VyOS + Defguard = ownership and control of your VPN / Remote Access stack

Defguard is an official VyOS technology partner, and VyOS is an officially supported platform for running Defguard gateways. But the partnership goes deeper than just technology.

Common values — ownership, control, sovereignty

In a world where network vendors dictate the terms, VyOS stands out by putting ownership and control back into your hands — open source and transparent by nature.

Those are exactly the values Defguard shares and embodies: open code, transparent development (public SBOMs, pen test reports, backlogs), and on-premise architecture built on secure-by-design principles that anyone can verify.

Shared values matter. Choosing VyOS + Defguard means building your networking infrastructure on solid foundations that support greater infrastructure sovereignty and control.

Complementary technologies

On a technical level, VyOS and Defguard address distinct but complementary areas of the networking stack. VyOS provides native WireGuard® support as part of its broader networking capabilities, while Defguard focuses on identity-aware remote access management using the WireGuard® VPN protocol.

This clear separation of responsibilities makes the two technologies complementary and makes running the Defguard Gateway on VyOS a natural architectural fit. VyOS provides a powerful networking foundation for routing, security, VPN connectivity, high availability, and network operations, while Defguard brings identity and access management capabilities to remote access.

With VyOS, your network is truly yours: adaptable, transparent, and free from unnecessary restrictions or costly licensing models. It covers routing (BGP, OSPF, static), firewalling, NAT, VPN termination (IPsec, OpenVPN, WireGuard®, DMVPN, L2TP), DHCP, DNS forwarding, QoS, and high availability via VRRP. Together, these capabilities make VyOS a comprehensive networking platform for building and operating modern network infrastructure across a wide range of environments.

Defguard is a remote access management solution that leverages the security, performance, and open nature of the WireGuard® VPN protocol, adding identity/SSO-based access, MFA at the VPN connection level, device posture policies, high availability, and more. These capabilities extend WireGuard® into an identity-aware remote access solution designed for modern security and operational requirements.

A sovereign networking stack

The VyOS–Defguard combination makes perfect sense for companies and organizations that want to own a sovereign networking stack that meets modern security standards and regulatory requirements — remote access protected by the WireGuard® VPN protocol with MFA/2FA at the VPN connection level, identity-based network segmentation, and predictable network operations and rollouts supported by VyOS.

Want to run Defguard Gateway on VyOS? Follow the official deployment guide.