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Table of contents
- 1.What is SoftEther VPN
- 2.Architecture of SoftEther VPN
- 3.How to Use SoftEther VPN ?
- 4.Ad-hoc VPN
- 5.LAN to LAN Bridge
- 6.Remote Access to LAN
- 7.Join a Local PC into Cloud
- 8.Join a Cloud VM into LAN
- 9.Cloud to LAN Bridge VPN
- 10.Cloud to Cloud Bridge VPN
- 11.iPhone and Android
- 12.Windows and Mac Laptops
- 13.Remote Management
- 14.Building Your Own Cloud
- 15.VPN for Network Testing, Simulation and Debugging
- 16.Remote Access
- 17.Comfortable Network Anywhere
- 18.Dynamic DNS and NAT Traversal
- 19.VPN Azure
- 20.Penetrates Firewall by SSL-VPN
- 21.Replacements of Cisco or other hardware-based VPNs
- 22.Replacements of OpenVPN
- 23.Screenshots
SoftEther VPN Project develops and distributes SoftEther VPN,
An Open-Source Free ​Cross-platform Multi-protocol VPN Program,
as an academic project from University of Tsukuba, under the Apache License 2.0.
An Open-Source Free ​Cross-platform Multi-protocol VPN Program,
as an academic project from University of Tsukuba, under the Apache License 2.0.
- January 21, 2019
Declaration of license switch for SoftEther VPN from GPLv2 to Apache License 2.0
What is SoftEther VPN
SoftEther VPN('SoftEther' means 'Software Ethernet') is one of the world's most powerful and easy-to-use multi-protocol VPN software. It runs on Windows, Linux, Mac, FreeBSD and Solaris.
SoftEther VPN is open source. You can use SoftEther for any personal or commercial use for free charge.
SoftEther VPN is an optimum alternative to OpenVPN and Microsoft's VPN servers. SoftEther VPN has a clone-function of OpenVPN Server. You can integrate from OpenVPN to SoftEther VPN smoothly. SoftEther VPN is faster than OpenVPN. SoftEther VPN also supports Microsoft SSTP VPN for Windows Vista / 7 / 8. No more need to pay expensive charges for Windows Server license for Remote-Access VPN function.
SoftEther VPN can be used to realize BYOD (Bring your own device) on your business. If you have smartphones, tablets or laptop PCs, SoftEther VPN's L2TP/IPsec server function will help you to establish a remote-access VPN from your local network. SoftEther VPN's L2TP VPN Server has strong compatible with Windows, Mac, iOS and Android.
SoftEther VPN is not only an alternative VPN server to existing VPN products (OpenVPN, IPsec and MS-SSTP). SoftEther VPN has also original strong SSL-VPN protocol to penetrate any kinds of firewalls. Ultra-optimized SSL-VPN Protocol of SoftEther VPN has very fast throughput, low latency and firewall resistance.
SoftEther VPN has strong resistance against firewalls than ever. Built-in NAT-traversal penetrates your network admin's troublesome firewall for overprotection. You can setup your own VPN server behind the firewall or NAT in your company, and you can reach to that VPN server in the corporate private network from your home or mobile place, without any modification of firewall settings. Any deep-packet inspection firewalls cannot detect SoftEther VPN's transport packets as a VPN tunnel, because SoftEther VPN uses Ethernet over HTTPS for camouflage.
Easy to imagine, design and implement your VPN topology with SoftEther VPN. It virtualizes Ethernet by software-enumeration. SoftEther VPN Client implements Virtual Network Adapter, and SoftEther VPN Server implements Virtual Ethernet Switch. You can easily build both Remote-Access VPN and Site-to-Site VPN, as expansion of Ethernet-based L2 VPN. Of course, traditional IP-routing L3 based VPN can be built by SoftEther VPN.
SoftEther VPN has strong compatibility to today's most popular VPN products among the world. It has the interoperability with OpenVPN, L2TP, IPsec, EtherIP, L2TPv3, Cisco VPN Routers and MS-SSTP VPN Clients. SoftEther VPN is the world's only VPN software which supports SSL-VPN, OpenVPN, L2TP, EtherIP, L2TPv3 and IPsec, as a single VPN software.
