NordLynx VPN protocol

The solution for a simple, more secure, and noticeably faster VPN connection

Colleagues discussing NordLynx VPN protocol

OVERVIEW

What is NordLynx?

NordLynx is a new-generation VPN protocol that offers an improved connection, faster speeds, and better security measures than other VPN protocols, including WireGuard.

A VPN protocol is a tunnel that lets users’ data travel encrypted and unattainable to third parties.

WireGuard is a modern VPN protocol designed to be fast, simple, secure, and lean. It runs on fewer code lines when compared to other protocols and is lightning-fast.

But WireGuard itself isn’t perfect — that’s where NordLynx comes in. NordLynx sidesteps WireGuard’s flaws by combining it with NordVPN’s proprietary state-of-the-art security to get the best of both worlds.

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EXPLANATION

How does NordLynx work?

Wireguard scheme

NordLynx is built around a protocol called WireGuard®, and it has two really great properties. It provides lightning-fast internet connection speeds without compromising encryption security.

However, the WireGuard protocol is still under heavy development, and it’s far from perfect. Yes, WireGuard can promise better connection speeds already, but its capabilities to keep users anonymous fall behind.

Nordlynx scheme

So our colleagues at NordVPN developed something called a double NAT (Network Address Translation) system. The double NAT system allows us to establish a secure NordLynx connection to VPN servers without storing any identifiable data on them.

That means you can enjoy an excellent connection speed without compromising your security and privacy.

BENEFITS

Why NordLynx?

Instead of using old and outdated VPN protocols, try NordLynx — a faster, safer, and better alternative using WireGuard technology. Here’s exactly what that means…

Speed

Speed

More than 256,886 speed tests were performed and NordLynx proved to be the fastest protocol at our disposal. It also establishes a secure connection to any VPN server almost instantly, providing immediate protection and encryption.

Security

Security

Its lean code minimizes the attack surface, and the peer-reviewed, modern cryptographic primitives used for encryption make the protocol exceptionally secure. With the modifications and additions NordVPN has made to WireGuard in creating NordLynx, you don’t have to worry about security issues.

Lightweight

Lightweight

NordLynx runs on merely 4000 lines of code, compared to hundreds of thousands of lines that comprise any other widely used VPN protocol like OpenVPN and IKEv2. NordLynx uses less battery and processing power because it’s so lightweight.

PERFORMANCE

NordLynx performance metrics

VPN protocols comparison by download speed

Each point in the graph represents an average download speed for the distance between a VPN server and a Speedtest server. If you connect to a VPN server close to you and download content in range of a few thousand kilometers, you can expect almost up to 2x higher download speed with NordLynx! But of course, as the distance grows longer, the difference in download speed decreases.

VPN protocols comparison by upload speed

As you can see from this graph, the results for upload speeds are very similar. Backed by the results of this extensive speed testing, we can say that the download and upload speeds can get up to two times faster with NordLynx compared to OpenVPN and IKEv2. That applies when the distance between a VPN server and a content server is up to a few thousand kilometers. Note: any limits set by your ISP (Internet Sevice Provider) may affect download and upload speeds when using a VPN. To get all the details, check out this blog post on measurement accuracy.

USE CASES

How NordLynx can benefit your business

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Better communication

NordLynx outperforms other VPN protocols when it comes to content quality that requests 400ms or more. Crisp, crystal clear video conferences will now be the standard.

Woman checking NordLynx security

Better security

NordLynx doesn’t have any unnecessary or out-of-date functionalities. This allows developers to safely implement NordLynx on a number of client and server platforms.

Man explaining how NordLynx improve productivity

Better productivity

NordLynx's small codebase reduces CPU load, so staying protected doesn’t have to result in a depleted battery. It also handles the download/upload of large files with unmatched speed.

ACTIVATION

Making sure you’re using NordLynx

  1. Open NordLayer App

  2. Go to Preferences

  3. In the VPN Protocol tab choose NordLynx

OTHER BENEFITS

Security across your business

Besides NordLynx, NordLayer provides security in every layer of a hybrid cloud environment to help accelerate innovation and securely build, modernize or migrate mission-critical workloads.

Additional info

Frequently asked questions

WireGuard is modern, extremely fast, and insanely lean in its architecture but can’t ensure complete privacy. NordLynx brings all the VPN protocol benefits of WireGuard while strengthening the wobbly privacy part.