Shadowsocks,OpenVPN,Vmess, VLESS: which protocol will win in the era of digital censorship?

I want to share my experience with different protocols for those who are also looking for ways to protect their privacy and access restricted content.

Briefly about each protocol

Shadowsocks — a lightweight proxy protocol specifically designed to bypass censorship. It does not use complex encryption, which helps it be faster. Often used in countries with strict censorship.

OpenVPN — a VPN protocol aimed at reliable encryption and flexibility. A good choice for security, but requires more resources and sometimes lags in speed.

VLESS and VMess — protocols from the V2Ray ecosystem. They provide flexibility and allow bypassing advanced censorship by masquerading as regular HTTPS traffic.

VLESS — a lightweight version designed to minimize latency, while VMess is more versatile.

Challenges you may face during setup

Each of these protocols has its own setup nuances. Here are the main challenges I encountered:

1. ShadowsocksShadowsocks is the easiest to set up: it works on the principle of a proxy, which does not require complex configurations. The main task is to choose a good encryption algorithm. But for stricter protection (especially in countries with active censorship), more frequent configuration updates may be required, as Shadowsocks is not as strong in bypassing censorship as V2Ray.

2. OpenVPNOpenVPN allows you to configure everything — from encryption methods to the use of different ports, but this also makes it difficult for beginners. Installing the client and server alone is not enough; you need to deal with certificates to prevent connection hacking. Also, OpenVPN works better over UDP (faster, but may be unstable in mobile networks), although TCP adds stability.

3. VLESS and VMess (V2Ray)These protocols provide more flexibility and obfuscation, but require an understanding of how V2Ray works. You will need to think about the choice of encryption, obfuscation methods, and traffic configurations. VMess is convenient if you need to adapt to changes in censorship — especially in regions where certain types of traffic are prohibited. However, beginners may need time to master V2Ray configurations.

How to choose a protocol considering speed and latency

It all depends on what is more important to you: speed or security. Here are my personal observations:

• Shadowsocks — excellent if you need maximum speed. It practically does not cause delays and is "transparent" to the network, which allows you to maintain speed. But for high protection, you will need to additionally think about encryption and obfuscation.

• OpenVPN — due to heavy encryption, it can "slow down" in networks with low connection quality. However, it is more flexible and secure. If you are, for example, in a corporate network and you need reliable encryption, OpenVPN is a better choice.

• VLESS and VMess (V2Ray) — suitable for conditions where blockages are dynamic. These protocols provide a good balance between speed and security, especially if you configure the encryption parameters correctly. VLESS works faster due to less load than VMess, so if minimal delay is important, VLESS is a suitable choice.

  How to optimize each protocol for better performance

  Each of these protocols can be customized to your needs. Here is what I recommend for improving performance:

  1. Shadowsocks

  • Encryption choice: Use AEAD (Authenticated Encryption with Associated Data), such as ChaCha20 or AES-256-GCM. This will provide an optimal balance between security and speed.

  • Server location: Place the server as close to the user as possible to reduce delays. If you often work with geographically remote nodes, the speed can significantly decrease.

  2. OpenVPN

  • UDP or TCP? It is better to choose UDP, as it reduces delays if the network allows. TCP is more reliable but slower due to additional data confirmations.

    Read also:

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  • Keep-alive settings: To avoid connection breaks, configure periodic keep-alive packets, which is especially useful in mobile networks.

  • Compression: Disabling compression can improve security and increase stability.

  3. VLESS and VMess (V2Ray)

• Obfuscation: If it is critical to maintain anonymity, it is better to enable obfuscation. However, it is worth remembering that this can slow down the connection, so configure it only if necessary.

• Multiplexing: Use to increase bandwidth, which is especially useful for high latency.

• Server location: As with Shadowsocks, proximity to the server will help improve performance, especially in blocking conditions.

  How often should you update the configuration and encryption for different protocols?

  Updating the configuration and encryption methods depends on two main factors: the level of risk of blocking or attack and the frequency of technology updates.

