You have probably heard the terms “Proxy” and “Proxy server” many times. In this article we will tell you how to choose the right proxy and why it can be useful not only for an IT professional, but also for an ordinary Internet user.
'How to choose a proxy for a specific task?' We will try to answer questions such as: and “How are some proxies different from others?”
What is a proxy?
Without going into details, a proxy is a remote server that acts as a connection between your computer and the web resource you are trying to access.
It accepts all your requests and forwards them to the resource you choose. In doing so, the proxy server may change your IP address, country and region.
What do I need this for?
For someone working online, proxy technology can be used for various purposes such as:
- To use some Internet resources with restricted or blocked access;
- Conducting any online recording in which movements are restricted from a single IP address;
- Parsing search engines and analyzing keywords for SEO purposes;
- Conducting promotional campaigns on social networks (SMM-related applications);
- To protect anonymity and privacy on the web.
Now that we have clarified what proxies are used for, we will try to understand what types of proxies are out there and what criteria you should follow when choosing proxies for different tasks.
Of course, if you don't find an answer to your specific question below, feel free to use our live chat in the bottom right corner. Our managers will be happy to assist you and provide the right proxy solution for you.
To Pay or Not to Pay?
If you type “free proxies” into any search engine, you will find a large number of open public proxies with a list of proxy servers from different countries. It would seem that if there are free proxies, then why pay?
However, free proxies have many disadvantages and therefore cannot be used for various purposes and therefore:
- The outgoing IP addresses of most free proxies have long been registered in various SPAM databases and/or blacklists. These addresses will be blocked on the most popular resources, so it is no longer possible to use such proxies to register on social networks.
- The second major disadvantage of free proxies is that they are unstable. Free proxies cannot guarantee long working hours or high data transfer speed. If a minute ago the speed was quite comfortable for web surfing, after several users simultaneously connect to the same proxy server as you, it can drop to almost zero. This is because the proxy is completely open and can be used by anyone.
- Some of the open public proxy servers are part of botnets or Trojan-infected machines. The stability and durability of such proxies leave much to be desired.
- Do not use free public proxies when it comes to the security of any information important to you because you are trusting your traffic to some unknown server controlled by someone else. Consider that if you enter your bank card details to pay in an online store, and before going to the online store's site, the data will pass through such a proxy server.
If you really need high quality and reliable proxies, we recommend purchasing a proxy from a proven proxy service provider. When choosing a provider, be sure to review all possible information and feedback about the company and then meet with the account manager to decide whether this company can provide a solution to your task.
Now let's try to understand all the proxy services on the market.
What is the Difference Between IPv4 and IPv6?
Proxies can be divided into IPv4 and IPv6 based on the type of IP addresses provided.
IPv6 is the new version of the IP protocol that replaced IPv4. Currently, IPv6 is actively developing, there are more and more sites with IPv6 support. However, there is still a large portion of the Internet that operates only with IPv4, without IPv6 support.
When choosing between IPv4 and IPv6 proxies, make sure that the resource you will be connecting to via the proxy supports the correct version of the protocol. This can be done quite simply using this site (http://ipv6-test.com/validate.php)
Private or Shared?
You can also subdivide proxies into private or shared proxies.
The essence of private proxies is that you are given one or more IP addresses that only you and no one else uses.
But in the case of a shared proxy, the same IP is used by several people simultaneously.
Shared proxies are generally much cheaper than private proxies.
But how do you know when you should use a private proxy and when you can save money by using shared proxies?
Let's say you are using proxies to register accounts on a service with several other people using this shared proxy on the same service as you.
In turn, a service that notices excessive activity on an IP can block that IP and all related accounts.
In this case, we recommend using private proxies.
Static or Dynamic?
Proxies can also be divided into static and dynamic ones.
If you choose static proxies, you will get a pool of IP addresses at your disposal that does not change throughout the entire uptime.
By dynamic proxies we mean the situation where outgoing IP addresses change periodically throughout the lifetime.
Let's say the addresses you use during your work are frequently banned and it becomes impossible to use the same address again. As a result, only a few of the IP addresses you paid for remain available.
In this case, you should consider purchasing dynamic proxies. Once you enter your gateway IPs provided by the proxy provider into your software or browser, your IPs will begin to change dynamically at a certain interval without your further intervention. In this way, you stay away from the eyes of the service you work for.
HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5 and What They Mean
Sometimes the description of proxies includes information about different network protocols supported by proxies.
HTTP and HTTPS are the most common transfer protocols. HTTPS is a modification of HTTP with support for secure connections over SSL.
SOCKS is a special network protocol. Where some HTTP proxies can only work with websites, SOCKS proxies can be used to transfer any traffic. However, this creates room for abuses such as spamming, so we have decided not to offer SOCKS proxies to our customers.
SOCKS5 is the fifth version of the protocol that supports user authentication on the proxy server. We'll talk more about the authorization process below.
