Protocols Used in IPsec and Remote VPN

When discussing VPN technologies, it’s important to understand the difference between IPsec protocols and the protocols used in Remote Access VPNs. IPsec (Internet Protocol Security) is a protocol suite that secures IP communications. It mainly uses IKE (Internet Key Exchange) to authenticate peers and establish secure keys, and ESP (Encapsulating Security Payload) to encrypt and protect data traffic. In older implementations, AH (Authentication Header) was also used for integrity, but today ESP is more common. IPsec operates at the Network Layer (Layer 3). A Remote Access VPN is a use case that allows individual users to connect securely to a corporate network. It can use multiple protocols, including IPsec, SSL/TLS (HTTPS-based VPNs), L2TP over IPsec, and modern protocols like WireGuard. In simple terms, IPsec defines how the tunnel is secured, while Remote VPN defines how users connect securely to an internal network.