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ExpressVPNtakes an unconventional approach to the competition.
It doesn’t have a go at outdo the others with the flashiest most jam-packed apps.
Instead, ExpressVPN usually tries to push the bar with cutting-edge developments in VPN security.
It’s the default.
Interested in the differences between shared and static IP addresses?
Head on over to our detailed guide todedicated IPs.
It’s a double-edged sword.
Dedicated IPs are invaluable in certain use cases.
Many enterprise systems support IP whitelisting as part of their multi-factor authentication like VPN access to internal networks.
Using a shared IP makes you more likely to encounter CAPTCHA challenges and anti-bot checks, however.
Dedicated IPs solve this issue by ensuring only one user is associated with the IP.
This also makes it easier to access sites that use IPs to ban frequent troublemakers (like Wikipedia).
What makes ExpressVPN different?
ExpressVPNs dedicated IP system is an innovative blend of authentication systems, cryptographic attestation, and public trust infrastructure.
It allows you to purchase a dedicated IP anonymously while also managing multiple dedicated IPs across devices, effortlessly.
It confirms that you have an active subscription but not the IP associated with it.
This isnt ideal, so ExpressVPN built its backend according to a strict model to solve the problem.
The cornerstone
This is whereAmazons AWS Nitro Enclaves come into play.
These servers are the lynchpin that holds the entire model together.
Nitro Enclaves are virtual machines designed to run in a completely isolated environment.
Its impossible to peek inside, making them great for the use case were looking at.
All ExpressVPN has to do is publish the open source for these servers, and ta-da!
You now have a trusted rig that can prove eligibility privately and securely.
The recipient can then sign the token to say theyve received it, and its valid in the future.
What’s next?
Is this engineering overkill?
It depends on your perspective.
As Ive said before, other providers such asPrivate Internet Accessalready implement a rudimentary token-based dedicated IP system.
However, where ExpressVPN is truly innovating is in marrying high-tech privacy guarantees with a simplified user experience.
Lost your authentication token?
Youre out of luck.
There are some outstanding issues with the implementation, of course.
After all, it’s not our top-ratedsecure VPNfor nothing.
