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Network

The network that carries every connection.

Direct UDP with NAT hole-punching when the path allows it, and a ForestVPN-operated relay plane that carries traffic over TLS when it doesn't. MagicDNS names your mesh; exit nodes route where you choose.

How the network works

Relays, names, and exits.

The relay plane (DERP)

ForestVPN-operated

The engine prefers a direct UDP path and hole-punches through NAT to get one. When the network blocks UDP, the relay plane carries traffic over TLS — the same wire shape as any secure website — with QUIC-DERP as an alternative. A Routing Mode switch puts the choice in your hands.

  • Direct UDP with NAT hole-punching
  • DERP relays with TLS fallback when UDP is blocked
  • QUIC-DERP transport
  • Routing Mode: Automatic · Direct-preferred · Relay-only

Read about the relay plane

MagicDNS

mesh.fvpn.net

Automatic DNS for your mesh. Every device gets a name under mesh.fvpn.net; split-DNS and custom records route the queries you choose. Rename a device live, without restarting the tunnel, and names stay leak-free under an exit node.

  • Automatic mesh names under mesh.fvpn.net
  • Split-DNS and custom records
  • Live rename without a tunnel restart
  • No DNS leak under exit nodes

Read about MagicDNS

Exit nodes

route where you choose

Send a device's traffic out through another node on your mesh. Route through your own hardware, or through a shared node, and keep DNS resolving through the exit so nothing leaks around it.

  • Route traffic through a chosen node
  • Own-device exits
  • Shared exit nodes
  • Leak-free DNS through the exit

Read about exit nodes

One network under every SDK.

The relay plane, MagicDNS and exit nodes are the same network your Apple, Android and C-ABI SDKs connect over. Explore it in the docs.