What is the difference between IPSEC and GRE?

IPSEC stands for Internet Protocol Security. It is the primary protocol of the internet. IPSEC can only transport unicast packets, and it is unable to transport multicast and broadcast packets. Dynamic Routing Protocol cannot run in IPSEC. IPSEC also guarantees security.

The traffic generated in IPSEC is encrypted GRE stands for Generic Routing Encapsulation. GRE is mainly a tunneling protocol that is used in transporting multicast, broadcast, and IP packets. The dynamic routing protocol can be used in GRE. GRE is not secure. It also allows point to point tunnel. The traffic generated is not encrypted.

IPSEC or Internet Protocol Security authenticates and encrypts data that are sent over an Internet Protocol network as it functions as a secure network protocol suite. GRE or Generic Routing Encapsulation, on the other hand, is used to send IP packets from one network to another without being treated like IP packets while the IPSEC cannot.

In IPSEC, information is transferred from the user to the host just like in the GRE but no one from the connection can look or eavesdrop from the exchange of communication. The use of GRE is faster compared to IPSEC but IPSEC offers a more secure connection, thus, personal information is safer compared to GRE.