Cloudflare adds vpn function Warp to dns service 1.1.1.1

Cloudflare has expanded its mobile dns app 1.1.1.1 with the vpn service Warp. The service encrypts all of a user’s mobile connections without compromising speed. The feature is free to use.

According to Cloudflare, Warp is intended as a VPN for people who do not know what VPN stands for. The company claims that most VPN services are lousy because users are faced with a slower internet connection. Warp wouldn’t be bothered by this. Cloudflare uses the lightweight open source application WireGuard, which secures connections via UDP and does not take too much of a strain on battery life.

Warp could provide relatively fast mobile connections thanks to CloudFlare’s global network of servers with direct peering and applying caching and compression. The software directs API requests from mobile applications to the nearest CloudFlare data center and also optimizes the subsequent connection to the source server running the API.

CloudFlare acquired the technology for Warp when it acquired Neumob in 2017. The company is integrating the feature into its mobile DNS app 1.1.1.1. This allows users to run DNS requests via CloudFlares servers and thus bypass DNS blocks, for example. In addition, CloudFlare promises not to write IP addresses, to delete all logs within a day and not to sell data to third parties.

Warp is free to use, and CloudFlare hopes to monetize a paid Warp+ offering that would be “even faster.” Warp+ uses Argo Smart Routing, among other things, that can detect network congestion. The company has not yet announced pricing for Warp+. Users of the 1.1.1.1 app can sign up for Warp, after which they will be placed on a waiting list. CloudFlare is gradually expanding the number of users of the VPN service.