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OpenVPN VS netcat

Compare OpenVPN VS netcat and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

OpenVPN logo OpenVPN

OpenVPN - The Open Source VPN

netcat logo netcat

Netcat is a featured networking utility which reads and writes data across network connections...
  • OpenVPN Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-19
  • netcat Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-11-19

OpenVPN features and specs

  • Security
    OpenVPN uses robust encryption standards like AES-256, providing a high level of security for data transmission.
  • Open Source
    Being open-source, OpenVPN allows users to verify its code for vulnerabilities, ensuring transparency and reliability.
  • Flexibility
    OpenVPN can run on various platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android, offering extensive compatibility.
  • Customizability
    Users can configure OpenVPN according to their specific needs, allowing advanced network setups and policies.
  • Performance
    OpenVPN offers strong performance with efficient handling of large data transmissions and support for high and stable speeds.
  • Community Support
    A large and active community provides ample resources, including tutorials, forums, and user support.
  • Cost
    As a free and open-source solution, OpenVPN significantly reduces the cost compared to many commercial VPN offerings.

Possible disadvantages of OpenVPN

  • Complex Setup
    Setting up OpenVPN can be complex and may require technical expertise, particularly for advanced configurations.
  • Resource Intensive
    OpenVPN can be resource-intensive compared to some other VPN protocols, potentially impacting the performance of older or lower-spec hardware.
  • Client Software
    The official OpenVPN client software has a less user-friendly interface compared to some commercial VPNs, possibly deterring less tech-savvy users.
  • Mobile Experience
    Although OpenVPN supports mobile devices, the user experience on mobile can be less streamlined compared to desktop environments.
  • Initial Learning Curve
    New users may find the initial learning curve steep due to the multitude of configuration options and the need for understanding networking concepts.
  • Support
    While community support is strong, there may not be as much immediate or personalized support as found with some commercial VPN services.

netcat features and specs

  • Versatility
    Netcat can be used for a wide variety of network-related tasks, including port scanning, file transfers, and working as a backdoor.
  • Simplicity
    Netcat operates with simple command-line arguments, making it easy to use for those familiar with command-line interfaces.
  • Speed
    Netcat is lightweight and performs network operations quickly, without the overhead associated with more complex tools.
  • Scriptability
    Netcat is highly scriptable, allowing users to automate network tasks by including it in bash or other scripts.
  • Cross-Platform
    Netcat is available on multiple operating systems including Unix, Linux, and Windows, making it a versatile tool for different environments.

Possible disadvantages of netcat

  • Security
    Netcat can be misused, as it is often favored by attackers for creating reverse shells and other malicious activities.
  • Lack of Encryption
    Netcat does not natively support encrypted connections, meaning data transmitted can be vulnerable to interception.
  • Minimal Logging
    Netcat provides minimal logging capabilities, which can make it difficult to track usage or troubleshoot issues.
  • Basic Functionality
    Netcat provides core networking functions but lacks advanced features found in specialized tools.
  • Cannot Handle High Load
    Netcat is not designed to handle high traffic loads effectively, making it less suitable for some enterprise use cases.

Analysis of OpenVPN

Overall verdict

  • OpenVPN is generally regarded as a good option for both personal and enterprise-level VPN needs. Its strong encryption, adaptability, and community support make it a preferred choice for those who need secure and reliable virtual private network services.

Why this product is good

  • OpenVPN is considered a reliable and secure VPN solution due to its strong encryption standards, open-source nature, and flexibility. It supports a variety of operating systems and devices, and can be configured to meet different security requirements. Its open-source nature allows the community to inspect, modify, and enhance the code, ensuring transparency and continuous improvement. Additionally, it offers robust support for different authentication methods and network configurations.

Recommended for

  • Individuals seeking enhanced online privacy and security.
  • Businesses looking for a scalable and secure VPN solution.
  • IT professionals who require customizable and flexible VPN configurations.
  • Users who prefer open-source software with an active development community.

Analysis of netcat

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Netcat is considered a valuable tool in network troubleshooting and testing. Its simplicity and efficiency have garnered it a positive reputation in the networking community.

Why this product is good

  • Netcat is a versatile networking utility that is often described as a 'Swiss-army knife' for network engineers. It can be used for reading and writing data across network connections, making it perfect for port scanning, banner grabbing, or as a simple web server. Its lightweight nature and ease of use make it a popular choice among IT professionals.

Recommended for

    Netcat is recommended for network administrators, cybersecurity professionals, system engineers, and IT enthusiasts who need a flexible and straightforward tool for network diagnostics, data transfer, or security testing purposes.

OpenVPN videos

OpenVPN Overview

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to setup OpenVPN on Windows | macOS | Android | iOS - Smart DNS Proxy

netcat videos

Linux Terminal 101: Netcat

More videos:

  • Review - Advanced Netcat and TCP Fun - Hak5 1922
  • Review - Netcat 101: Remote Shells in Windows, HakTip 86

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to OpenVPN and netcat)
VPN
100 100%
0% 0
Monitoring Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Security & Privacy
100 100%
0% 0
Log Management
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare OpenVPN and netcat