  1. Shadowsocks: Since this protocol is easily blocked with active DPI (deep packet inspection), it is worth updating the configuration quite often. For example, you can change encryption parameters or ports every few weeks. This will increase the chance of bypassing blocks.

  2. OpenVPN: The stability of OpenVPN allows you not to change settings too often. However, if the server is used to access regions with active DPI, it is recommended to regularly (every 3-6 months) review configurations and update encryption keys. Additionally, it is important to check for updates to the OpenVPN client and server, as new versions often include security improvements.

  3. VLESS and VMess (V2Ray): V2Ray protocols offer more masking options but are also subject to blocking. Their configurations are recommended to be updated especially often if you work in networks with active traffic monitoring. It is useful, for example, to periodically change ports or activate additional encryption and obfuscation methods, especially if your connections suddenly start to be blocked.

  Recommendation: Ideally, check the relevance of encryption and update keys every time conditions change or there is a deterioration in connection quality. This is also good practice to prevent possible hacks.
  
  

  Which protocol is suitable for use under strict DPI (Deep Packet Inspection) conditions?

  DPI is a powerful traffic monitoring tool that can analyze and recognize patterns specific to VPN and proxy protocols. DPI bypass protocols can vary in effectiveness:

  1. Shadowsocks: DPI can recognize and block Shadowsocks, especially if the traffic is unmasked. Shadowsocks works better in countries without strict DPI. To bypass DPI, you can additionally configure Shadowsocks using plugins such as obfs (obfuscation).

     Read also:

     • Immersion in Kubernetes Network Policies

  2. OpenVPN: DPI is often able to detect OpenVPN traffic, especially in TCP mode. DPI can be bypassed on OpenVPN through stealth mode (Stealth VPN), but this will require additional settings and complicates the configuration. Moreover, performance may decrease due to additional overhead.

  3. VLESS and VMess (V2Ray): These protocols are initially designed to bypass DPI and effectively mask as regular HTTPS traffic. VLESS, in particular, is more effective due to fewer metadata, making it difficult to analyze. V2Ray allows the use of masking methods such as WebSocket, which helps to bypass advanced blocks.

  Conclusion: If you need to bypass advanced DPI, it is best to use V2Ray protocols (VLESS or VMess), as they are more flexible in terms of masking and resistant to detection.

  C. What are the pros and cons of multiplexing in V2Ray, especially when used in high-load networks?

  Multiplexing is the ability to transmit multiple connections over the same transport channel, which can be very useful for increasing bandwidth. But in high-load networks, it also has its features:

  1. Advantages of multiplexing:

     • Saving traffic and resources: Combining connections reduces the overhead of establishing connections, as one channel is used to send multiple packets. This helps reduce network load and speed up data transfer.

     • Reducing delays: With proper configuration, multiplexing can reduce delays, as new connections are established faster due to the use of an already active channel.

• Disadvantages of multiplexing:

  • Vulnerability to blocking: In high-load networks, the use of multiplexing can be noticed by monitoring systems and DPI, which increases the risk of blocking. The more streams go through one channel, the easier it is to detect their abnormal traffic.

  • Reduced stability: If the main multiplexing channel is blocked, all connections are immediately lost, which can lead to temporary unavailability of the service.

Recommendation: It is worth using multiplexing in high-load networks with caution, combining it with masking methods (for example, WebSocket). It is best to limit the number of connections per channel or periodically restart the connection to reduce the likelihood of detection.

Conclusion

So, if you choose the winner in the battle for survival in the era of digital censorship, it will undoubtedly be VLESS and VMess. These protocols from V2Ray are like real masters of disguise, making DPI systems guess what kind of traffic it is. Unlike Shadowsocks and OpenVPN, which, although they perform well, can be caught blocking, VLESS and VMess offer the best balance between speed, security, and stealth. So if you want to stay one step ahead of the censors, these protocols are definitely worth adding to your arsenal.