If you've been researching VPNs, you've probably seen the word "WireGuard" come up more than once. Most articles either skip past it or go deep into technical detail most people don't need. This one does neither.
Here's what WireGuard is, why it matters, and what it means for you as a Clear View VPN user — in plain English.
What Is a VPN Protocol?
When you connect to a VPN, your device and the VPN server need to agree on a set of rules. How will the connection be established? How will data be encrypted? A VPN protocol is that rulebook.
Different protocols make different trade-offs between speed, security, reliability, and compatibility. The protocol a VPN uses has a direct impact on how fast your connection feels, how much battery it uses, and how secure your data is.
The Old Guard: OpenVPN and IKEv2
For many years, OpenVPN was the gold standard — open-source, widely trusted, excellent security track record. But it was designed in 2001. Its codebase is enormous (nearly 400,000 lines of code), creating both performance overhead and a larger surface area for potential vulnerabilities.
IKEv2 is another established protocol — faster than OpenVPN and good at handling reconnections on mobile. But it too is built on older foundations. Both protocols still work. But the world has moved on.
Enter WireGuard
WireGuard was built from scratch with one aim: to be simpler, faster, and more secure than everything that came before. Released in 2019, it has since been adopted into the Linux kernel — one of the most scrutinised codebases in the world.
WireGuard's codebase has fewer than 4,000 lines of code. Compare that to OpenVPN's 400,000. This isn't just a fun fact — it has real consequences for security and speed.
Why Smaller Code Means Better Security
The more code a system has, the more places a bug can hide. With fewer than 4,000 lines, WireGuard's entire codebase can be reviewed by a single security researcher in a reasonable amount of time. This makes it far easier to audit and trust.
- Less processing overhead — your device spends less time managing the connection
- Faster performance — connections establish quicker, data moves faster
- Fewer failure points — less to go wrong
Why WireGuard Is Faster Than Older Protocols
WireGuard uses ChaCha20 for encryption — a fast, modern algorithm designed for performance on mobile and lower-powered hardware. It operates inside the operating system kernel rather than in user space, so data doesn't make unnecessary trips between software layers. And the connection handshake is nearly instantaneous — older protocols involve a longer negotiation before data can flow.
What This Means for Clear View VPN Users
Clear View uses WireGuard as its default protocol. You don't need to configure anything — just press Connect, and you get the fastest, most modern VPN technology available.
- Faster browsing — pages load faster, downloads closer to your full speed
- Better streaming — higher bitrates, less buffering, HD and 4K without interruption
- Less battery drain on mobile — your device isn't working as hard
- Faster reconnection — switch networks and WireGuard reconnects in milliseconds
- More reliable connections — handles network changes gracefully
Can You Use Other Protocols With Clear View?
Yes. Clear View also supports OpenVPN and IKEv2. For the majority of users, WireGuard is the right choice — and it's what you get by default. Advanced users can switch protocols manually in the app settings.
The Short Version
WireGuard is newer, simpler, faster, and easier to audit than the protocols that came before it. Clear View VPN uses it by default. Which means every time you press Connect, you're using the fastest and most advanced VPN technology currently available — without having to know or do anything about it. That's how technology should work.