SoftEther VPN is free software because it was developed as Daiyuu Nobori's Master Thesis research in the University. You can download and use it from today. The source-code of SoftEther VPN is available under the Apache License 2.0.
Features of SoftEther VPN
- Free and open-source software.
- Easy to establish both remote-access and site-to-site VPN.
- SSL-VPN Tunneling on HTTPS to pass through NATs and firewalls.
- Revolutionary VPN over ICMP and VPN over DNS features.
- Resistance to highly-restricted firewall.
- Ethernet-bridging (L2) and IP-routing (L3) over VPN.
- Embedded dynamic-DNS and NAT-traversal so that no static nor fixed IP address is required.
- AES 256-bit and RSA 4096-bit encryptions.
- Sufficient security features such as logging and firewall inner VPN tunnel.
- 1Gbps-class high-speed throughput performance with low memory and CPU usage.
- Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, iPhone, iPad and Windows Mobile are supported.
- SSL-VPN (HTTPS) and 6 major VPN protocols (OpenVPN, IPsec, L2TP, MS-SSTP, L2TPv3 and EtherIP) are all supported as VPN tunneling underlay protocols.
- The OpenVPN clone function supports legacy OpenVPN clients.
- IPv4 / IPv6 dual-stack.
- The VPN server runs on Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris and Mac OS X.
- Configure All settings on GUI.
- Multi-languages (English, Japanese and Simplified-Chinese).
- No memory leaks. High quality stable codes, intended for long-term runs. We always verify that there are no memory or resource leaks before releasing the build.
- RADIUS / NT Domain user authentication function
- RSA certificate authentication function
- Deep-inspect packet logging function
- Source IP address control list function
- syslog transfer function
- More details at Specification.
Architecture of SoftEther VPN
Virtualization of Ethernet devices is the key of the SoftEther VPN architecture. SoftEther VPN virtualizes Ethernet devices in order to realize a flexible virtual private network for both remote-access VPN and site-to-site VPN. SoftEther VPN implements the Virtual Network Adapter program as a software-emulated traditional Ethernet network adapter. SoftEther VPN implements the Virtual Ethernet Switch program (called Virtual Hub) as a software-emulated traditional Ethernet switch. SoftEther VPN implements VPN Session as a software-emulated Ethernet cable between the network adapter and the switch.
You can create one or many Virtual Hub with SoftEther VPN on your server computer. This server computer will become a VPN server, which accepts VPN connection requests from VPN client computers.
You can create one or many Virtual Network Adapter with SoftEther VPN on your client computer. This client computer will become a VPN client, which establishes a VPN connections to the Virtual Hub on the VPN server.
You can establish VPN sessions, as called 'VPN tunnels', between VPN clients and VPN servers. A VPN session is the virtualized network cable. A VPN session is realized over a TCP/IP connection. The signals through the VPN session is encrypted by SSL. Therefore, you can safely establish a VPN session beyond the Internet. A VPN session is established by SoftEther VPN's 'VPN over HTTPS' technology. It means that SoftEther VPN can create a VPN connection beyond any kinds of firewalls and NATs.
The Virtual Hub exchanges all Ethernet packets from each connected VPN session to other connected sessions. The behavior is same to traditional Ethernet switches. The Virtual Hub has a FDB (forwarding database) to optimize the transmission of Ethernet frames.
You can define a local bridge between the Virtual Hub and the existing physical Ethernet segment by using the Local Bridge function. The Local Bridge exchanges packets between the physical Ethernet adapter and the Virtual Hub. You can realize a remote-access VPN from home or mobile to the company network by using the Local Bridge function.
You can define a cascading connection between two or more remote Virtual Hubs. With cascading, you can integrate two or more remote Ethernet segments to a single Ethernet segment. For example, after you establish cascading connections between the site A, B and C, then any computers in the site A will be able to communicate with the computers in the site B and the site C. This is a site-to-site VPN.
