Proxy servers are an essential part of the internet. Today, numerous different proxy types have unique focus, forms, and functions.
If you’re just getting started with #proxies or curious about which is best for a particular #purpose, this #guide will help you learn the ropes.
Find out how proxies can enhance your security and automate your workflow while costing significantly less than other solutions.
Choosing the Right Proxy for the Task
You may have heard of internet proxies before, but you may be surprised by how many proxy types exist today. Far beyond simple relays, modern proxies can facilitate a wide range of tasks relating to everything from security to online shopping.
With multiple proxies to choose from, it cannot be apparent for new users to make the right choice. We’ve got your back with this handy guide to the most common proxies available today and the uses of each.
Simple Relay Proxies
The best type of proxy to begin our list is the simple relay proxy. Don’t let the name fool you; the internet wouldn’t work without these essential proxies. At its core, a simple proxy is just an intermediary that accepts data from a source and passes the message to its destination. There are no inherent security or speed benefits; the proxy merely relays what it receives.
With the advent of cloud servers and advanced caching methods, most connections pass through one or more proxies, even for simple page requests. Your ISP may be routing you through a simple proxy for DNS or Name Server resolution. In most cases, users are completely unaware of simple proxies in everyday usage.
A good example and use for a simple relay is an alternative DNS server or a caching server that speeds up web response time.
Anonymous Proxies
The most familiar proxy is an anonymous proxy. As the name implies, an anonymous proxy hides the user’s personally identifying details. As people become more privacy-conscious, the popularity of anonymous proxies has seen a steady rise.
Another reason for their ubiquitous usage stems from their versatility. Anonymous proxies enjoy a somewhat unique advantage in that they are equally effective in multiple scenarios. Not only do anonymous proxies have apparent privacy implementations, but they also have uses for more specific home and office needs.
For example, they can bypass geo-fencing of region-restricted content. Although geofencing is usually thought to apply solely to entertainment mediums such as movies and music. However, it can also apply to communities of people. Some message boards, forums, and online stores may grant exclusive entry to local area residents only. They will check geographic markers such as your device’s IP address and hostmask to verify your location.
If you need to access a particular local area, an anonymous proxy can help you gain entrance. Typical reasons for requiring local access are demographics research or regional shopping stores for limited-run items. In these scenarios, an anonymous proxy is ideal.
Residential Proxies
You can think of a residential proxy as an anonymous proxy subclass, with one significant advantage— residential proxies serve IP addresses from real devices.
When we say “real devices,” we are referring to regular residential and ISP customers. Because these proxy addresses come from the devices of genuine ISP clients, they have a much lower chance of being flagged, blocked, or banned as non-authentic traffic.
Residential proxies should be your go-to choice if you need extra security for streaming content or online shopping from a foreign market. On the eCommerce side, a residential proxy can provide enhanced safety during large web-scraping operations where you need to change IP addresses rapidly. If you want to use automation or scraping bots in your business endeavors, a residential proxy is your best bet.
Reverse Proxies
Reverse proxies are usually the most misunderstood type of proxy, but they are easy to comprehend when thinking of cloud services. A reverse proxy operates for the server rather than the client, not to anonymize the server but to provide redundancy.
By using clever caching and mirroring, a reverse proxy can react to outages and downtime by redirecting traffic to a different server. The beauty of reverse proxies is that the traffic redirection happens entirely transparently to the user, often with minimal delay.
For mission-critical services, investing in quality reverse proxies can significantly reduce outages and minimize missed sales.
What Can Our Proxies Do for You?
Whether your interest is personal protection or business automation, IPRoyal has an HTTP proxy to serve your needs. We specialize in reliable, fast, and secure proxies at affordable prices. Contact us today, and let us help you reach your goals.
