🔐 VPN Solution Alternatives ¶
📋 Overview ¶
When choosing a Client VPN solution, companies generally evaluate between self-hosted options (e.g. Pritunl) and managed Cloud services (e.g. AWS Client VPN). This page compares the ones we typically implement for our Clients.
In case you are looking for a quick summary, here is a quick comparison table:
Aspect | AWS Client VPN | Pritunl |
---|---|---|
Setup Complexity | Simple setup through AWS Console or IaC | Requires EC2 instance setup, software installation, and configuration |
Administration | Managed through AWS Console, simple user management with SSO | Web GUI interface, certificate management, more hands-on administration |
Scalability | Automatic scaling, managed by AWS | Manual scaling, dependent on EC2 instance size |
Reliability | Built-in high availability | Requires custom HA setup if needed |
If you'd prefer a more detailed comparison, keep reading the sections below.
🔍 Detailed Comparison ¶
☁️ AWS Client VPN Endpoint ¶
✅ Pros
- 🏗️ Fully managed AWS service - no infrastructure management required
- 🔑 Native integration with AWS IAM and AWS SSO for authentication
- 📈 Automatic scaling and high availability
- 🛡️ Built-in security features and encryption
- 🌐 Direct integration with VPC networking
- 🔀 Supports split-tunnel VPN configurations
- 📊 CloudWatch integration for monitoring and logging
❌ Cons
- ⚙️ Limited customization options compared to self-managed solutions
- 📱 Requires AWS VPN client software on end-user devices
- 💰 Higher cost as you pay for:
- Each VPN endpoint association per hour
- Each client connection per hour
- Data transfer fees
🖥️ Pritunl VPN Server on EC2 ¶
✅ Pros
- ⚡ One-time EC2 instance configuration
- 💵 Constant cost: One EC2 instance (plus storage)
- 🎛️ Full control over the VPN server configuration
- 🖱️ User-friendly web GUI for administration
- 👥 Supports multiple organizations and users
- 🔌 Compatible with standard OpenVPN clients
- 🔐 Flexible authentication options (certificates, 2FA)
- ⏰ Can be scheduled to start/stop to reduce costs
- 🛣️ Custom routing and network configurations
❌ Cons
- 🔧 Requires manual setup and maintenance
- 🔄 Self-managed security updates and patches
- 🏗️ High availability requires additional configuration
- 📈 Scaling requires manual intervention
- ⚙️ Infrastructure management overhead
- 🖥️ Dependent on EC2 instance availability
🤔 Choosing between Pritunl and AWS Client VPN ¶
Choose AWS Client VPN when:
- 🏗️ You need a managed solution with minimal overhead
- 🔑 Your organization uses AWS SSO
- 📈 You require automatic scaling and high availability
- 💰 Budget is not a primary concern
Choose Pritunl when:
- 💵 Cost optimization is important
- 🎛️ You need full control over the VPN configuration
- 👨💻 You have technical expertise for maintenance
- 🔌 You want to leverage existing OpenVPN clients
- 🛣️ You need to implement custom routing or configurations