More than ever, the online community is feeling the need to use tools to encrypt their content from end to end, to protect it from evil hands. After all, the Internet is full of risks and hazardous agents: hackers, Trojan horses, computer virus, spyware, adware, ransomware, and other types of malware, not to mention people trying to intercept your content and use it against you: governmental surveillance and intelligence agencies, copyright trolls, online advertising companies, and e-commerce shops, and so on.
Two of the most widely implemented tools to encrypt content and achieve satisfactory levels of online security, privacy, and anonymity are Tor and VPN. The former is a system acting like a web browser that hides the user’s shared content in such a way that it is entirely anonymous, thanks to a network of relays; while the latter comes in the form of apps that reroute the customer’s connection details through remote servers thanks to tunnelling protocols.
Both technologies achieve similar things: content and data protection and privacy. Of course, each one has its advantages and disadvantages when compared to the other one. In the Tor vs. VPN battle, which one comes out on top? Let’s find out.
Tor：洋蔥路由器
Tor：洋蔥路由器The Onion Router, better known as TOR because of its initials, is a pro-anonymity system that performs the functions of a web browser. However, it is not your average browser: it implements nodes and relays to connect the user to its desired server or page instead of offering a direct connection.
這種分散的系統或網路的節點只能識別位於它們前面或後面的IP位址，這使得任何代理幾乎不可能跟蹤連接請求覆蓋的完整路徑。節點是隨機伺服器，位於不同的區域。
TOR連接從頭到尾加密，這意味著它受到保護並通過節點或隨機伺服器進行路由。在到達最終目的地（即使用者請求連接到的網站）之前，資訊將被解密。
VPN：虛擬專用網路
Virtual Private Networks are all-purpose security and privacy apps that also encrypt the user’s content from end to end, just like TOR. However, the modus operandi is entirely different: VPN, which are apps that can be found online, reroute the customer’s connection details, such as its online identity (IP address,) shared content online, browsing history, and more, only to send that information to remote servers away from the Internet Service Provider (ISP.)
通過使用稱為“協定”的技術 - OpenVPN，L2TP / IPSec，SSTP和IKEv2是一些示例 - VPN應用程式構建虛擬隧道以保護數據免受可能對用戶系統有害的任何外部代理。
在加密方面，VPN掌握了這門手藝。它將正確的協定與身份驗證方法和數據加密相結合，以提供端到端的強大內容保護。
Tor vs. VPN：它們彼此比較時表現如何？
由於它們都實現了實現非常不同的工具和方法的相似目標，因此讓我們看看這些服務中的每一個都比另一個服務利用了哪些服務：
- 雖然VPN是解鎖標記為地理封鎖的內容（即位於國家/地區服務區域之外）的出色工具，但TOR只有在指定的出口節點位於首選國家/地區時才能訪問所需的網站。優點： 虛擬專用網路。
- 雖然VPN技術可能會略微降低用戶的互聯網速度，但TOR會明顯變慢，因為連接請求將通過多個節點中繼，直到到達最終目的地。優點： 虛擬專用網路。
- 雖然VPN技術意味著您可以匿名瀏覽網頁，但您選擇的品牌仍然會看到您在線共用的每一點數據以及您的IP位址。對於完全匿名，TOR是正確的選擇。優點： TOR值。
- 兩者都易於獲取、安裝和使用，並且在大多數設備、平臺和操作系統上都可用。優點： 均勻。
- 可以找到免費和付費服務的VPN應用程式。但是，不建議使用前者，因為它的加密較弱且隱私實踐不佳。付費公司的每月服務費用在 3 到 15 美元之間，而 TOR 不涉及任何費用。優點： TOR值。
- 在適當的情況下，這兩種方法都可以被阻止。優點： 均勻。
- 大多數VPN品牌都允許P2P活動，這意味著您將能夠下載種子。TOR不適合P2P。優點： 虛擬專用網路。
- 使用正確的VPN，您將能夠在線流式傳輸內容。鑒於其速度很慢，要求 TOR 促進該活動可能太過分了。優點： 虛擬專用網路。
IPBurger is a recommended VPN brand for torrenting, streaming, anonymous browsing, and data protection. It has a thorough no logging policy and it implements robust encryption, so there are no DNS, IP, or WebRTC leaks. This affordable VPN comes with several plans, starting from $5 per month, and it has both shared and dedicated IP addresses to fulfil every need.
總之，TOR和VPN都是方便的數據加密資源，各有利弊。總體而言，我們更喜歡VPN應用程式可以提供的整體軟體包，但事實是，將TOR與VPN功能相結合將為促進在線安全提供完美的氛圍。
