Proton VPN has brought the WireGuard encryption protocol that Windows and Mac users have long enjoyed to Linux apps

It is good to see that Proton, one of the best VPN providers, is eager to show some love to fans of the Penguin-based operating system after its Linux app was completely redesigned last year

Linux holds an important position as the world's largest open source operating system, making it a popular choice for those who value their privacy, and with the addition of WireGuard (which uses ChaCha20 cryptography), Proton VPN is now the best Linux VPN, and it is clearly taking aim at Linux VPNs

WireGuard is a much faster encryption protocol (a way to make online data unreadable to anyone not meant to see it) than the OpenVPN standard used by many VPN apps This alternative encryption method is much more lightweight as a way to hide data: while OpenVPN consists of over 400,000 lines of code, WireGuard consists of only 4,000 lines

That does not mean it is more secure (in fact, OpenVPN is better at the obfuscation of hiding the fact that you are using a VPN), but it is faster The fastest VPNs use WireGuard for blazing speeds, and when combined with VPN Accelerator technology, Proton expects speed increases of up to 400% A lightning-fast VPN isn't that important if you're just browsing the Internet, but if you're torrenting, streaming, or gaming, it could totally change the world

WireGuard's light weight means less drain on your device's battery, allowing you to use Linux longer, and WireGuard's compact amount of code compared to OpenVPN makes it much easier to audit and fix security concerns David Peterson, General Manager of Proton VPN, said: “As an open source company focused on privacy, Proton has a particularly robust Linux user base This user demand has led us to invest time and effort in building a full-fledged Linux app WireGuard has long been requested by our community, and since we want to provide the best VPN experience for our users, we are excited to be working with Linux We are excited to launch WireGuard on Linux, as it has long been requested by our community and we want to provide the best VPN experience for our users

Many people who have problems with Windows or MacOS use Linux, but the Proton VPN Linux app still lacks some features found in these mainstream versions

One of the biggest is a split tunneling feature that allows users to run some apps over a VPN and others over a standard Wi-FI connection; the Linux version has Proton's ” Stealth” encryption protocol, which makes it impossible to tell that you are even using a VPN Of course, Proton has an excellent free VPN, so you can try it out on any platform without spending a dime

Overall, this is a nice step forward from one of the major VPN services, and we'll see where it goes next