Have you ever tried visiting a website or viewing a video on social media only to learn that it’s not available in your country or region? That’s a common occurrence. Some people decide just to abandon the pursuit and visit available sites. Others can ignore the need to get it. 

A proxy server is a tool that gets you in. However, a proxy server is more than a tool to provide access where it shouldn’t be. It has other useful functions. So, read on to learn what a proxy server is, how it works, and how to choose the right proxy type for your needs.

What Is a Proxy Server?

A proxy server is a web tool that reroutes traffic originating from a device through a server in another location. In simpler terms, the proxy intercepts a user’s outgoing traffic and sends it to another server in another location. The other server then completes the connection by sending the user’s traffic to the website the user wishes to visit. When the website attempts to send a response back to the user, the proxy server mediates the backward connection as well.

The consequence of this loop is that the website sees the traffic as originating from the proxy server location rather than from the user. In effect, the user is hidden. The advantage of this is that users can access content from anywhere around the world. In literal terms, the proxy server is like a middleman or intermediary that delivers your requests and brings you responses but doesn’t reveal your identity to the other party.

How Does a Proxy Server Work?

Proxies make possible activities that would otherwise be impossible on the internet, but how do they do it? Here’s a step-by-step process showing how it works.

1. The user’s device sends a request to the website. The request is intended for the website the user wishes to visit or perform an action on. 
2. The proxy intercepts the request. The request is transmitted directly to the website’s destination server in a regular direct connection. In a proxy-mediated connection, the proxy receives the request instead. 
3. The proxy sends the user’s request to the destination server of the website. The type of requests a proxy can receive and send on behalf of a user will depend on the proxy type and its configuration. 
4. The website sends a response to the proxy server. Upon receiving and processing the request, the website’s destination server sends a response back to the proxy. 
5. The proxy receives the response from the website’s destination server. Depending on the proxy’s configuration and use, it could modify the request before sending it to the user’s device or send it unaltered.  
6. The user’s device receives the response from the proxy server. The entire process appears to be a normal direct connection with the website. In truth, the connection has been mediated by the proxy and its server. The following are functions that the proxy server may perform while acting as an intermediary:
   • Webpage caching. The proxy may cache frequently visited webpages, thus reducing the bandwidth required to load them on subsequent visits. As a result, the page loads faster.
   • Anonymity. When a request is received and resent on behalf of the user, the IP associated with the traffic changes to that of the proxy server. As such, the website’s destination server sees the IP of the proxy server and not the user’s device. In effect, the proxy hides the user’s IP address, granting them anonymity.
   • Content filtering. Based on the configuration and capabilities of the proxy, it can filter out unwanted content and block access to certain online resources.
   • Load balancing. From the user’s perspective, they can use proxy servers to distribute requests across multiple servers to further anonymize their activity. However, websites may also employ proxies to distribute incoming traffic across multiple servers to improve the performance of their server and website. 

Proxy Server Risks

As advantageous as proxies can be to online activity. They also open up users to some risks. Here are some of these risks to keep in mind while using proxies. 

1. Free Proxy Server Risks. Free proxy servers present risks because while they are effective, the reputations of their developers and providers can not be ascertained. Some of the risks of using these proxies include:
   • Exposure of IP address. As a result of poor maintenance and proxy infrastructure, a free proxy could expose a user’s real IP address.
   • Tracking and logging of user information. The providers of a free proxy might log sensitive user information such as login credentials, websites visited, and other personal information. The credentials could inform credential stuffing attempts.
   • Data Interception. The free proxy can intercept the data and traffic they are rerouting, thus harvesting user data and information for sale or to inform phishing attempts. These attacks are referred to as man-in-the-middle attacks.
   • Lack of encryption. It is unlikely that a free proxy would support an encrypted protocol, meaning your data is relatively at risk when you use it.
2. Performance Risks. The configuration of a proxy and the quality of its infrastructure can unintentionally lead to performance issues down the line. Some such issues are:
   • Latency and downtimes. As a result of many users on a proxy server, latency issues and connection downtimes might occur. Slower browsing speeds, interrupted downloads, and truncated tasks are obvious consequences. 
   • Bandwidth issue. Poorly designed or overloaded proxies could also suffer bandwidth issues, leading to a degradation in network performance.
3. Compliance Risks. Proxy use could inadvertently lead to some compliance and regulatory issues for users. Beware of the following risks to stay legal in your online activities:
   • Violation of website terms of service. Not all websites condone certain activities on their pages. Using proxies against their wishes could lead to an IP ban, suspension, or potential legal action if discovered.
   • Flouting regulatory requirements for data usage. Depending on jurisdiction, there are regulations guiding data collection and usage. Be sure to factor in these regulations when using proxies to collect and collate data. 

