Open-source, cross-platform VPN client built with Rust that provides true privacy through decentralized mixnet technology and multi-hop censorship-resistant WireGuard tunneling.

🚀 What is NymVPN

NymVPN is a privacy-focused, decentralized VPN application that goes beyond traditional VPNs by leveraging:

• 🔀 Mixnet Technology: Anonymous 5-hop routing through Nym's decentralized network
• ⚡ WireGuard + AmneziaWG: Fast, secure tunneling with built-in censorship resistance
• 🛡️ Metadata Protection: Unlike traditional VPNs, protects both content AND traffic patterns (in mixnet mode)
• 🔐 Zero-Knowledge Credentials: Private authentication using zero-knowledge zk-nyms
• 🌍 No Single Point of Failure: Fully decentralized infrastructure

✨ Key Features

🎯 Dual-Mode Privacy Architecture

• Anonymous Mode (5-hop mixnet): Maximal anonymity thanks to Nym's Noise Generating Mixnet with added noise to protect users against even AI surveillance
• Fast Mode (2-hop WireGuard): Decentralized 2-hop mode for faster connections and less latency thanks to WireGuard

🔧 Developer-Friendly

• 100% Open Source: Fully auditable codebase
• Rust-based: Memory-safe, high-performance implementation
• Cross-platform: Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows, CLI

⚙️ Power User Features

• Split Tunneling: Choose per-app routing (mixnet vs WireGuard) (coming soon)
• Custom Entry/Exit Selection: Choose your preferred node operators
• Kill Switch: Automatic connection protection with data leak prevention
• Multi-language Support: 10+ localizations with crowdsourced language support

🛡️ Advanced Privacy and Security

• Multi-hop by Default: No server views both your IP address and online activity
• zk-nyms: Private zero-knowledge credential system to unlink payments data from online activity
• No Centralized Logging: Cryptographically impossible to track users
• Advanced Cryptographic Stack: Cure25519, AES, ChaCha20-Poly1305, BLAKE2/BLAKE3, Lioness Wide Block Cipher, Pointcheval-Sanders Signatures, Pedersen Commitments, NIZK Proofs, BLS12-381 Curve, post-quantum readiness (coming soon)
• Independent Security Audits: JP Aumasson (2021), Oak Security (2022), Cryspen (2023-2024), Cure53 (2024)

🌐 Censorship Resistance Technologies

• AmneziaWG Integration: Bypass barriers to information access with AmneziaWG (censorship-resistance WireGuard fork)
• Adaptive Protocols: Pluggable transport, QUIC (coming soon)

🏗️ Architecture

┌─────────────────┐    ┌──────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐
│                 │───▶│   Mixnet     │───▶│   Destination   │
│                 │    │  (5 hops)    │    │                 │
│    NymVPN App   │    └──────────────┘    └─────────────────┘
│    (Rust Core)  │    ┌──────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐
│                 │───▶│  AmneziaWG   │───▶│   Destination   │
│                 │    │  (2 hops)    │    │                 │
└─────────────────┘    └──────────────┘    └─────────────────┘

🌐 Use Cases

For Privacy Advocates

• Personal privacy: Protection from ISP/government surveillance
• Journalist protection: Secure communication in hostile environments
• Whistleblowing: Anonymous document sharing

For Developers

• Decentralized app integration: Privacy layer for dApps
• Research projects: Privacy-preserving network protocols
• Security auditing: Open-source cryptographic implementations

For Organizations

• Corporate security: Enhanced privacy for remote teams
• Censorship circumvention: Access blocked content and services
• Compliance: GDPR-friendly privacy infrastructure

🔬 Research Foundation & Academic Partnerships

Peer-Reviewed Research (50+ Publications)

Academic Partnerships

• KU Leuven (COSIC Research Group): Privacy, performance, and hardware optimization
• EPFL (SPRING Lab): Network security and sophisticated attack analysis
• Cryspen: Formal verification and post-quantum cryptography

Advisory Board with multiple industry awards (Levchin Prize, BCS Lovelace Medal)

📚 Documentation & Resources

• 🛡️ The NymVPN Litepaper

• ♟️ NymVPN public roadmap

• 👀 NymVPN Signals of Trustworthy VPNs

• 🌐 Nym Crowdsouced Localization

• 🙏 Nym's Help Center

• 🏡 Nym Forum

• 🍀 Nym's Trust Center

• 🔬 Nym Audits

• 🧪 Nym Research Papers

• 🔐 Nym Cryptography

• 💡 The Nym Network Whitepaper

• 📣 Nym's blog.

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions from developers passionate about privacy, decentralization, and open-source software! This monorepo contains all of our source code for our NymVPN client apps (iOS / Android / Linux / macOS / Windows / CLI), separate from the Nym network monorepo.

Development Areas

• Rust core development: Networking, cryptography, protocols
• Mobile development: Kotlin (Android), SwiftUI (iOS)
• Desktop applications: SwiftUI (macOS), Tauri (Linux, Windows)
• Protocol research: Mixnet improvements, censorship resistance
• Security auditing: Code review, vulnerability research, pen tests

Check our Contribution Guide.

🏷️ Topics & Keywords

• Privacy & Security: privacy-tools privacy-enhancing tech security encryption zero-knowledge anonymity surveillance-resistance cryptography
• Networking: vpn dvpn wireguard amneziawg mixnet decentralized-network censorship-resistance
• Development: rust open-source kotlin swiftui
• Protocols: sphinx onion-routing distributed-systems network-privacy

📝 Acknowledgements

• Mullvad open source libraries to handle setting up local routing and wrapping wireguard-go.
• AmneziaWG wg-go open source library to help prevent censorship of WireGuard.
• WireGuard

⛓️ Community

Connect with the community on our socials.

Building the future of private, decentralized internet infrastructure - one commit at a time. 🚀