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Why you need a VPN and why it’s better to have your own

· 2 min read
Andres Saar
Customer Care Engineer

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A VPN stopped being something exotic long ago. Some people turn it on to use the internet safely while traveling, others to work from home with corporate services, and for many it’s simply a familiar way to stay safe online.

At its core, a VPN isn’t about “circumventing geo-blocking” so much as about control: you decide which server your traffic goes through and who can see it. That raises the question - what should you choose: a ready-made VPN service or your own server with a VPN?

What a VPN is in simple terms​

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a “virtual tunnel” between you and the internet. All your traffic goes through this tunnel first and only then reaches the web.

Imagine you write a letter and put it in an envelope. Even if someone intercepts it on the way, they can’t read the contents without opening the envelope. A VPN works in much the same way: it encrypts your internet traffic.

Why you need it in real life​

A VPN hasn’t been a geek toy for a long time. Here are a few scenarios most people run into:

  • Secure Wi-Fi. Connecting in a café, airport, or hotel is always risky: a network admin or an attacker can inspect your traffic. A VPN encrypts it and makes it useless to outsiders.

  • Bypassing blocks and censorship. Sometimes a site you need is simply unavailable due to ISP restrictions. A VPN solves that problem.

  • Remote work. Many companies use VPNs so employees can securely access internal resources from anywhere in the world.

  • Privacy. Your internet provider can see which websites you visit. Through a VPN, it sees only a connection to your server.

Why your own VPN beats a ready-made service​

Most people pick polished VPN services with pretty apps. But there’s a catch: you’re trusting a third party with all your traffic. Many promise a “no-logs” policy, but there’s no way to verify that.

If you deploy a VPN on your own VPS, the picture changes:

  • You know exactly who controls the server (you do).

  • No outsiders have access to your data.

  • You can choose the server’s country and “change” your IP to whatever suits you.

  • You can tune the VPN to your needs: speed, protocols, per-user access restrictions, traffic controls.

It often works out cheaper, too: you can use a VPS not only for a VPN, but also, for example, for backups or hosting websites.

Is it hard to do?​

Actually, no. Installing a VPN on a VPS takes just a couple of minutes because we’ve prepared preconfigured templates that are ready to go. WireGuard, OpenVPN, and 3X-UI (xray) with a graphical interface and browser-based management are available for installation on any of our VPS servers. No console commands required:

  1. Rent a server.

  2. Choose the template you need.

  3. Wait a couple of minutes.

  4. Receive your credentials by email.

  5. Open the link in your browser and start using it.

It’s that simple and fast.

Conclusion​

A VPN is useful not only for IT professionals but for everyday users: for security, privacy, and freedom online. And a self-hosted VPN on a VPS takes you to a level where you control everything - from speed to confidentiality.

This approach inspires far more confidence than subscribing to an unknown VPN provider.

Start taking control of your privacy today with kodu.cloud.