Working in a field where you seem to come across the term “proxy” every day can make you wonder, what does it actually mean?. It is not a big deal for you to not know about the term initially.
A proxy is a server that is inclined to act as security between an external server and the server of your company website. It basically plays the role of a firewall or you can also consider it as a web filter that helps in taking care of your private details or any significant information to an unauthorised person.
Let us not wait for any second longer and just dive straight into the topic!
What is the Meaning of Proxy?
A proxy server is a protective layer that is being added for the purpose of securing the network from a third party. People tend to forget that their data can be hacked or stolen by cyber criminals. But a Proxy protects your IP and keeps your network framework from malware attack.
Every web request that has been arisen by the user at first goes through the firewall that is through the proxy server. Only after a thorough analysis will the request be directed to your company website.
To put it in simple words, a proxy basically provides high-level protection to a website. A proxy will not give a chance for the other party to gain hold of your IP address, as per the fact that it has the capability to create an IP address of the proxy server.
How Does a Proxy Work?
Now that it is clear for you to understand the basic meaning of the proxy server, let us continue to know in detail about its mechanism. Protecting the IP address of every computer is a very important task but not impossible.
A proxy server tends to build its own IP address. As per this fact, when a user tries to access your website or server, the proxy will help in covering up the original IP address of the server.
Whenever you make a query, proxy requests data on your behalf. After getting the desired results, it comes back to you with the information. Your IP remains anonymous throughout this.
When a proxy is secured and protected with another layer of security such as email security or web gateway products, it becomes even more difficult for the user to break in.
What are the Various Types of Proxies?
The proxy does not stop at having just one type to it. With the intention of protecting the budding websites and running a safe business in the world, proxies are differentiated accordingly. According to the purpose and requirements of a website or idea, the proxies are being put in use.
Here are a few different types of proxies for you to know about.
- Forward Proxy
- Reverse Proxy
- Transparent Proxy
- Residential Proxy
- Anonymous Proxy
- Rotating Proxy
Forward Proxy
A forward proxy is the most commonly used proxy among all other proxies. It is a post that is situated between the user and the external network. Before it forwards the web requests, the forward proxy makes sure to analyse and take action.
Some of the best examples of a forward proxy would be Web content filters and Virtual private networks.
Reverse Proxy
While a forward proxy is situated between the user and the external network, a Reverse Proxy is situated between the user and multiple other internal resources. When there are numerous requests incoming, the reverse proxy is best used.
As they seem to act like a different server, it reduces the workload of the web server. Some of the best examples of Reverse proxy would be Squid and Varnish.
Transparent Proxy
Transparent proxies are something that could be set up easily among both the user and the external network. These are best suited for businesses that do not wish their employers to know that they are currently using one.
A transparent proxy is otherwise known as an intercepted proxy and forced proxy.
Residential Proxy
A Residential Proxy uses the IP address of that particular device and area. With the Residential Proxy, it gets difficult for one to track down or get detected. Among other proxies, the residential proxy is considered to be safe and secured.
This proxy gives the users the luxury of choosing different regions to access content which are restricted in a particular area.
Anonymous Proxy
Just as the name suggests, the anonymous proxy helps to keep you in hiding. It is not easy to detect with an anonymous proxy. Internet activity becomes untraceable with the use of Anonymous proxy.
With the anonymous proxy, the browsing history and every important fact about the web server are safe and secured.
Rotating Proxy
The rotating Proxy has the ability to come up with a different and unique IP address for every device that tries to gain access. All these devices do not share the same IP address, as the Rotating Proxy takes care of it.
For people involved in persistent and voluminous web scraping, this proxy is it. It will be a perfect fit for those with a heavy workload.
Things That Can Go Wrong with Proxy
There are not many things that can go wrong while the proxy is involved. Although there are a few to be mindful about. Here are a few of those risks.
- Choosing a free Proxy service provider can put you into trouble. As they sometimes fail to protect the IP address from getting revealed.
- Owing to the fact that the proxy servers tend to have the details about things such as your IP address, your browsing histories and in addition to that they do have details about your web requests. It is better if one is mindful of it.
- It is better to use an encrypted proxy server. If not, you are running the risk of losing your data to cyber attacks.
Conclusion
Proxy is something which must be taken seriously in this day and age. With more people working from home the rate of cyber attacks is bound to increase. With the details covered in this article about proxies, one can get the hang of what they are and how they function.
The different types of proxies are talked about in brief in this article. Based on the use case scenarios and needs different proxies can be deployed.
With every good thing comes certain caveats. Those are also mentioned in the article so that people can steer clear of them.
Choose the right proxy and have a secured business!
