vpn_connection_detector

VPN Connection Detector

The most accurate VPN detection package for Flutter — with native iOS & Android implementations that detect both system-configured VPNs and third-party VPN apps like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, ProtonVPN, and more.

Why This Package?

Most VPN detection solutions only check for system-configured VPNs, missing the majority of users who use third-party VPN apps. This package uses platform-native APIs to detect VPNs with ~95% accuracy:

• 🔍 Detects third-party VPN apps (NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, ProtonVPN, etc.)
• 🔍 Detects system-configured VPNs (IKEv2, IPSec, WireGuard profiles)
• 🔍 Detects corporate VPNs (Cisco AnyConnect, OpenVPN, etc.)
• ⚡ Real-time monitoring with stream-based updates
• 🎯 No false positives from system network interfaces

Features

• ✅ Native iOS detection using CFNetworkCopySystemProxySettings and NWPathMonitor
• ✅ Native Android detection using NetworkCapabilities.TRANSPORT_VPN
• ✅ Dart fallback for desktop platforms (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• ✅ Real-time streaming of VPN connection status changes
• ✅ One-time checks via static method
• ✅ Detailed VPN info including interface name and protocol
• ✅ Singleton pattern for efficient resource management
• ✅ App Store safe — no private APIs or restricted entitlements required

Platform Support

Platform	Native	Accuracy	Notes
iOS	✅	~95%	Uses CFNetworkCopySystemProxySettings & NWPathMonitor
Android	✅	~95%	Uses NetworkCapabilities API
macOS	❌	~70-80%	Dart fallback (interface name matching)
Windows	❌	~70-80%	Dart fallback
Linux	❌	~70-80%	Dart fallback

Getting Started

Installation

Add vpn_connection_detector to your pubspec.yaml:

dependencies:
  vpn_connection_detector: ^2.0.1

Android Setup

Add the following permission to your AndroidManifest.xml:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE" />

iOS Setup

No additional setup required. The plugin uses system frameworks that are available by default.

Usage

Import the package

import 'package:vpn_connection_detector/vpn_connection_detector.dart';

One-time VPN Check

// Check if VPN is currently active
bool isVpnConnected = await VpnConnectionDetector.isVpnActive();

if (isVpnConnected) {
  print('VPN is connected');
} else {
  print('VPN is not connected');
}

Real-time VPN Status Stream

final vpnDetector = VpnConnectionDetector();

// Listen to VPN status changes
vpnDetector.vpnConnectionStream.listen((state) {
  switch (state) {
    case VpnConnectionState.connected:
      print('VPN connected');
      break;
    case VpnConnectionState.disconnected:
      print('VPN disconnected');
      break;
  }
});

// Don't forget to dispose when done
vpnDetector.dispose();

Get Detailed VPN Information

final info = await VpnConnectionDetector.getVpnInfo();

if (info != null && info.isConnected) {
  print('VPN Connected');
  print('Interface: ${info.interfaceName}');  // e.g., 'utun3', 'tun0'
  print('Protocol: ${info.vpnProtocol}');     // e.g., 'WireGuard', 'IKEv2'
}

Access Current Cached State

final vpnDetector = VpnConnectionDetector();

// Get the last known state (may be null if not yet determined)
final currentState = vpnDetector.currentState;
print('Current state: ${currentState?.name ?? "unknown"}');

API Reference

VpnConnectionDetector

Method/Property	Type	Description
isVpnActive()	static Future<bool>	One-time check if VPN is active
getVpnInfo()	static Future<VpnInfo?>	Get detailed VPN information
vpnConnectionStream	Stream<VpnConnectionState>	Real-time status stream
currentState	VpnConnectionState?	Last known VPN state
dispose()	void	Clean up resources

VpnConnectionState

enum VpnConnectionState {
  connected,    // VPN is currently connected
  disconnected, // VPN is currently disconnected
}

VpnInfo

class VpnInfo {
  final bool isConnected;       // Whether VPN is connected
  final String? interfaceName;  // Network interface name (e.g., 'utun3')
  final String? vpnProtocol;    // Detected VPN protocol (e.g., 'WireGuard')
}

Example

See the example directory for a complete sample app.

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:vpn_connection_detector/vpn_connection_detector.dart';

class VpnStatusWidget extends StatelessWidget {
  final _vpnDetector = VpnConnectionDetector();

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return StreamBuilder<VpnConnectionState>(
      stream: _vpnDetector.vpnConnectionStream,
      builder: (context, snapshot) {
        final isConnected = snapshot.data == VpnConnectionState.connected;
        
        return Icon(
          isConnected ? Icons.vpn_lock : Icons.vpn_lock_outlined,
          color: isConnected ? Colors.green : Colors.grey,
        );
      },
    );
  }
}

Migration from v1.x

Version 2.0 introduces native platform support with a cleaner API:

// v1.x (still works)
final isActive = await VpnConnectionDetector.isVpnActive();
final detector = VpnConnectionDetector();
detector.vpnConnectionStream.listen((state) { ... });

// v2.0 (new features)
final info = await VpnConnectionDetector.getVpnInfo();
print('Protocol: ${info?.vpnProtocol}');

Breaking changes:

• Minimum iOS version: 12.0
• Minimum Android SDK: 21
• Removed web platform support (not possible to detect VPN in browsers)

How It Works

iOS

1. VPN detection: Uses CFNetworkCopySystemProxySettings to inspect the __SCOPED__ dictionary, which only contains active VPN network interfaces — this reliably detects both system-configured VPNs and third-party apps like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, ProtonVPN, Surfshark, etc.
2. Real-time monitoring: Uses NWPathMonitor to detect network changes and re-evaluate VPN status
3. App Store safe: Does not use NEVPNManager or any APIs that require the Network Extension entitlement

Android

Uses ConnectivityManager with NetworkCapabilities.TRANSPORT_VPN for accurate VPN detection on API 23+. This detects all VPN connections regardless of the VPN app used.

Desktop (Fallback)

Inspects network interface names for common VPN patterns (tun, tap, ppp, wireguard, etc.).

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues, feature requests, or pull requests.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.