Fifty articles into this series, a vocabulary has settled in — profile, client, exit, status — used carefully and, we hope, consistently. This glossary gathers it 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. The profile in file form — downloaded fresh from your own profile in the Lisar Panel, one per device, and treated as sensitive setup material: never shared, forwarded, or stored in shared places. (Deeper: OpenVPN .ovpn File Setup.)
VPN client. The standard software on your device that runs the connection a profile describes. The client is its maker's product, not part of Lisar — Lisar provides the profile it runs and the service layer behind it. (Deeper: VPN Client, Profile, and Service.)
OpenVPN Connect. The client used on Lisar's supported OpenVPN path. The supported setup flow, in full: download the .ovpn file, open OpenVPN Connect, choose Upload File, import and save the profile, and connect.
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. DNS-level behavior, where available, relating to how lookup answers are made — with a design goal of sensible routing based on approximate location, configured policy, operational availability, and network path. A design goal, not a promise; and DNS answers are a separate layer from where traffic exits. (Deeper: GeoDNS in a VPN.)
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 general VPN term for where a connection enters a VPN's network from your device — the near end of the path. In this series it appears only as a concept for completeness; day-to-day setup questions are almost never about it.
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. That's been the honest line for fifty articles, and it holds for the vocabulary too.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a VPN profile and the .ovpn file? The profile is the setup information itself, living in your Lisar Panel; the .ovpn file is that profile in downloadable form — fetched fresh per device, imported through the supported flow, and treated as sensitive setup material.
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.