{"id":21640,"date":"2026-10-31T16:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-31T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/?p=21640"},"modified":"2026-10-31T16:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T13:30:00","slug":"what-is-a-vpn-gateway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/what-is-a-vpn-gateway\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is a VPN Gateway? Site-to-Site and Remote Access VPN"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/what-is-a-vpn-gateway\/#How_Does_a_VPN_Gateway_Work\" >How Does a VPN Gateway Work?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/what-is-a-vpn-gateway\/#Site-to-Site_VPN_vs_Remote_Access_VPN\" >Site-to-Site VPN vs Remote Access VPN<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/what-is-a-vpn-gateway\/#Protocols_Used_by_VPN_Gateways\" >Protocols Used by VPN Gateways<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/what-is-a-vpn-gateway\/#IPsec_IKEv2\" >IPsec \/ IKEv2<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/what-is-a-vpn-gateway\/#OpenVPN\" >OpenVPN<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/what-is-a-vpn-gateway\/#WireGuard\" >WireGuard<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/what-is-a-vpn-gateway\/#SSL_VPN\" >SSL VPN<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/what-is-a-vpn-gateway\/#Types_of_VPN_Gateways\" >Types of VPN Gateways<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/what-is-a-vpn-gateway\/#Turning_a_Linux_Server_into_a_VPN_Gateway_General_Steps\" >Turning a Linux Server into a VPN Gateway: General Steps<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/what-is-a-vpn-gateway\/#Security_and_Performance_Tips\" >Security and Performance Tips<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/what-is-a-vpn-gateway\/#Frequently_Asked_Questions\" >Frequently Asked Questions<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/what-is-a-vpn-gateway\/#What_is_the_difference_between_a_VPN_gateway_and_a_regular_VPN_app\" >What is the difference between a VPN gateway and a regular VPN app?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/what-is-a-vpn-gateway\/#Is_a_default_gateway_the_same_as_a_VPN_gateway\" >Is a default gateway the same as a VPN gateway?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/what-is-a-vpn-gateway\/#Does_a_small_business_need_a_VPN_gateway\" >Does a small business need a VPN gateway?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>A <strong>VPN gateway<\/strong> is the device or software that terminates encrypted VPN tunnels between two networks, or between remote users and a network. A company office connecting to its cloud network, or employees securely accessing the company network from home, all happens through a VPN gateway.<\/p>\n<p>In this article we explain how a VPN gateway works, the difference between site-to-site and remote access VPN, the protocols used and the setup options.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Does_a_VPN_Gateway_Work\"><\/span>How Does a VPN Gateway Work?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A VPN gateway sits at the edge of the network and has two jobs:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Authentication:<\/strong> it verifies the identity of the party that wants to connect (another gateway or a user) with a certificate, a pre-shared key (PSK) or user credentials.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Encryption and <a href=\"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/en\/asn-lease\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"114\" title=\"ASN lease for BGP routing\">routing<\/a>:<\/strong> it encrypts traffic entering the tunnel, decrypts traffic coming from the other side and routes packets to the right destination on the internal network.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>For the user or remote office, the process is invisible. Servers on the internal network are reached with private IP addresses as if they were on the same network.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Site-to-Site_VPN_vs_Remote_Access_VPN\"><\/span>Site-to-Site VPN vs Remote Access VPN<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Feature<\/th>\n<th>Site-to-site VPN<\/th>\n<th>Remote access VPN<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>What connects<\/td>\n<td>Two networks (e.g. head office \u2194 branch, office \u2194 cloud)<\/td>\n<td>A single user device \u2194 company network<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Where the tunnel is built<\/td>\n<td>Between two VPN gateways, always on<\/td>\n<td>Between the user&#8217;s VPN client and the gateway, on demand<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>User software<\/td>\n<td>Not needed; everyone on the network uses it automatically<\/td>\n<td>A VPN client is required<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Typical protocol<\/td>\n<td>IPsec (IKEv2)<\/td>\n<td>IKEv2, OpenVPN, WireGuard, SSL VPN<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Example use<\/td>\n<td>Branches accessing a shared ERP server<\/td>\n<td>Staff working from home accessing a file server<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Protocols_Used_by_VPN_Gateways\"><\/span>Protocols Used by VPN Gateways<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"IPsec_IKEv2\"><\/span>IPsec \/ IKEv2<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The industry standard for site-to-site connections. It works across firewalls and routers from different vendors. Cloud providers&#8217; virtual network gateways also usually use IPsec.