A proxy is a valuable tool to unblock websites for you. It also has many other benefits, including speeding up web browsing, blocking malware websites and enhancing online privacy.
Since most of us often mix the proxy and VPN, today we will learn what is a proxy, how a proxy works and the common types of proxy servers.
What is a proxy?
A proxy connects you to a remote computer on the Internet which acts as the gateway between you and the Internet.
It aims to make it impossible for the website to find out who made the request. The proxy server you connect will achieve this by masking your IP address with a different one.
How does it work?
Every device connects to the Internet should have an IP address to send requests through the Internet. The website receives your request will identify you by your IP address.
When you connect to a proxy server, your request will be sent to the server first. Then, the proxy server will send your request to the website on your behalf. In this way, the website can only see that the request comes from the proxy server but not your device. When the proxy server retrieves the information you request, it will send it back to you.
Types of proxy servers
Anonymous proxy: It hides your IP address from your desired websites. So you can visit blocked websites by connecting to an anonymous proxy server that is not blocked by them.
Reverse proxy: It collects requests from the clients on behalf of the servers in a private network and forwards requests to them.
Transparent proxy: Widely used by schools and business to filter content, it doesn’t mask your IP address.
However, unlike a virtual private network, a proxy doesn’t encrypt your traffic, which leaves you vulnerable to data interceptions.
