While adding any VPN to your network is a smart choice for privacy-minded internet users, not all VPNs are created equally, and some can keep your browsing history and user data far safer than others.
Opting for a VPN that utilizes RAM-only servers is the easiest way to guarantee that your user data is kept entirely private. Your VPN provider is logging nothing about your internet activity.
No matter which VPN provider you’re evaluating, look for a company that provides RAM-only servers to ensure that your information is safe, protected, and completely private.
Today, we will take a closer look at an exciting new trend in VPNs, the RAM-only server. VPN providers leveraging this new technology can provide a level of safety and security previously unseen in the VPN space. We’ll show you how this new technology can protect you and your information.
Here are the best VPNs with RAM-only servers:
ExpressVPN
- Almost 3,000+ servers in 94 countries
- Unlimited bandwidth
- For Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer…
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- For up to 5 devices
- Works in China and the UAE
- 24/7 live chat
ExpressVPN was one of the first VPN providers to deploy a RAM-only solution, and they launched their TrustedServer technology at the end of 2019.
TrustedServer adds a few additional security layers to the RAM-only deployment described above.
The way their servers run is similar to containerization, where an operating system and all its dependencies are loaded into a read-only image file to provide reliable and consistent deployment.
ExpressVPN applies this concept across the entire software stack, so everything the server requires to run is included on a single image file.
This technology helps ensure that every aspect of the server is identical to the other servers in the network, which was virtually impossible to do with HDD-based servers.
To further reinforce their security protocols, each time one of their 3,000+ servers is rebooted, it requires a cryptographic signature from ExpressVPN; otherwise, it won’t boot up.
Even if a server was compromised and fell into the wrong hands, there’s no way to be operational without this signature, which ExpressVPN can only provide.
Read more about ExpressVPN in our full review.
Surfshark
- Over 3,200 servers worldwide
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Unlimited device connections
- For Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer…
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Works in China
- 24/7 live chat
SurfShark is another industry leader in VPN privacy, and in the summer of 2020, all 1,700+ of their VPN servers operate as RAM-only. They now have more than 3,200+ servers.
While their server architecture doesn’t involve as many bells and whistles as ExpressVPN, their RAM-only servers ensure that sensitive user information is incredibly well secured.
As this is more volatile and risky to the VPN provider, it does add an extra layer of security for the user. In the theoretical event that servers were exposed, everything stored there will be eliminated as soon as they’re shut off.
Surfshark is an exceptional choice if you value your privacy and you’re looking to have your cake and eat it too. You can safely give it a try by downloading the app and signing up for an account that has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Find out more in our full Surfshark review.
NordVPN
- Almost 6,000 servers in 60 countries
- Unlimited bandwidth
- For Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer…
- Quick Connect
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- For up to six devices
- Works in China
- 24/7 live chat
Given the additional security that a RAM-only server can provide, it’s no surprise that VPN companies are beginning to transfer their operations from traditional HDD-based servers to RAM-only.
NordVPN is one of the best and well-known VPN providers out there, and the fact that they own and control ALL of their thousands of servers only solidified their reputation.
The company also switched to ram-only servers in October 2020, which means that no information is stored locally anymore. But wait, there’s more.
NordVPN has also undergone three third-party audits of its no-logs policies. It also became the first VPN provider that launched a bug-bounty program open to anyone.
Read more about NordVPN in our full review.
Private Internet Access (PIA)
- Over 30k servers in 78+ countries
- All servers P2P-friendly
- Port forwarding with all ports available
- No-logs policy
- Unlimited bandwidth
- For Netflix, Amazon Prime Video…
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- 7-day free trial
- For up to 10 devices
- 24/7 live chat
Private Internet Access is a US-based company with headquarters and most of its employees located in Colorado. It’s also yet another VPN provider that decided to implement RAm-only servers at the end of 2020.
PIA’s new network of servers are truly nextgen VPN servers as they use 10Gbps network cards as opposed to 1Gbps network cards used in the previous generation.
Private Internet Access’ VPN network is suitable for streaming and torrenting, especially if you’re on the said next-gen network. They have sufficient servers to provide excellent speeds from nearly anywhere in the world, and it’s hard to understate the significance of those connections.
If you’re hungry for more, go to our full Private Internet Access review.
CyberGhost
- 7,300+ servers in 91 countries
- Unlimited bandwidth
- DNS and IP leak protection
- For up to seven devices
- 45-day money-back guarantee
- 24/7 live chat support
CyberGhost is an affordable, highly secure VPN perfect for streaming and torrenting due to dedicated servers.