SoftEther VPN can also establish a VPN session over UDP. The UDP-mode of SoftEther VPN supports NAT traversal. The NAT traversal function allows the VPN server behind existing NATs or firewalls to accept incoming VPN sessions. You need no network administrator's special permission before setting up a VPN server on the company network behind firewalls or NATs. Additionally, SoftEther VPN Server may be placed on the dynamic IP address environment since SoftEther VPN has built-in Dynamic DNS (DDNS) function.
SoftEther VPN Server supports additional VPN protocols, including L2TP/IPsec, OpenVPN, Microsoft SSTP, L2TPv3 and EtherIP. These realizes the interoperability with built-in L2TP/IPsec VPN clients on iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows and Mac OS X, and also with Cisco's VPN routers and other vendors VPN products.
How to Use SoftEther VPN ?
SoftEther VPN is an essential infrastructure to build-up IT systems on enterprises and small-businesses.
Ad-hoc VPNMake an ad-hoc VPN consists of the small-number computers with SoftEther VPN. Despite long-distance, it is easy to communicate mutually with any kinds of LAN-oriented protocols. LAN to LAN BridgeGeologically distributed branches are isolated as networks by default. SoftEther VPN lays virtual Ethernet cables between your all branches. Then all computers of all branches are connected to the single LAN. | Remote Access to LANDoes employees need to connect to the company LAN from outside or home? Remote Access VPN will realizes virtual network cable from a Client PC to the LAN from anywhere and anytime. |
SoftEther VPN can build-up flexible and dependable virtual network around Clouds. Amazon EC2, Windows Azure and most of other Clouds are supporting SoftEther VPN.
Join a Local PC into CloudYour desktop or laptop PC can join into the Cloud VM network. You can make use of Cloud VM as if it is on your own local network easily. | Join a Cloud VM into LANYour Cloud VM can join to your company LAN with SoftEther VPN. Anyone on your company can access to the Cloud VM without any settings. |
Cloud to LAN Bridge VPNSoftEther VPN keeps a virtual dedicate Ethernet line from the Cloud to the LAN 24h/365d. You can consider remote Cloud private network as a part of your corporate network. | Cloud to Cloud Bridge VPNAre you using Amazon EC2 and Windows Azure, or using two or more remote datacenters of a Cloud service? SoftEther VPN can make a single united network between all Cloud VMs despite differences of physical locations. |
SoftEther VPN supports several mobile devices including iPhone and Android. Your smartphone is now a part of your on-premise or Cloud network by using SoftEther VPN.
iPhone and AndroidiPhone and Android has a built-in VPN client but originally they need Cisco, Juniper or other expensive hardware-based VPNs for remote-access. SoftEther VPN has a same function to Cisco, and supports your iPhone and Android easily. | Windows and Mac LaptopsYour mobile PCs with Windows or Mac can be easily connected to SoftEther VPN anywhere and anytime, despite firewalls or packet filters on Wi-Fi or overseas ISP. Windows RT is also supported. |
SoftEther VPN is also an ultra-convenient tool for effective system management by IT professionals on enterprises and system integrators.
Remote ManagementAre you having problem with many servers, clients and printers of your client companies are distributed around the state? SoftEther VPN will help you a network administrator as a handy tool just from your desk. You can reach to any networks by only installing SoftEther VPN. Building Your Own CloudDo you want to build and provide your own Cloud service which can beat Amazon EC2 or Windows Azure? SoftEther VPN can help you to build an inter-VMs network and remote-bridging network between your Cloud and your customer's on-premise. | VPN for Network Testing, Simulation and DebuggingSoftEther VPN is not a program only for building remote network. It can be used for network design, test, and simulation by IT professionals. For example, delay, jitter and packet loss generator is implemented on SoftEther VPN. So network designer can test VoIP phones under the bad-condition IP network. |
SoftEther VPN is also convenient for home users. You can be proud of using enterprise-class VPN for your home-use.
Remote AccessDo you want to access to your home server or digital appliance from outside? Set up SoftEther VPN Server on your home PC and gain access to your server or HDTV recorder from anywhere even the opposite side of the earth, through the Internet. | Comfortable Network AnywhereAre you a business man and running around the world? Most of Wi-Fi and local ISPs of several countries are discomfort to use because of packet filtering or censorship. So set up your private relay server on your own home PC and use it from fields to gain ease. |
Does your network administrator hesitates to assign you a global IP address? Or Does your company has a firewall on the border between the private network and the Internet? No problem! SoftEther VPN has a strong function to penetrate troublesome corporate firewalls.
