This glossary explains the vocabulary used across Lisar setup guides: profile, client, DNS, entry, exit, and connection status. It gathers the terms onto one page: plain-language definitions for non-technical readers, each bounded the same way the articles are. A definition here tells you what a term means in Lisar's documentation, what it doesn't promise, and where the fuller explanation lives.

One framing note before the terms: several entries describe features that are plan-dependent. GeoDNS, DNS AdBlock and Custom Exit are available according to plan. What applies to any specific profile is shown in the Lisar Panel — the recurring answer to "does this apply to me?"

The setup layer

VPN profile. The bundle of setup information that describes how one particular profile on your account connects. Each person's setup comes from their own profile; different profiles are their own setup information, never assumed interchangeable. (Deeper: VPN Profile File Safety.)

.ovpn file. An OpenVPN configuration file used by a compatible client. It is one profile format, not the format of every VPN setup. It may contain or reference authentication material, so obtain it from the authorized Panel and keep it private. See the .ovpn explainer.

VPN client. The software that establishes a VPN connection on a device. Lisar Connect is the native client for Android, iPhone and iPad. Other current paths use compatible operating-system settings or third-party clients; they are identified in the download and setup hub. A client and the service it connects to are separate parts of the setup.

OpenVPN Connect. A third-party OpenVPN client used in supported platform guides. It imports an authorized .ovpn file and establishes the connection; it does not provide a Lisar subscription. It is one available client path, not the client for every platform.

The DNS layer

DNS. The internet's name-lookup step: before a device reaches a named service, something answers "where does that name live?" Many layers on a device can influence that answer — which is why DNS behavior deserves its own checklist when it's puzzling. (Deeper: VPN DNS Settings Checklist.)

DNS filtering. Declining to complete some name lookups — a domain-level decision made before content loads. It can reduce some unwanted lookups; it cannot see inside pages and doesn't remove everything, and it's tidiness, not protection. (Deeper: DNS Filtering in a VPN.)

DNS AdBlock. Lisar's DNS filtering, where a plan includes it: reducing some unwanted DNS lookups that pass through the profile's DNS path. Plan-dependent; confirmed in the Panel. (Deeper: DNS AdBlock in a VPN.)

GeoDNS / Auto Entry. Lisar uses DNS-based selection to help choose the VPN entry endpoint according to approximate location, configured policy, availability, and network conditions. This entry choice does not select a guaranteed exit country or change device location. See GeoDNS / Auto Entry for the product scope.

The routing layer

Route. The path your traffic takes while the VPN is connected — from your device, through the VPN's network, and onward. Routes have length (which shows up mostly as latency) and endpoints, and the two ends answer different questions.

Entry route. The path from your device to the VPN endpoint it connects to. In Lisar, GeoDNS / Auto Entry can help select this entry endpoint; the entry is distinct from where traffic exits toward its destination.

Exit route. Where traffic leaves the VPN's network toward the wider internet — the far end, and the end services encounter. Exit behavior is what routing conversations are usually actually about. (Deeper: VPN Location Choice.)

Custom Exit. Lisar's plan-level exit behavior, where a plan is eligible: defined once, arranged with Lisar, typically after a review — a deliberate plan property rather than a per-session control, and never a promise about what any service decides. (Deeper: Custom Exit in a VPN.)

The status layer

Profile status. What's true about a profile at the account layer — shown in the Lisar Panel, which is the source of truth. Statuses can change as part of a profile's lifecycle; the Panel shows what's current. (Deeper: VPN Profile Renewal and Status Changes.)

Connection status. What one device's client reports right now — connected, disconnected, or in error. A moment-and-machine fact that says nothing by itself about profile status, other devices, or other networks. (Deeper: VPN Status vs Connection Status.)

How to use this page

Read a definition here for orientation, then follow its pointer when a term is doing real work in a decision. And carry the boundary that every entry above shares: these terms describe your setup's behavior — none of them describes, or decides, what networks you don't control or services with their own rules will do. Check the current setup guide and Panel whenever a definition affects a device or profile decision.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between a VPN profile and the .ovpn file? A VPN profile is a set of connection settings. An .ovpn file is one format used for OpenVPN settings; other clients and protocols can store or receive profiles differently. Treat exported profile material as sensitive.

Is OpenVPN Connect part of Lisar? No — it's standard client software from its own maker, used on Lisar's supported OpenVPN path. Lisar provides the profile it runs and the service layer behind it: your account, the Panel, and your plan.

What's the difference between GeoDNS and Custom Exit? Different layers. GeoDNS relates to how DNS lookup answers are made, where available — a design goal, not a promise. Custom Exit relates to where the plan's traffic exits, where eligible — defined at the plan level and arranged with Lisar. Neither decides what services do.

Why does the glossary keep saying 'where available' and 'according to plan'? Because feature availability is a plan fact, not a default: GeoDNS, DNS AdBlock and Custom Exit are available according to plan, and what applies to your specific profile is shown in the Lisar Panel.

A term I've seen isn't defined here — where should I look? The articles hub collects the full series by topic, and each glossary entry's pointer leads to the deeper article. For anything profile-specific, the Panel and official Lisar support remain the source of truth.

Related guidance: What Is an OVPN File? How to Open and Use It and What Is a VPN Profile? Not the Same as a VPN Account.