Types of Proxy Servers

There are many ways to categorize types of proxies. We shall explore some of these.

Based on the type of protocols 

1. SOCKS (Socket Secure) proxies operate at the Transport layer (4) of the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) model. They work with any internet protocol and are versatile enough for various applications. SOCKS proxies come in different versions, the most popular being the SOCKS4 and SOCKS5 proxies. The SOCKS4 is an older protocol that supports TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) but not UDP (User Datagram Protocol) connections. In addition, they do not provide authentication support. SOCKS5, on the other hand, is the latest SOCKS protocol and supports UDP and TCP connections and provides authentication support.
2. HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) and HTTPS (Secure) proxies handle HTTP traffic and operate at the application layer (7) of the OSI model. These proxies are rather basic and are popularly used to cache websites to improve the loading speeds of webpages. However, the HTTPS proxies are more secure because they provide encryption to data transmission in addition to their rerouting function.

Other types of proxies you may come across under this classification include FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and FTPS proxies, WebSocket proxies, DNS (Domain Name System) proxies, etc.

Based on the nature of IP addresses used

1. Static Residential Proxy. A static residential proxy uses an IP address from a residential area. Its designation as static owes to the fact that it’s unchanging. In other words, it stays the same until changed by its user. Such a proxy is useful for managing social media accounts, online shopping, and SEO monitoring.
2. Rotating Residential Proxy. A rotating residential proxy uses IP addresses from residential areas, just like static residential proxies. However, these proxies are set to automatically change IP addresses after some time. The changing IP addresses provide a higher level of anonymity for users. As such, a rotating residential proxy is ideal for web scraping, especially for large-scale data collection. To a destination server, the action of a rotating residential proxy would give the impression that the requests of your browsing session are originating from multiple residential addresses. 
3. Mobile Proxy. A mobile proxy utilizes IP addresses associated with mobile devices. As a result, user traffic appears to originate from a mobile device. Their anonymity is, thus, very high. They are useful for tasks like mobile application testing, and performing tasks intended for mobile devices but from a different IP address. Put simply, you can help use a mobile proxy to access sites or mobile apps that are otherwise inaccessible.      
4. Datacenter Proxy. A datacenter proxy uses IP addresses obtained from servers hosted on a data center or server farm. Such a setup prioritises efficiency. Due to this, datacenter proxies are lauded for their performance and speed.  However, the anonymity they confer on user activity is not on the same level as that of residential and mobile proxies.

Based on the degree of anonymity 

1. Transparent Proxies. These proxies do not provide anonymity. They simply mediate the online connectivity of their users without altering the IP address. Websites can see that proxies are used, and they can see the original IP of the user. The main use of these proxies is in monitoring network and internet usage, caching web pages for faster loading, and controlling access to certain sites and content.
2. Anonymous Proxies. Anonymous proxies are not as basic as transparent proxies. They hide a user’s IP address. However, they do not do so well enough to disguise the use of a proxy. As such, websites know that the request is originating from a proxy IP address but do not know the user’s actual IP address. 
3. Elite Proxies. These are also known as high-anonymity proxies. They hide a user’s IP address and the use of a proxy server. In other words, the request originates directly from the proxy server. Elite proxies provide the highest level of anonymity of any proxy server and are handy for dealing with sensitive online tasks, like: 

