What Is A Proxy Server And How To Choose The Best One
A proxy server can confuse you if you don’t have all the correct information. But more so, understanding the basics is easy and essential to your network. In addition, a proxy server can provide anonymity and the confidentiality of your data, especially when visiting a site blocked by your country.
But, more importantly, this is just a part of an extensive list of benefits that a proxy can give you. Of course, when it comes to protecting your online privacy, you want only the best.
What Is A Proxy Server
A proxy server is an intermediary computer between a user and a resource on the Internet. For example, if you need to open a web page, the proxy can make the appropriate request to the necessary site, take data from there, check it and send it to the browser.
For example, if you need a high-quality and secure geo proxy extension at a bargain price, visit soax.com for more information. They, in turn, will acquaint you with the information about what a proxy is for and how to choose it correctly. This information will be helpful for those who want to protect themselves online and keep their anonymity.
However, the term “proxy” itself means “deputy” or “confidant.” The scheme of its work is very similar to how confidants receive money or make transactions for other people. Only a proxy server can communicate with sites, applications and services on its behalf without revealing who the end user is.
What A Proxy Does And Its Uses
Of course, we all want to protect ourselves online and ensure we have the best security and privacy.
The popularity of a proxy stems from the fact that it can satisfy the following user’s needs:
- privacy;
- access to prohibited resources;
- filtration and control;
- economy and acceleration;
- testing;
- SEO promotion;
- security
Privacy
A proxy interacts with Internet resources, so they have no information about who is requesting the data. At the very least, this allows you to protect yourself from targeted advertising based on the viewed products.
Access To Prohibited Resources
Just because individuals ban something on the Internet does not mean it is dangerous or harmful. Recently, some countries have tended to block entire websites for state propaganda. However, a proxy can help the user bypass this blocking and help you decide which sites you want to visit. And this, by the way, is one of the main reasons why most Internet users need a proxy.
Filtration And Control
A proxy is suitable not only for removing restrictions but also for blocking specific resources. For example, they use them in a corporate network to deny access to social media and file storage. Another option is not to restrict access to resources but to monitor who visits them and how much time they spend there. That is, a proxy server can help the average user and the owner of a corporate network for their work purposes.
Economy And Acceleration
If a user regularly visits the same site, the proxy may serve already saved content instead of downloading it again each time. This option is called caching. In addition, some proxies can have a compression function that reduces the amount of downloaded data: pictures and videos.
Testing
Proxy servers allow you to send requests from different regions and devices. Due to this feature, you can evaluate how the site’s loading speed and the content display change.
SEO Promotion
To work seriously with SEO, SMM, and analytics, you must make many requests to search engines and deal with several social media accounts. For this, resources can restrict access and even ban you. Using a proxy will make it much easier to avoid this.
Security
An intermediary computer that spoofs the IP address and redirects traffic can provide additional protection against hacker attacks and viruses. However, there are no guarantees that the owner of the proxy server will treat user data conscientiously, especially if it is free and public. Therefore, when choosing a proxy server, you should only contact reliable providers.
How To Choose A Proxy Server Correctly
Choosing the right proxy server is based on the following steps:
- Consider the task.
- Study geo.
- Pay attention to guarantees and support.
- Find out the supplier’s reputation.
- Compare prices.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these steps.
Step №1: Consider The Task
To access a banned site, you can use a regular browser extension. However, if, for example, you need to promote several accounts on Instagram seriously, then you will need a whole pool of proxy servers.
Step №2: Study Geo
The further away the server is from the end user’s location, the slower the performance will be. Therefore, choosing IP addresses in your own or a neighboring country is better. Also, study what restrictions this country has on visiting resources because if your goal is to visit a particular site, it makes no sense to choose a country where they ban it.
Step №3: Pay Attention To Guarantees And Support
It is convenient if the service allows you to test the proxy and replace it if something is wrong. And also help with the selection and configuration, and tell you how to use it. So when choosing a service, please pay attention to its features.
Step №4: Find Out The Supplier’s Reputation
Explore the supplier’s reviews and ratings. It is worth considering the opinions and experiences of other users, not just the words of the proxy owners themselves. After all, those who have already dealt with any product can objectively tell about it.
Step №5: Compare Prices
Free is not always good. And expensive is not always better, either. So, it’s a good idea to compare the price with what the supplier offers you to find the best option. Also, consider additional features: blocking potentially malicious scripts, filtering ad banners, encryption, etc.
Are There Analogs?
Furthermore, you can achieve the same purposes that a proxy accomplishes using a VPN. These technologies are similar, but VPN works at a deeper level – it encrypts all data transmitted from the user to the server. That is, it gives greater anonymity and security.
However, because of the extra security, VPNs can be slower and more expensive than proxies. And there is still no 100% certainty that they will not share customer data with advertisers or other unwanted parties, primarily if you use a free VPN service. Therefore, sometimes, using a proxy server will be much more appropriate.
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