Dynamic DNS and NAT TraversalUnlike legacy IPsec-based VPN, even if your corporate network doesn't have any static global IP address you can set up your stable SoftEther VPN Server on your corporate network. | VPN AzureIf the corporate firewall is more restricted and the NAT Traversal of SoftEther VPN doesn't work correctly, use VPN Azure to penetrate such a firewall. |
IPsec-based VPN protocols which are developed on 1990's are now obsoleted. IPsec-based VPN are not familiar with most of firewalls, NATs or proxies. Unlike IPsec-based VPN, SoftEther VPN is familiar with any kind of firewalls. Additionally SoftEther VPN requires no expensive Cisco or other hardware devices. You can replace your Cisco or OpenVPN to SoftEther VPN today.
Penetrates Firewall by SSL-VPNAre you having trouble with IPsec-based legacy VPN products? Replace it to SoftEther VPN. SoftEther VPN Protocol is based on HTTPS so almost all kinds of firewalls will permits SoftEther VPN's packets. Replacements of Cisco or other hardware-based VPNsCisco, Juniper or other hardware-based IPsec VPNs are expensive for set-up and management. They are also lack of usability and compatibility with Firewalls. Replace them to SoftEther VPN. You can very easily replace because SoftEther VPN also has the L2TP/IPsec VPN function which is same to Cisco's. | Replacements of OpenVPNAre you still using OpenVPN? SoftEther VPN has more ability, better performance and easy-configurable GUI-based management tools. SoftEther VPN has also the OpenVPN Server Clone Function so that any OpenVPN clients, including iPhone and Android, can connect to SoftEther VPN easily. |
Screenshots
SoftEther VPN consists of three software: VPN Client, VPN Server and VPN Bridge.
SoftEther VPN Client
SoftEther VPN Server Admin Tool
More Screenshots...
Virtual Private Network (VPN) software enables private communications over computer networks via a technology called tunneling. Hiding your IP address like this means that you can access blocked websites, stream videos when they're blocked in your country, browse the web anonymously, and more.
Remember that since these VPN programs are free, they are most likely limited in some ways. Some might not support using TORRENT files and others might restrict how much data you can upload/download on a per-day or per-month basis.
The free VPN software applications listed below are useful if you'd rather not pay for a VPN service, but if you do, see our Best VPN Service Providers list.
At the bottom of this page are VPN programs that do not come with a VPN service. They're useful if you already have access to a VPN server, like at work or home, and need to connect to it manually.
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TunnelBear
The TunnelBear VPN client lets you use 500 MB of data every month and does not keep any activity logs. It means that within a 30-day span, you can transfer (upload and download) only 500 MB of data, after which you'll be disconnected from the VPN until the next 30 days starts.
TunnelBear lets you choose the country that you want to connect to a server in. As you can see in this image of the Windows version, you can even drag the map around until you find the server you want to use, and then simply click it to tunnel your traffic through that country before you access the internet.
Some of the options in TunnelBear include VigilantBear, which will maintain your privacy as TunnelBear disconnects and reconnects to a server, and GhostBear which helps make your encrypted data look less like VPN data and more like regular traffic, which is helpful if you're having troubles using TunnelBear in your country.
To get more free VPN traffic with TunnelBear, you can tweet about the VPN service on your Twitter account. You'll get an addition 1000 MB (1 GB).
To use TunnelBear just with your internet browser, you can install the Chrome or Opera extension. Otherwise, TunnelBear opens the VPN for your whole computer or phone; it works with Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS.
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hide.me VPN
Get 2 GB of free VPN traffic every month with hide.me. It works on Windows, macOS, iPhone, iPad, and Android.
The free edition of hide.me only lets you connect to servers in Canada, Netherlands, and Singapore. P2P traffic is supported in all three, which means that you can use torrent clients with hide.me.
Open the Details button to see more information about the VPN connection, including the physical location of the server and the IP address that your device is connecting through.