• Conducting sensitive research
• Facilitating corporate communication
• Anonymizing financial activities

Based on Application

1. Forward Proxies. These are the types of proxies described thus far. They act as intermediaries helping users access resources, hide their IP addresses, and cache frequently visited web pages. 
2. Reverse Proxies. A reverse proxy is also an intermediary of internet connections. However, rather than working to help clients reroute their traffic and fool websites, they work for the web server. They receive requests and send responses to the devices of web visitors on behalf of the web server. Web servers use this as a solution to distribute incoming traffic across multiple servers and to mask their IP. Due to this, they are useful in balancing the load and the servers, SSL termination, protecting against DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks, etc. Specific examples of the use of reverse proxies include:
   • An e-commerce website can use a reverse proxy to distribute the load of incoming traffic among several servers during peak shopping hours.
   • A financial institution can use a reverse proxy to protect against traffic spikes and DDoS attacks intended to compromise its servers. 
   • A news website can use a reverse proxy to cache images and compress articles, thus speeding up access to their content and enhancing user experience.

Based on the number of users 

1. Public Proxies. Public proxies are available to everyone, usually free, and require no authentication. They are, therefore, easily accessible for use. The downside of this accessibility is that overcrowding of the server is liable to result in poor performance. Furthermore, these proxies are unlikely to be reliable and are usually monitored for use in collecting user data. That said, they are useful for casual browsing. 
2. Shared Proxies. Shared proxies are those used by multiple users at the same time but are not publicly available to everyone. They are under the protection and distribution of proxy providers. As such, a subscription fee is required to access them. Unfortunately, they can also suffer from the same performance issues that plague public proxies. These proxies are more than public proxies.
3. Limitedly Shared Proxies. A limitedly shared proxy has a cap on the number of users. In other words, only a limited number of users can utilise the proxy at a point in time. They are more expensive, secure, and reliable than regular shared proxies. Limitedly shared proxies are useful for tasks where speed and reliability are important, but security is not paramount, such as in SEO and some forms of data scraping, 
4. Private Proxies. Private proxies are also called dedicated or premium proxies because they belong to a single user or entity after purchase. No other user can utilise the proxy after it is purchased. Consequently, they offer the highest performance, security, and reliability. This makes them useful for sensitive tasks, such as facilitating financial transactions and sensitive research work.

It is important to note that some other proxies exist outside these classifications. An example is a distorting proxy. Distorting proxies mask user IP addresses but take it further, providing misleading information to the website via fake root header details.

Where to buy Proxy Servers for Cheap

Many proxy providers are supplying private proxies on the market. However, none matches Proxy Cheap premium proxies for value. We offer best-in-class private proxies at affordable rates and with pricing flexibility for prospective customers wanting more. The private proxies we currently offer are:

• Proxy Cheap Static Residential Proxies, which offer elite anonymity to users.
• Proxy Cheap Datacenter IPv4 Proxies, which offer unrivaled performance using addresses from the Internet Protocol version 4 communication protocol.
• Proxy Cheap Datacenter IPv6 Proxies, which utilizes addresses obtained from the Internet Protocol version 6.
• Proxy Cheap Mobile Proxies, which offers similar anonymity to residential proxies using IP addresses associated with mobile device use in the location of your choice.

When using any of the above Proxy Cheap proxies, users can rest assured that they will enjoy:

1. Responsive Customer Support. We offer experience-specific onboarding to help prospective buyers facilitate purchases and 24/7 support to help users get the best out of our proxies.
2. Cost-Effective Proxy Solutions. Proxy Cheap offers quality IP addresses, free from damaging histories and constantly updated to ensure activity and expanding coverage. Best of all, though, is the affordability of these proxies and the possibility of bulk purchase deals to sweeten things for users. Put simply, with Proxy Cheap, you get market-leading proxies at a reasonable price for the present and long term.
3. Broad Geographical Coverage. Proxy Cheap proxies provide access to 10M+ IP addresses in over 125 locations. We allow our customers to connect to websites and platforms from almost any country. 
4. User-Friendly Interface. Our friendly interface lets users purchase, customise, and manage their proxies easily. This interface includes a proxy dashboard through which users can top up their accounts and view their purchased proxies, among other things.

