What Is a Proxy, and How Does It Work?
What Are the Uses of Proxies?
Types of Proxies
- Anonymous Proxies
- Residential Proxies
- SOCKS Proxies
- Reverse Proxies
- Private Proxies
- Shared Proxies
- Datacenter Proxies
How to Choose Proxies?
Wrapping Up
Proxies. You might have heard this term a lot on the internet. Ever wondered what that is? About 60% of the global population is actively using the internet. The internet has allowed us access to information and services for our convenience.
But when you need to access content that is geo-blocked for various purposes, everyone would suggest you use residential proxies.Â
To get a better understanding of what proxies are, below is everything you need to know about this powerful service.Â
Table of Contents
What Is a Proxy and How Does It Work?
A proxy is an application in a proxy server. It acts as a middleman between your system and the internet. Usually, when you request data, the internet feeds you directly. But while using a proxy, it acts on your behalf to request data on the internet and feed it to you.
Proxy works like a postman which requests and feeds data both to the network and your device. A proxy is usually present at the midpoint of the network. It can either be on the system or near your device locally.
It acts as a gateway between your device and the internet. Its location is based on the user’s convenience and the system’s compatibility.
What Are the Uses of Proxies?
Proxies are used to divert traffic through a different IP address. Proxies, because of their flexibility, offer multiple functions like:
- Debugging
- Maintain logs of sites visited
- Security from cyberattacks
- Monitor and Intercept relevant traffic
- Speeds up the web access by caching
Besides these functions, proxies help you access geo-blocked content by masking your IP address. For example, residential proxies from Blazing SEO enable us to choose a specific location and surf the web as you are using from that location.
They route your traffic through a specific server. Thus, if you set your proxy to the UK, you can browse the web as if you are in the UK.
Types of Proxies
There are many types of proxies used for specific purposes. Some of them are,
1. Anonymous Proxies
The work of anonymous proxies goes by their name. They function the same as any other proxy but anonymize your online presence. They deal on your behalf with the internet. The end server has only the details about the IP addresses from these proxies, not your real address. Thus, they enable you to browse the web, hidden from the site.
2. Residential Proxies
Residential proxies interact with the internet by changing your geolocation. These are usually used if your physical location is limiting you to access information. This type of proxy provides a gateway to access location-restricted content.
They work the same as mobile proxies. Real machines generated these proxies and they have dedicated IP addresses. Internet Service Providers (ISP) provide these IP addresses. They mask your IP and location, route your request through trustful devices to the desired location.
While using residential proxies, you may either stay in the masked IP address or rotate them as you wish for better configuration. Thus, you can access the internet easily as a resident of that different location. Ethically sourced proxies like residential proxies from Blazing SEO can make your connection streamlined and help access restricted websites naturally.
3. SOCKS Proxies
SOCKS is a series of proxies with different specializations. SOCKS proxies initially set up a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) or User Data Protocol (UDP) connections using the proxy server.
By this, it yields arbitrary IP addresses and smoothly performs the functions of a proxy. SOCKS has various versions, with better security features in each update. For example, SOCKS5 has three levels of authentication.
While general proxies work on HTTP protocols, SOCKS proxies work on many protocols including HTTP. Thus, with its low-level specificity, it has wide utilities.
4. Reverse Proxies
When a user deploys a proxy to send requests to other servers on the internet, it is called a forward proxy. Just think the opposite, considering the server on the internet as a user. When those servers use a proxy, it is called a reverse proxy. Reverse proxies are used for the same purposes as forwarding proxies for protection from attacks and web acceleration. They are also used for web load balancing of incoming traffic, caching, and web anonymity.
5. Private Proxies
Private proxies are dedicated proxies as they are dedicated to one person for their personal use. It has an exclusive IP address allotted to one single user. In such cases, you need not be worried about activities like online privacy or IP blocking. The user purchases a private proxy, which is usually expensive, and will have full control over it throughout its expiry.
6. Shared Proxies
Opposite to how private proxies work, shared proxies are shared by a group of a few people. It also has an exclusive IP address but is dedicated to a group. As they are used by more than one person, security challenges are high. It may lead to IP blocking. The group shares the cost on a defined basis, so these proxies are cheaper than private proxies. But no single user can have absolute control over it.
7. Datacenter Proxies
Opposite to how residential proxies work, the IP address of datacenter proxies is virtual as by virtual machines of the host. These proxies are provided by big corporations, not by Internet Service Providers. Businesses host these proxies to perform huge tasks with high-density traffic. They optimize the sites and ensure there is no web deceleration.
How to Choose Proxies?
Many types of proxies are available in the market, complicating your decision-making while choosing a proxy.Â
Here are some of the tips to choose a proxy for your purpose:
- Know what you need a proxy for. If you need the proxy to read journals for your science project, you need a private proxy; not datacenter proxies.
- Consider an apt proxy for your bandwidth.
- Amount of money you can afford.
- The seller and their reliability.
- Check the source of proxies. Unethically sourced proxies get banned frequently.
Wrapping Up
We have seen the uses and types of proxies and how to choose the type appropriate for you. Due to their multiple utilities, proxies have become one of the must-haves on everyone’s device. Apart from a few concerns like being inhibited from usage in some locations, these easy tools are handy.
Proxies are available for free and by subscription. We recommend you consider the free proxies the least, for their adware issues.