OpenVPN Reviews

The top 10 alternatives to OpenVPN
OpenVPN is an open-source software application that provides virtual private network (VPN) services. It allows the creation of secure network connections over the internet, using a custom security protocol that utilizes SSL/TLS for key exchange. OpenVPN is capable of traversing network address translators (NATs) and firewalls, providing users with the ability to securely...
Best Top 20 OpenVPN Alternatives (Pros and Cons)
OpenVPN is a virtual private network system used to create trusted end-to-end connection configuration and remote access services. As with any other VPN service, OpenVPN also has its own drawbacks. For instance, its inability to bypass particular proxy servers and complexities in user journeys lead to less user-friendliness. Therefore, we will be discussing a few...
6 Types of VPN Protocols, Compared: Which is the Best to Use?
In most cases, OpenVPN or WireGuard will be your best bet. PPTP is a protocol we don’t recommend using because of its relatively low-level encryption. However, you could try this protocol when privacy and security are not your highest priorities, such as for unblocking streams. If OpenVPN is not supported or does not work well for whatever reason, you could consider using...
Source: vpnoverview.com
OpenVPN vs WireGuard: Which protocol is best?
OpenVPN was first released in May 2001. Although the PPTP protocol had been around for five years already at this point, OpenVPN became popular because it offered stronger encryption without too much of a drop in speed. Over the years, vulnerabilities were patched and new clients were developed that brought OpenVPN support to a greater range of devices. This previously...
9 Best NordVPN Alternatives You Must Use In 2022
The next alternative to NordVPN on our list is OpenVPN. OpenVPN allows you to establish a point-to-point secure connection between your device and the Internet. It is a flexible VPN solution that can cater to business needs as well.
Source: wethegeek.com

netcat Reviews

9 Best Angry IP Scanner Alternatives Reviewed 2021 (Free & Paid)
Netcat lacks a lot of the documentation you can easily find with software like AngryIP or Nmap which in my opinion is its biggest drawback. If you’re thinking about trying out Netcat, check out our Netcat Cheat Sheet to quickly pull up powerful and useful commands. Netcat is compatible with Windows, Linux, and macOS systems.
Top 5 Best Port Scanners
Netcat is one of the oldest network tools in the "Unixverse", it's been there since 1995, and the last official version is from 2004. Although it has many forks and variants that work pretty well on modern operating systems, like ncat from the Nmap suite, or this alternative Netcat version from Mike Frysinger.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, OpenVPN should be more popular than netcat. It has been mentiond 40 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

OpenVPN mentions (40)

  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (October 2023)
    OpenVPN is hiring! https://openvpn.net/ C++ Developer in the United States. Full-time| Fully remote| Flexible work schedules Link to look at vacancy details and apply:. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Are there any work arounds for the Netflix new "household" system?
    How you connect to your modem will depend on the device you are using, but for windows laptops as an example you download the OpenVPN program and input your modem details there, much like you would any other vpn service. I think there would be some guides on youtube. https://openvpn.net/. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Can i use PFSense to control incoming user connections (without a vpn?)
    I just started playing with CloudConnexa for remotely managing my second pFSense. Really nice and is free for up to 3 concurrent users. https://openvpn.net. Can also self-host OpenVPN access server with a free 2 concurrent license. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Is the 7spotlight Markle family interview airing now? Is anyone watching and can provide comment? 👀📺
    If anyone is being blocked check out free OpenVPN. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Is it possible for a sysadmin to block only some packets from a VPN connection ?
    I too haven't used the client-nat directive in some years (I currently implement 1:1 NAT with pfsense to access my network because I'm too lazy to change the networks subnet from the default) so I decided to retest and it does appear that OpenVPN Connect clients do not properly support the client-nat directive but the traditional OpenVPN server/clients still do. I've just tested this on OpenVPN 2.6.3 Server,... Source: about 2 years ago
View more

netcat mentions (7)

  • could not connect to the rhel-9 from putty in windows machine
    If you don't like using telnet, that's fine. Don't use it. There are plenty of other options available. Use netcat. Or use netcat. Or use netcat. Or read and write directly to /dev/tcp/hostname/port using shell constructs. Or run openssl s_client if you suspect something complicated is listening on the other end. There is more than one way to do it and ways that are not your way still work. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • The HTTP crash course nobody asked for
    Reminder, there are many different netcats, here are some of the most commons: - netcat-traditional http://www.stearns.org/nc/ - netcat-openbsd : https://github.com/openbsd/src/blob/master/usr.bin/nc/netcat.c (also packaged in Debian) - ncat https://nmap.org/ncat/ - netcat GNU: https://netcat.sourceforge.net/ (quite rare) To prevent any confusion, I like to recommend socat: http://www.dest-unreach.org/socat/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Gaining remote access to a computer with a reverse shell attack in Node.js
    A common tool to execute a reverse shell is called netcat. If you're using macOS, it should be installed by default. You can check by running nc -help in a terminal window. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
  • Programm to send and receive TCP/UDP Packets
    You could try using Ncat on Windows or netcat on Linux, though it's a command-line only tool if that matters. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Is there a way to copy a file from a remote shell to local without using scp?
    If you have netcat, you can easily set up a transfer from one machine to the other:. Source: almost 4 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing OpenVPN and netcat, you can also consider the following products

ProtonVPN - ProtonVPN is a security focused FREE VPN service, developed by CERN and MIT scientists. Use the web anonymously, unblock websites & encrypt your connection.

Wireshark - Wireshark is a network protocol analyzer for Unix and Windows. It lets you capture and interactively browse the traffic running on a computer network.

Hotspot Shield - Hotspot Shield is a software application developed by AnchorFree, Inc.

tcpdump - tcpdump is a common packet analyzer that runs under the command line.

Psiphon - Psiphon is circumvention software for Windows and Mobile platforms that provides uncensored access to Internet content. Read more about Psiphon.

Ettercap - Ettercap is a suite for man in the middle attacks on LAN.