A virtual private network (VPN) extends a private network across a public network and enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network.
Applications running across a VPN may therefore benefit from the functionality, security, and management of the private network.
Encryption is a common, although not an inherent, part of a VPN connection.
In other applications, Internet users may secure their connections with a VPN to circumvent geo-restrictions and censorship or to connect to proxy servers to protect personal identity and location to stay anonymous on the Internet.