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"OpenVPN\"><\/span>OpenVPN<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>TLS-based and flexible, it can run over TCP\/UDP port 1194 or 443. It is common for remote access. See our OpenVPN setup guide.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"WireGuard\"><\/span>WireGuard<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>A modern, lightweight and fast protocol; both site-to-site and remote access can be set up with just a few lines of configuration. See our WireGuard VPN setup article.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"SSL_VPN\"><\/span>SSL VPN<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>A browser-based or client-based remote access solution commonly found on enterprise firewalls.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Types_of_VPN_Gateways\"><\/span>Types of VPN Gateways<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Hardware-based:<\/strong> the built-in VPN features of enterprise firewalls and routers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Software-based:<\/strong> strongSwan (IPsec), OpenVPN or WireGuard installed on a Linux server. An economical gateway can be set up on a <a href=\"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/vds-sunucu\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"133\" title=\"Tahsisli kaynakl\u0131 sanal sunucu \u00e7\u00f6z\u00fcmleri\">VDS<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cloud gateways:<\/strong> managed VPN gateway services from cloud providers, used to connect a company network to a cloud virtual network.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Turning_a_Linux_Server_into_a_VPN_Gateway_General_Steps\"><\/span>Turning a Linux Server into a VPN Gateway: General Steps<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Assign a static public IP to the server and update the system.<\/li>\n<li>Choose the protocol (WireGuard\/OpenVPN for remote access, IPsec for branch connections).<\/li>\n<li>Install the software and create the keys\/certificates.<\/li>\n<li>Enable IP forwarding: <code>net.ipv4.ip_forward=1<\/code>.<\/li>\n<li>Allow the VPN port in the firewall and add a NAT\/masquerade rule if needed.<\/li>\n<li>Define the networks that will pass through the tunnel (AllowedIPs, leftsubnet\/rightsubnet).<\/li>\n<li>Test the connection and watch the logs.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Security_and_Performance_Tips\"><\/span>Security and Performance Tips<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Where possible, use certificate-based authentication instead of a pre-shared key.<\/li>\n<li>Add multi-factor authentication (MFA) for remote access.<\/li>\n<li>Give users access only to the internal networks they need (principle of least privilege).<\/li>\n<li>Split tunnelling sends only company traffic through the tunnel and saves bandwidth; a full tunnel lets you inspect all traffic. Choose according to your needs.<\/li>\n<li>Keep the gateway software and firmware up to date; VPN devices are frequently targeted.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Frequently_Asked_Questions\"><\/span>Frequently Asked Questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_difference_between_a_VPN_gateway_and_a_regular_VPN_app\"><\/span>What is the difference between a VPN gateway and a regular VPN app?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>A VPN app connects a single device to a server. A VPN gateway is the side where tunnels terminate, connecting an entire network to other networks or users.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_a_default_gateway_the_same_as_a_VPN_gateway\"><\/span>Is a default gateway the same as a VPN gateway?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. A default gateway is the router your device sends traffic to when it leaves the local network. A VPN gateway is a special gateway that manages encrypted tunnels.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_a_small_business_need_a_VPN_gateway\"><\/span>Does a small business need a VPN gateway?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes, if remote staff access an internal file server, accounting software or admin panels. Keeping these systems behind a VPN is much safer than exposing them directly to the internet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A VPN gateway is the device or software that terminates encrypted VPN tunnels between two networks, or between remote users and a network. A company office connecting to its cloud network, or employees securely accessing the company network from home, all happens through a VPN gateway. In this article we explain how a VPN gateway&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21641,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1523],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-network"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21640"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21640\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21757,"href":"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21640\/revisions\/21757"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunucun.com.tr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}