Nowadays, the use of proxy servers has become increasingly common worldwide to protect identities and access content securely, since cyber threats have become the norm in this digital era. A proxy is a server acting as an intermediary that integrates and adapts traffic requests and responses coming and going to another network.
When it comes to kinds of proxies, there is no one-size-fits-all. The types can be classified depending on the application, service, location, traffic flow, and anonymity level.
This post will cover the most common proxy servers, their key uses, and give you a basic understanding, which is always useful, no matter whether you buy proxy solutions for personal or business needs.
Common Types of Proxy Servers
A number of proxies are used by different clients and networks, some of which are as follows, they are all available via BestProxy:
Residential
Residential proxies, a type of forward proxy, are servers that provide users with IP addresses directly affiliated with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and linked to actual homes and devices in different geographic locations.
These proxies are of two types: rotating and static. A static proxy assigns users a single residential IP address that can be used for a long time. These proxies are easy to trace as they operate through a single source.
On the other hand, rotating proxies assign users a different IP address from a pool of addresses for each connection. These proxies are more secure than static proxy servers due to their dynamic nature.
Residential proxies can be invaluable in these cases:
- Residential IPs enable users to perform data scraping since they are linked to residential devices.
- Residential proxies simulate organic user behavior and bypass various web scraping challenges, like geo-restrictions, CAPTCHAs, and IP blocks.
- These proxies can be used for extensive market research and scraping data related to products, emerging trends, or competitors’ development.
Datacenter
Datacenter proxies are IP addresses owned and managed by data centers. These proxies are fully independent of ISPs and route user traffic through the datacenter’s network infrastructure without being linked to one place.
Datacenter proxy servers come in two types: shared and dedicated. While shared datacenter proxies are used by multiple users at once, and at the same time, dedicated proxies are not shared or used by other clients.
Datacenter proxies can be a good alternative to residential proxies, because:
- This proxy is ideal for SEO monitoring, which involves evaluating measurable SEO metrics and adjusting the implementation process based on data insights.
- Datacenter proxies can bypass geo-based restrictions and give access to blocked content.
- They help with adequate verification of the displayed advertisements on sites to identify and block suspicious ones.
SOCKS5
SOCKS5 proxy is a type of proxy that uses SOCKS (Socket Secure) Internet Protocol to establish a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)/User Datagram Protocol (UDP) connection with other servers on behalf of users and routes data packets between the client and actual server.
These proxies operate on layer 5 of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model and offer advanced security through three authentication methods: null authentication, username-password authentication, and GSS-API authentication.
Some of the common use cases are as follows:
- SOCKS5 proxy solutions can bypass geo-restrictions without getting blocked, as it uses a TCP connection, which is not easily identifiable.
- These proxies can handle all kinds of traffic, including torrenting, gaming, and streaming, and manage file transfers, peer-to-peer sharing, and browsing.
- It can be very helpful during security testing as it enables testers who buy SOCKS5 proxy services to examine a system/tool, its security vulnerabilities, and traffic between the server and the client.
Mobile
Mobile proxies are proxies that use IP addresses dynamically assigned to mobile devices by network operators. It connects users to the Internet with IP addresses associated with a mobile device, enabling multiple connections from different regions in a short time span.
This type of proxy is highly sought-after because:
- Mobile proxies are common among data miners to get around IP blocks and avoid detection while collecting data from various sources.
- Online marketers use mobile proxy servers to target certain geographic regions and demographics for their marketing campaigns.
HTTPS
HTTPS, or SSL proxies, work similarly to HTTP proxies, except for allowing a secure, encrypted connection. SSL (Secure Socket Layer) is an extra layer of security imposed on HTTP to make it HTTPS.
This additional layer ensures that the connection with the client is secure, indicating that third parties can’t intercept the traffic that the proxy sends from the client to the server and vice versa.
While not the most popular, HTTPS proxies have their use cases, like:
- These are the most secure proxies capable of encrypting all incoming and outgoing requests. They can be used to protect against surveillance agencies and cybercriminals that use tracking processes.
- Businesses that need multiple social media accounts rely on HTTPS proxies since they provide unique IPs for every account to keep the actual IP hidden.
Summary
Proxies provide an additional layer of security when performing online activities. Different types of proxies work differently to conceal the actual user’s IP address and protect their identity. Knowing the types of proxies and their uses can be immensely valuable, allowing you to choose one that best suits your needs.