Step-by-step guide to building an IKEv2 VPN server with strongSwan on CentOS 7, including certificate setup, firewall rules, and client configuration for iOS, macOS, Windows, and Android.
Six VPN protocols (ShadowSocks, V2Ray, SoftEther, WireGuard, OpenConnect, IKEv2) compared from someone who actually ran them inside China. As of 2026, most are detected by GFW machine-learning, including ShadowSocks and IPSec-based protocols. What still connects: VLESS+REALITY, Hysteria2, and WireGuard with obfuscation (udp2raw or wstunnel). Includes VPS region notes (avoid Tokyo, pick Singapore/Hong Kong).
