OpenVPN Connect

OpenVPN Connect is the client half of a VPN setup. It does not provide a VPN service of its own and has no server list to pick from: it establishes an encrypted tunnel to a server someone else operates, whether that is a company gateway, a self-hosted OpenVPN installation, or a commercial provider that hands out OpenVPN profiles. Configuration arrives as an .ovpn profile file or as a URL pointing at an Access Server or CloudConnexa deployment, and the app stores imported profiles so later connections are a single click.

Beyond the basic tunnel, the app covers the pieces an administrator usually needs. It supports AES-256 encryption and TLS 1.3, web-based authentication so single sign-on through SAML works, HTTP proxy settings, split tunnelling to route only chosen traffic through the VPN, and automatic reconnection when the link drops. A kill switch blocks traffic if the tunnel fails rather than letting it leak out over the plain connection, and there is IPv6 and DNS leak protection. Deployment at scale is handled through a global configuration file, which lets an MDM system push settings to managed machines. Versions exist for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

The typical user is someone told by an employer or a VPN provider to install this app and import the supplied profile. If that describes you, this is the reference implementation and comes from the people who wrote the protocol. If you want to configure connections by hand, script them, or work with a fully open source client, note that this app is closed source despite the protocol itself being open, and alternatives such as the community OpenVPN build or OpenVPN GUI cover that ground better. It is also not the tool for anyone shopping for a consumer VPN subscription, since it provides software only and no network to connect to.