What Is the Outline VPN Protocol?
Censorship-resistantAvailable on SHP
Outline is a Shadowsocks-based proxy for journalists and activists. Learn how it works and how to use it on SHP.
Official websitegetoutline.org/
Community & docsgithub.com/OutlineFoundation/outline-apps
DeveloperBuilt by Jigsaw; stewardship moved to the independent Outline Foundation in January 2026
First releasedFirst released in March 2018
Current statusActively maintained
LicenseOpen source, Apache 2.0
Independent auditCure53 (Jan 2024) and Radically Open Security (Dec 2022)
Why it was createdBuilt to let journalists and activists run their own VPN server in minutes, instead of depending on commercial VPN providers.
How it worksIt runs a Shadowsocks proxy on the server; clients connect with a single access key, with no classic TLS handshake.
Censorship resistanceModerate — avoids simple DPI
Setup time~6 min
SpeedHigh
Works on your devices
Desktop, mobile, TV boxes and routers — where this protocol runs natively vs. needs a workaround.
Desktop & Mobile
WindowsSupported
macOSSupported
iOSSupported
AndroidSupported
LinuxSupported
TV & Streaming
Android TVSupported — Sideload APK
Fire TV StickSupported — Sideload APK
Routers
MikroTikModel-dependent
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WireGuard® is a registered trademark of Jason A. Donenfeld. OpenVPN® is a registered trademark of OpenVPN, Inc. All other product names, operating-system and device-brand logos, and trademarks shown above are the property of their respective owners; their use here is for identification only and does not imply any affiliation or endorsement.