OPNsense Forum

English Forums => Virtual private networks => Topic started by: marsk on September 23, 2026, 05:38:19 PM

Title: Validating the WireGuard VPN Communication Flow in OPNsense
Post by: marsk on September 23, 2026, 05:38:19 PM

Hi,

To better understand what I was actually configuring in the OPNsense web UI, I created a logical diagram to help me.
The diagram (Attached file) shows how traffic flows through OPNsense when using a WireGuard VPN.

However, I need help verifying that the diagram is correct. Could you please verify it for me?

//marsk
Title: Re: Validating the WireGuard VPN Communication Flow in OPNsense
Post by: meyergru on September 23, 2026, 06:01:06 PM
I think the main problem with the diagram is that it mixes different abstraction layers and then shows them as if they were consecutive hops in the packet path.

For example:


Very simplified, outbound traffic would look more like:

Client
-> VLAN
-> OPNsense VLAN interface
-> firewall / routing decision
-> WireGuard interface
-> WireGuard processing / peer selection / encryption
-> WAN interface
-> ISP / Internet
-> remote WireGuard peer

And incoming traffic:

remote WireGuard peer
-> Internet / ISP
-> WAN
-> firewall (encrypted UDP packet)
-> WireGuard processing / decryption
-> WireGuard interface
-> firewall / routing (inner IP packet)
-> VLAN interface
-> Client

So I would probably either draw a packet-flow diagram, or a configuration-object diagram showing the relationships between VLANs, interfaces, WireGuard instances and peers.

Mixing both concepts into one left-to-right chain is what makes the current diagram somewhat misleading.