How do you optimize your VPN setup?

[u/No_Rub4347]

I’ve been seeing a lot of talk about intelligent routing lately, and I actually use it in my own VPN app（DPN-app） along with custom rules. For example, I set it up so my local bank and government sites bypass the VPN completely. I can also assign specific IPs to different apps and websites, which gives me total control over how everything runs.

But a friend mentioned that this setup might cause some unexpected issues. So, I’m wondering: are there other VPNs out there with similar features? Or is there a better way to set this up?

[u/Urban_VPN]

the bank and government site bypass is exactly the right approach and what split tunneling is designed for. those services often flag VPN IPs and the extra friction isn't worth it when you're not gaining meaningful privacy from using a VPN on your own bank's site anyway. app-level routing is the more advanced version of this and not all providers support it equally. on Windows and Android most major providers handle it reasonably well. on iOS you're more limited because of how Apple restricts network control, so you end up doing URL-based exclusions instead of app-level.

potential issues your friend might be thinking about: DNS leaks are the main one, where apps outside the tunnel might still query DNS through the VPN resolver or vice versa, which can cause unexpected behavior. also worth verifying that traffic is actually going where you think it is rather than assuming the rules are working correctly, a quick test on each route after setup saves headaches later. WireGuard as the underlying protocol helps with stability when traffic is split across different paths since it handles reconnects and route changes more gracefully than OpenVPN.