OpenVPN was the gold standard. But it is bloated, consisting of 100,000+ lines of code. Enter WireGuard: leaner, faster, and living directly in the Linux Kernel.
1. The Architecture Difference
OpenVPN runs in user space. Every packet must be copied between kernel and user space. WireGuard runs as a kernel module with a codebase of only ~4,000 lines.
2. Benchmark Results (1Gbps Link)
Tests on a $5 DigitalOcean droplet (1 vCPU):
- No VPN: 940 Mbps, 2% CPU
- OpenVPN (UDP): 180 Mbps, 100% CPU
- WireGuard: 890 Mbps, 35% CPU
3. Why This Matters for Mobile
WireGuard is "quiet." It doesn't maintain a constant keep-alive connection like OpenVPN. It stays silent until there is data to send, allowing your phone's radio to sleep.