VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) is a set of hosts that communicate with each other as if they were connected to the same switch (as if they were in the same domain), even if they are not located at the same physical location and not connected to the same switch. VLANs allow to group networks logically rather than based on its physical location. VPN (Virtual Private Network) provides a secure method for connecting to a private network through a public network that is not secure such as the internet. Data that is sent through the unsecure public network are encrypted to maintain the security. VPNs can be used to transfer any kind of data including voice and video.
What is a VLAN?
VLAN is a set of hosts that communicate with each other as if they were connected to the same switch (as if they were in the same domain), even if they are not. VLANs avoid the requirement of computers to be in the same physical location to be in the same broadcast domain, which allows to group hosts logically rather than their physical location. There are two types of VLANs called Static VLANs and Dynamic VLANs. Static VLANs are VLANs that are manually configured by providing a name, VLAN ID(VID) and port assignments. Dynamic VLANs are created by storing the hardware addresses of host devices in a database so that the switch can assign the VLAN dynamically at any time when a host is plugged in to a switch.
What is a VPN?
VPN provides a secure method for connecting to a private network through a public network that is not secure such as the internet. Data that is sent through the unsecure public network are encrypted to maintain the security. VPNs allow only authorized users to access it and this is done through authentication. VPNs use passwords, biometrics, etc for authenticating its users. VPNs are widely used by organizations to share their data and other network resources with workers located in remote locations. Use of VPNs would reduce the network cost of an organization, since it removes the requirement of having leased lines to connect organization’s network with offices located in remote locations. VPNs can vary depending on factors like the protocol it uses to send traffic, security provisions, whether the VPN provides site to site or remote access, etc.
What is the difference between VLAN and VPN?
VLAN is a set of hosts that communicate with each other as if they were connected to the same switch (as if they were in the same domain), even if they are not, while VPN provides a secure method for connecting to a private network through a public network that is not secure, such as the internet from a remote location. VPN allows creating a smaller sub network using the hosts in an underlying larger network and a VLAN can be seen as a sub group of VPN. The main purpose of VPN is to provide a secure method for connecting in a private network, from remote locations.