To know how to use a proxy correctly, you first need to understand what a proxy is? Proxies are programs that act as an intermediary between a client (a user’s computer) and a service (a website, program, or application on the Internet). In simpler terms, the computer does not connect to the site directly, but through another computer (server), which has its own IP address. What it is for and how to use it correctly – we will tell you in this article, and you can connect to a proxy, for example, on the website proxy-seller.com. An IP address lookup is a process used to identify and retrieve information about a specific IP address, such as its geographic location, internet service provider, and other relevant details.
What is a proxy server?
A proxy server is an additional link between you and the Internet. A kind of intermediary that separates the person from the visited site. Creates the conditions under which the site thinks that the proxy is a real person, not you.
All due to the fact that the proxy spoofs the IP address, and the traffic goes through an additional server, on which cached data can be or additional data protection mechanisms can be organized.
A little more about the IP address
Since proxy servers are responsible for changing IP, it is worth explaining a little what it does and why changing the IP address solves the above problems with access to sites and services.
The IP address tells sites and web applications where you are. Which compromises privacy and security.
It is also used to block access to content. Often based on physical location.
Therefore, people use proxies and hide behind unauthorized addresses to avoid blocking and not so much light on the Internet. But again, there are exceptions when the proxy server openly shares user data with the site and is used only to speed up the transfer of requests.
Why do you need a proxy
- Anonymity. Using a proxy server ensures anonymity on the Internet. At the moment, this proxy function is one of the most popular, as more and more corporations are drawn into scandals that involve tracking users. The closest example is Facebook, which leaked data about its users to many companies. The proxy server replaces the user’s IP address with its own, thereby excluding the appearance of targeted contextual advertising and personal offers related to search queries and activity on the Internet. Note that not all types of proxy servers provide complete anonymity.
- Gaining access to the server where the IP was banned. When connecting to the Internet, the provider gives the user a IP address. The provider has a limited number of IP addresses, and therefore it may happen that you will be given the address of some cheater who was banned from the game server by IP. The same goes for forums and other resources on the Internet. And if the provider issues a fixed IP, then you will hardly be able to bypass the ban, except with the help of a proxy or VPN.
- Protection against some types of network attacks. IP hacking methods will not work, since the attacker sees the IP of the proxy server, not the user.
- Compression of data. Some proxy servers, for example the Opera Turbo function well known to Russian-speaking users in the Opera browser, compressed packet data and saved traffic.
Also a proxy is a useful tool for web developers and SEO professionals. A proxy allows caching data, makes it possible to restrict access from a local network to an external one (for example, prohibiting access to certain resources, which is often practiced in different companies), and also helps to check if a resource is available from different countries of the world.
Note that the proxy server should only be used for legal purposes.
Which proxy to choose
We will not go into technical details and will analyze three types of anonymity proxies. The first one is a public proxy. You don’t always have to pay for a proxy, and sometimes you can get a fairly high-quality IP address with high anonymity. All of them will be working and . Public or just proxies consist of open standard proxy ports and once private proxies, made publicly available. Of the advantages – and the ability to choose between a variety of proxies. The disadvantages are low stability and performance compared to limited access proxies or private proxies. The ping times when using proxies are high enough that they are not suitable for online games. In fact, this is a one-time option for someone who uses a proxy occasionally and does not want to pay for it.
A more anonymous option is shared proxies with limited access. If public proxies can be used by as many people as they want, which reduces their stability and speed of work, then only those who have paid access to it can connect to a proxy with limited access. Connection to such a proxy server is carried out using login and password authorization or is limited to binding to a specific IP address. Among the advantages, we note the high stability and speed of work due to fewer connections, as well as tracking the proxy service that provided this proxy, for the legality of actions (excluding the use of a proxy for illegal actions). In addition, restricted proxies have virtually unlimited expiration times, unlike public proxies, which can stop working at any time. Among the disadvantages – a rather high cost, which depends on the number of proxies in the list, limitation of some functions (for example, sending mail to prevent the use of a proxy server for spam), as well as the inability to select a specific IP address and the possibility of a sudden change of IP address when using Backconnect proxy services. Ideal for everyday use.
And the best option is private proxies. Only one person can use this proxy. Connection to a private proxy is carried out using authorization by IP or by login and password. Among the advantages, we note the highest stability and speed of work, as well as the allocation of a private IP address. Among the disadvantages are a rather high cost, a small selection of IP addresses, as well as possible functional limitations similar to proxies with limited access. In addition, the previous owner of this IP address could conduct malicious activity, which is why the proxy falls into the DNSBL or RBL spam list. In this case, messages sent from this IP address will be considered spam by default. Corrected by issuing a new IP address by a proxy service. If we exclude this drawback, then a private proxy is the best option for a gamer and someone who uses a proxy on a daily basis.
We also mention that all these proxies are divided into HTTP, HTTPS and SOCKS proxies. HTTP proxies are only used to browse the web and download files from web services and are not suitable for browsing sites that only use SSL. HTTPS proxies work well with almost any network application. SOCKS proxies provide a higher level of anonymity by allowing multiple SOCKS proxies to be used in a chain.