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NordVPN has specialty servers that serve different purposes which are explained below.
Standard servers
These are regular VPN servers that offer the best connection speeds and are ideal for everyday use. Whether you're browsing the internet at home, or using untrusted Wi-Fi networks while going out, Standard servers provide you with security and privacy by encrypting your internet traffic and disguising your personal IP address.
The way standard servers work is simple. When you connect to a server, all of your internet traffic becomes encrypted by the NordVPN app using a certain protocol. After the traffic is encrypted, it is sent through your ISP before reaching a NordVPN server. There, the traffic is decrypted and is then sent to its destination, be it a web page, a banking app, etc.
If you're interested in learning more about the way VPNs work, check out our dedicated article.
How to connect to a Standard server? You can do so by selecting a server from the All countries list (1), clicking on a node found on the server map (2) or using the Quick Connect option (3).
Double VPN
A specialized security and privacy solution intended for journalists, political activists, informants, and anyone who wishes to be extra cautious.
The key benefit that separates Double VPN from Standard servers is that your internet traffic is sent through two servers instead of one, encrypting your data and disguising your personal IP address twice.
The additional layer of security comes in handy when travelling through countries with high level of censorship, and/or surveillance.
To start using Double VPN servers, open the Specialty Servers category within the NordVPN app, and click on Double VPN. You will be automatically connected to the fastest available server.
Double VPN is missing from my Specialty Servers list
In this case, please make sure your connection protocol is set to either OpenVPN (TCP) or (UDP).
Why does my connection feel slow using Double VPN?
This happens because transferring internet traffic through a second server requires additional internet resources. For this reason we do not recommend using Double VPN for simple, day-to-day activities. Nevertheless, you may still try troubleshooting the Double VPN connection issues by following some of the steps we have here: Speed and Bandwidth.
Onion over VPN
A feature that combines the benefits of using The Onion Router (Tor) with VPN tunneling. The result — an increased level of privacy, essential to those living or passing through countries with heavy surveillance.
When connected to an Onion over VPN server, your internet traffic goes through one of our servers, passes through the Onion network, and only then reaches the internet.
Usually, you can access the Onion network only with The Onion Router (Tor) browser. With NordVPN, you don’t need to download a special browser. All you need to do is open the NordVPN app, head over to the Specialty Servers category and connect to an Onion over VPN server. Your internet traffic will then be routed through the Onion network — no additional applications required.
Onion over VPN is missing from my Specialty Servers list
If this happens, please reach out to our support for assistance: How can I reach NordVPN customer support?
I can't access the Onion network through the Firefox browser.
Don't worry, we have the solution covered in this article: Firefox does not open .onion websites
Dedicated IP
This category is for our clients who purchased their own dedicated IP addresses.
Dedicated IP servers function like Standard Servers, except that you're the only person who is able to access the IP address. To clarify, when you connect to any other kind of server, your IP address is replaced with the server's IP. The server can be used by many other people, who will be sharing the server's IP address in hiding their personal one. Having people share the IP address may lead to a number of unpleasant inconveniences, solved by owning a dedicated IP address.
For example, some of the benefits of having sole access to an IP address include the possibility to bypass regular VPN blacklists, avoiding CAPTCHA requests and more. Additional details on this feature can be found here.
Dedicated IP is missing from my Specialty Servers list
The Dedicated IP will only become visible when using either the OpenVPN (UDP) or OpenVPN (TCP) connection protocol.
I've purchased a dedicated IP address, how do I set it up?
You can find the instructions for setting up dedicated IP on various operating systems in this article.
Obfuscated servers
Heavy internet restrictions and VPN blocks can be solved by connecting to Obfuscated servers.
These servers manage to bypass VPN-blocking firewalls using a complicated algorithm. To find out more information about the way obfuscated servers work, visit our dedicated article.
I don't see Obfuscated servers in my Specialty Servers list
Please make sure you're using either OpenVPN (UDP) or OpenVPN (TCP) connection protocol.
Tip: Your VPN connection safety depends on your account password too. Don't forget to use a strong password on your account, as it will help you to avoid credential stuffing attacks and will keep your connections safe and uninterrupted.
As generating and remembering strong and secure passwords is not an easy task, we recommend downloading our free password manager — NordPass. It generates secure passwords for you and stores them safely, letting you avoid time-wasting password resets in the future.
