Nowadays you can often find the names “proxy”, “proxy server”, but not everyone knows how to use them, whether it is useful for working on the network or dangerous. Let’s try to figure out what it is.
Simply put, a proxy server is a remote computer, an intermediary server that acts as a link in the chain from a user to resources located on the World Wide Web. The service of such a proxy can be either free or on a paid basis, with wider capabilities and high data transfer rates. For example, the site proxy-seller.com.
These proxy servers have the ability to store, cache and change key computer identification data. Since when working through a proxy, requests do not go directly to the general network, but through an intermediary.
The purposes for which a proxy server is most often used:
- Internet access from a local network.
- Protection of local networks from viruses and fraudsters – in this case, attacks will be directed to the proxy server, and not to the client’s computers.
- Restriction bypass – I apply when access to a specific resource is restricted or strictly filtered. It is also used to bypass penalties if a ban is imposed by IP address (forum, game portal, etc.)
- Privacy – to hide information about who visits sites.
- If you need to bypass the restriction of access to sites, there are sites that you can get to through a proxy of a certain region.
- To speed up Internet connections – since the cached data of various sites is often stored on the proxy. Therefore, when accessing them through a proxy, these sites are loaded much faster.
Different types of proxy servers can be used for different tasks:
- Transparent – they do not replace or conceal information about the client, they openly declare that they are proxy servers, transmit the IP address to the sites upon request. Most often in demand in educational institutions.
- Anonymous are more popular, since although it does not hide that it is a proxy, it does not transmit information about the user to the end sites.
- Distorting – notify that they are proxies, but distort user data, create fake data.
- Private – periodically change their IP addresses, create distorted data, prevent sites from tracking traffic and contacting the client.
What functions does such a server perform?
Using a proxy will allow each user to:
- visit any network resources anonymously;
- to gain access to sites to which the entrance was previously blocked for various reasons;
- be completely protected from viruses entering your computer;
- attackers will never hack mail, accounts;
- save your traffic.
Privacy is one of the main tasks of such a server. The user can absolutely calmly visit any resources on the network and not be afraid that he will be tracked by scammers, of whom there are many now on the network. Attackers learn logins and passwords, hack bank accounts. Using a proxy, you don’t have to be afraid of this. It completely protects all user data.
Each time a new connection to the network is made, such a server assigns a new IP to the user. That is why you can safely visit even those sites to which access was previously prohibited, blocking in this case will be inactive.
You can buy proxies both for free and for money. Such servers differ from each other in different functional capabilities. Experts advise purchasing proxies for a fee, as they will be able to provide their owner with more reliable protection. For example, free servers are completely unsuitable for playing online. Paid proxies are faster and more reliable. It is not uncommon for free services to cease to exist, leaving their users with nothing.
Experts consider a private proxy to be an ideal option for high-quality work. The main difference of such a service is that it has only one owner. However, purchasing such a server is not cheap.
