tunneling, it relies on the SSH protocol (short for Secure Shell) and creates a tunnel that reroutes traffic through an SSH server. This allows you to protect traffic on specific ports or services by creating an encrypted tunnel.
One particularly interesting and noteworthy feature is that it provides encryption for any data passing through the tunnel it creates. This means that even insecure protocols, such as HTTP, which are not encrypted, can be implemented, preventing potential middleman attacks that compromise security.
It's important to note that an SSH tunnel only works with one host and one port at a time. To route different devices through the tunnel, a separate connection with different ports would be necessary. Therefore, it's generally not a viable option in most situations, except for specific services.
On the other hand, there's the VPN. This is widely used at the user level to improve connection encryption. It creates a secure, encrypted connection between your device and the network. This allows you to browse the web as if you were physically located elsewhere, which is extremely useful for unblocking content that might be geographically restricted, for example.
Unlike SSH tunneling, it encrypts the entire connection of your device. This means that once you install the VPN and connect to the server, the connection will be encrypted when you use your browser, messaging app, etc. All traffic will pass through the encrypted tunnel you create, thus remaining hidden from potential hackers.
When should you use each option?
Having explained the differences, let's discuss when to use each alternative. With SSH tunneling, it can be useful for redirecting internal ports to private networks, accessing servers behind firewalls, or securely managing a remote server. For example, you can use it to access a specific service, such as a database. It's commonly used by system administrators and developers.
On the other hand, VPNs are widely used by home users for online privacy. For example, when connecting to a public Wi-Fi network and wanting to avoid security issues. They also allow you to access restricted content or browse using a different IP address.
Ultimately, as you can see, there are differences between SSH tunneling and VPN, although the ultimate goal is similar. The uses you can apply to them are also different. For a home user, a VPN will be the more readily available option.