The hide.me VPN program is probably only useful for special circumstances. Since 2 GB isn't very much data over the course of a whole month, hide.me is best used when you only need to access blocked websites or use the internet on a public network; it isn't very helpful if you're downloading lots of files.
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Windscribe
Windscribe is a free VPN service with a 10 GB /month limit. It supports a huge range of devices and lets you connect to 11 different locations.
This free VPN program will automatically connect you to the best VPN to give you the highest speeds and most stable connection. However, you can also pick between any of the other servers and locations at any time.
A firewall can be enabled with this VPN so that if the VPN connection drops, Windscribe will disable your internet connection. It is great if you're using the VPN in a public area where an unsecured connection could be dangerous.
Windscribe supports some advanced features too, like changing the connection type to TCP or UDP, and modifying the port number. You can also adjust the API resolution address, launch the program at startup, and connect it through an HTTP proxy server.
The free version supports connecting to your account through just one device at a time. Every free account gets 2 GB of data each month until the account is confirmed through email, and then it raises to 10 GB.
Windscribe works on macOS, Windows, and Linux operating systems, as well as with iPhone, Chrome, Opera, and Firefox. You can even set up Windscribe with your router or one of the standalone VPN clients from the bottom of this page.
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Betternet
Betternet is a completely free VPN service that works with Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android devices. You can even install it just for Chrome or Firefox.
Betternet doesn't show advertisements while you're browsing and they claim not to keep any data logs, which is great if you want to make sure you're truly using it anonymously.
Betternet works instantly after installing it, so you don't need to make a user account. Plus, the app is void of very many buttons - it just connects and works without much intervention at all.
You can subscribe to the premium version if you want faster speeds and the ability to connect to a server in a country of your choice.
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VPNBook Free VPN Accounts
VPNBook is useful if you need to enter VPN details manually. Just copy a VPN server address you see on VPNBook and then use the given username and password.
If you're using the OpenVPN profiles, just download them and open the OVPN files. There's a username/password combination for those too.
Unlike the free VPN clients from above, VPNBook provides the connection details but not the VPN software program. To use these VPN servers requires a program from below, like OpenVPN or your device's built-in VPN client.
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Free VPN Software for Manual Connections
You can use one of these programs or platforms to connect to a VPN server if you have the connection details. None of these programs provide a built-in VPN service like most of the ones from above.
OpenVPN is an SSL-based open source VPN client. The way it works is after it's installed, you have to import an OVPN file that contains the VPN connection settings. Once the connection information is loaded into OpenVPN, you can then connect using the credentials for the server.
In Windows, right-click the OpenVPN icon from the Taskbar and choose Import file..., to select the OVPN file. Then, right-click the icon again, choose the server, click or tap Connect, and then enter your credentials when asked.
OpenVPN runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS operating systems, as well as Android and iOS mobile devices.
Freelan lets you make a client-server, peer-to-peer, or hybrid VPN network. It works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
FreeS/WAN is an IPSec and IKE VPN software solution for Linux networks.
It's important to know that active development of FreeS/WAN has stopped, limiting the usefulness of this application to students and researchers. The last version was released in 2004.
The free Tinc VPN software enables virtual private networking via low-level daemon/network device configuration. Designed originally for Linux/Unix systems, Tinc also works on Windows computers.
Traffic through the VPN can be optionally compressed with zlib or LZO. LibreSSL or OpenSSL is what Tinc uses to encrypt the data.
Tinc is a command line program, so you might need to read through the online documentation for instructions on using it.
You can also use a Windows computer as a VPN client. Instead of downloading the VPN software, you just have to set up the VPN through Control Panel.
Once in Control Panel, navigate to Network and Internet and then Network and Sharing Center. From there, choose Set up a new connection or network and then Connect to a workplace. On the next screen, pick Use my Internet connection (VPN) to enter the server address of the VPN you want to connect to.
Use an iPhone to connect to a VPN through Settings > VPN > Add VPN Configuration. It supports the IKEv2, IPsec, and L2TP protocols.
Android devices can set up VPNs through Settings > More networks > VPN. L2TP and IPSec are supported.