And with so many different server locations, you can get fast speeds, reliable connections, and complete privacy, no matter where you live. You can even access geo-blocked sites and avoid snoopers and sneaky third parties who want to track your activities.
All of the 7,200+ servers that the company owns are now RAM-only, and some of them are even NoSpy servers with dedicated uplink, and the company’s staff are looking after them.
CyberGhost delivers constant, stable speeds across the world. However, there are some cases of slower speeds or inconsistent connections when you connect to servers that are too distant from your location. This is normal for most other VPNs as well.
Read more about this excellent VPN in our CyberGhost review.
What are RAM-Only Servers?
Users don’t want their sensitive data stored, and VPN providers aren’t interested in holding it. Yet, with traditional server architecture, stored data was simply part of doing business.
Fortunately, top VPN companies have found a way to provide their customers with increased privacy while closing one of their most significant security loopholes in the process.
RAM-only servers replace the hard drive’s function, relying on RAM to store sensitive user data instead.
Unlike hard drives, which hold onto all the data inside until they’re erased and rewritten, RAM only holds onto sensitive data until the server is rebooted, which is done regularly as part of a provider’s maintenance processes and can be done as many times as necessary.
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Why are RAM-Only Servers More Secure than Traditional HDD?
The fact that RAM-Only servers can easily be wiped clean, removing all sensitive user data in the process is one of the significant reasons why RAM-only servers are considerably more secure than traditional hard-drive-based servers.
But that isn’t the only reason why a RAM-only server is preferable.
How administration is handled on HDD servers presents security risks that are far greater than your user data falling into a third party’s hands. With HDD servers, the entire server itself could end up falling into the wrong hands, spelling a disaster for the VPN company and their entire user base.
VPN providers run hundreds or thousands of servers spread out throughout the globe. With traditional servers, the operating system and any necessary software are installed along with the server itself, and that information lives on the server in perpetuity.
Any updates or configuration changes that are required are added later on. It could be years before a server is wiped clean and a new operating system is installed.
This means that years of user data and proprietary company data are stored on those hard drives.
Regular updates and administrative changes are necessary to keep these servers working in concert. But, if a provider is running 5,000 servers worldwide, it’s easy to see how small errors or inconsistencies could lead to critical security vulnerabilities.
Can your IT team be sure that all 5,000 servers are running exactly as they should be?
You can think of these tiny inconsistencies like cracks in the foundation of a home. A few cracks are common and expected, but if you develop too many cracks over time, you will seriously compromise the integrity of your foundation, and it’s only a matter of time before the whole thing comes crumbling down.
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These small security compromises make it easy for anyone with the knowledge to exploit these weaknesses to steal data and proprietary information. Not only is this dangerous for users, but it could spell doom for the VPN provider that’s been exploited.
With a RAM-only server, every aspect of the VPN, from the operating system to the software stack to all user data, is stored using volatile memory (RAM).
RAM requires power to store information, and any time the server is turned off or rebooted, all user data from previous sessions is lost in the process. It’s as if these browsing sessions never happened.
For users, this means that your data can’t fall into the hands of a third party. Users can rest assured that their VPN is handling their data with a level of care that a simple no-log policy could never provide.
Meanwhile, companies can rest assured that their proprietary data and user data are adequately protected. They can operate with a high degree of certainty that all of their server architecture is precisely as it needs to be to guarantee the server’s integrity and security.
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Will More VPNs Continue the Trend?
The growing popularity of RAM-only server deployment for VPN providers is excellent news for users. As we move forward, you can expect the majority of VPN providers to begin moving to a RAM-only configuration.
When virtual private networks first became available, companies were selling the idea that your IP address would be protected from prying eyes. While that’s still part of VPN providers’ core proposition, privacy is an even more significant concern than it was then.
As users became more concerned with data privacy, more VPN providers began adopting no-log policies to differentiate themselves from the competition. While each company is different, most policies explicitly state how user data is managed and how and when it is retained.
Once practically every provider had a no-log policy, VPN providers began touting just how comprehensive their no-log policies were. But the fact is that even when providers aren’t purposefully storing user data on their servers, it doesn’t mean that this data doesn’t exist.
Your IP address, connection information, and more personal information are on the hard drive until it’s wiped clean.
Conclusion
The next step in the evolution of VPN security is the RAM-only server. With providers struggling to catch up to the likes of NordVPN and SurfShark, you can expect more competitors to begin adopting RAM-only servers so they don’t get crushed by the competition.