Frequently asked questions

What are the benefits of a proxy server?

There are many benefits to using a proxy server for internet connections. Some of them are enhanced security, improved privacy, and anonymity, control of access to sites and resources, monitoring of internet activity, minimizing bandwidth usage, load balancing, and improving network and server performance.

What is a proxy server used for?

A proxy server is used for providing anonymity to online activity, facilitating data scraping and mining, improving network security, monitoring and controlling user access to certain sites and resources, etc. Specifically, these uses make them suitable for corporate communication, SEO monitoring, content aggregation, enforcing organization-wide access control, travel fare aggregation, creating and managing multiple accounts, market and competitor research, etc. 

Is a VPN a proxy?

A VPN is not the same as a proxy, but they have similarities. Both provide a means of rerouting internet traffic addresses and facilitating anonymity. However, they differ from one another in certain regards. For starters, a VPN is a security tool that encrypts and encapsulates all data transmission by default. Proxies, however, don’t encrypt data unless the proxy protocol inherently does so (such as in the case of HTTPS proxies). Also, the activity of a VPN often covers the entirety of a device’s activity, whereas a proxy can be set up for specific applications and protocols. Finally, due to the need for encryption and decryption of data, VPNs are generally slower than proxies.

What is an example of a proxy server?

Examples of proxy servers depend on how you wish to categorize them. According to the type of protocols the proxies support or employ, some examples are HTTP proxies, HTTPS proxies, SOCKS4 proxies, and SOCKS5 proxies. Based on the nature of the IP addresses employed, some examples are residential proxies, datacenter proxies, mobile proxies, etc. Depending on the degree of anonymity, some examples of proxies are elite proxies, anonymous proxies, and transparent proxies. Proxies can also be categorized based on the number of users using them, such as public proxies, limited shared or shared proxies, and private or dedicated proxies. 

Are proxy servers legal to use?

Proxy servers are legal to use. However, to remain on the good side of the law and website admins, it is important to ensure that your proxy server use complies with website/platform terms of service and local laws in the relevant jurisdictions.

Can proxy servers protect against cyberattacks?

Proxy servers can provide a measure of protection against certain types of cyberattacks despite not being security tools. Some of the ways that they protect users from cyber threats include hiding IP addresses, content filtering, access control, and load balancing. By masking IP addresses, they make it difficult for cyber criminals to identify users and mark them out for attacks. Content filtering and access control can help block access to malicious sites, thus reducing the likeliness of malware downloads and phishing scams. Load balancing is a website-side use of proxies that distributes incoming traffic across multiple servers to support site performance. Their activity could also improve security by providing added resilience against cyber attacks like DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks. All of these security benefits aside, though, users should endeavour to employ designated security tools like firewalls, antivirus, VPNs, etc.

How do I choose the right type of proxy for my needs?

In order to choose the right type of proxy for your needs, you should consider the purpose of the proxy and the type of proxy that best serves that purpose. Additionally, you should consider the security and level of anonymity (Residential vs Datacenter vs Mobile proxies) provided by the proxy, performance requirements (Public vs shared vs private proxies), and the location(s) you would like to connect from (geo-location diversity and size of IP address pool), cost (free vs paid proxies, and proxy providers), and the reputation of the proxy providers.

Can I use a proxy server on mobile devices?

Yes, you can use a proxy server on mobile devices. You can use a proxy after manual configuration of your wi-fi settings. Alternatively, you can purchase proxies and download proxy apps, use VPNs equipped with in-built proxy support, or use a proxy browser extension. For example, Proxy Cheap has an efficient proxy extension on Chrome that allows easy management and use of its service.