VPN

How it works

VPN software creates a virtual network adapter on your device and encrypts everything sent through it to a VPN server, using a protocol such as WireGuard, IPsec or OpenVPN. The server decrypts the traffic and sends it on to the internet. Sites see the server’s IP address; your internet provider sees only an encrypted stream to the server. Because the tunnel sits at the system level, every app on the device uses it, not just the browser.

A proxy works at the application level: only the program that is told to use it sends traffic through it, and different programs, or different browser profiles, can use different proxies.

Why it matters when you run several accounts

A VPN gives the whole computer one new address. Every profile behind it then shares that address, which is the opposite of what separate profiles need. A VPN also changes nothing about the browser: cookies, storage and device values stay as they were. For several accounts, the useful unit is one exit per profile, which is what a proxy assigned per profile gives you.

How SoftGlaze Browser handles it

SoftGlaze Browser isn’t a VPN. Each profile uses its own proxy from the pool (HTTP and SOCKS5), or a direct connection if you choose. If a system VPN is also running, the proxied profiles connect to their proxies through it, and profiles set to a direct connection use the VPN’s address. An option can refuse to open a profile when no proxy is available, so it never falls back to your own connection by accident.