VPN vs. Tor: what is VPN and what is Tor, how does the technology work and which one to choose?

The first Tor release was published in 2002, immediately as open-source software, although the technology had been under development as far back as 1995 and is connected with the U.S. Navy and DARPA. VPNs appeared much later, but the technology continues to gain popularity today, especially when it comes to bypassing blocks.