How VPN protocols work, how networks detect and block VPNs, and how to stay private online. Written and tested by the team behind VPNBaron.
VPN protocols
Shadowsocks defined getting through censorship for a decade. How it compares to VLESS Reality in 2026, where it still works, where it burns, and how to switch without changing apps.
· 4 min read
VPN protocols
We ran Trojan for years, moved stealth to VLESS Reality, and brought Trojan back as a legacy option for Clash apps. An honest comparison from a provider that runs both.
· 5 min read
Censorship & stealth
How networks detect and block OpenVPN, the fixes worth trying in order, and what to do when no OpenVPN trick gets through.
· 3 min read
VPN protocols
How VLESS Reality, Hysteria2, IKEv2 and OpenVPN compare, and when the choice of protocol actually matters.
· 3 min read
Censorship & stealth
DPI in plain language, the escalating ways firewalls detect VPN traffic, from port blocks to TLS fingerprinting and active probing, and what gets through each one.
· 3 min read
Why networks block VPNs, how they detect them, and the protocols that get through anyway.
Related: Stealth VPN →
How VLESS Reality, Hysteria2, IKEv2 and OpenVPN work, and which one to use where.
Related: Stealth VPN →
Baron Pathfinder finds the protocol that works where you are, including the stealth ones that get through when ordinary VPNs are blocked.
