What is a Web Proxy? The Best Web Proxy to Choose

A proxy is a server located between the source of information on the internet and those who request it. With the help of such devices, several issues related to cybersecurity and traffic management can be solved.

If you need a proxy server, then there are several parameters that you should pay attention to. These include the cost of services, reputation, guarantees, location, and several others.

In this article, we will explore the question “What is a Web Proxy?” in detail.

Previously, we’ve talked about proxy services. You can read more here.

What is a web proxy?

To put it simply, without delving into the technical essence of it, then a proxy server works as a gateway between your computer, laptop, phone, or tablet and resources on the internet.

These are intermediate servers that separate end users from the websites they view, acting as a “gateway” through which all user requests first pass on the way to the desired web page or file.

The proxy server intercepts these requests and makes them on behalf of your computer, in most cases either receiving responses from its local cache or redirecting the request to the desired site server. As soon as the request is satisfied, the proxy will return the data to you.

A simple example:

An even easier way to understand how a proxy works is to compare it to ordering food at a restaurant. When you eat in a café or restaurant, you don’t order directly from the chef. Instead, you pass your order to the waiter, who then passes your order to the cooks in the kitchen.

When your dish is ready, the same waiter or waitress will deliver it to your table so that you can finally eat. The cook, like the website, never sees who is placing the orders — they see only the waiters who hand them the order slips.

In the same way, when you use a proxy server you remain anonymous to everyone except your server.

What are proxies for?

Proxies are needed to replace internet requests from the user’s home IP address with ones from the IP address of the proxy server, which allows you to mask the source of the requests.

This gives the user several advantages when browsing, including additional privacy, increased security, higher performance, and greater access to restricted content.

What benefits does the proxy give?

Anonymity is one of the main reasons why people use proxies in the first place. This is because the key function of a proxy server is how it handles IP addresses.

Your IP address is how the internet or an internal network recognizes your computer. Like a post office that uses your home address to forward mail, the internet uses your IP address to send the necessary data to the computer that requested it.

Thus, every time you make a request, your computer transmits your IP address so that the visited site knows where to send the data.

Since the proxy server makes requests on behalf of your computer, instead of broadcasting the IP address of your computer, it uses its own.

This not only hides your identity online but also gives you several advantages when it comes to private browsing.

In addition to confidentiality, it is safer and faster to work with proxy servers, you can bypass restrictions for access to content, and be invisible when conducting research on competitors.

Are proxies safe?

No matter how popular proxies are, there are always concerns about their security, and this is one of the main reasons why there are doubts about their use.

There are two main types of proxy servers:

Shared proxies: Servers where clients share resources such as bandwidth and IP addresses with other clients. Usually, such servers are free and open for public use.

Dedicated proxies: Servers where one client has exclusive access to server resources and functions. Such services are generally paid.

The use of dedicated proxy servers ensures optimal security, server support, and data encryption, which guarantees safe browsing.

On the other hand, any cautious person will stay away from free proxies. These public servers not only suffer from the influx of numerous users who love freebies, thereby loading server resources, but also end up with a slow download time and a less reliable connection.

It should not be overlooked that some public proxy servers are created by hackers and scammers who will willingly use your confidential information when you connect to them.

Even when the administrator limits the number of people who can access a particular server, as is the case with semi-dedicated proxy servers, sharing the proxy server’s resources and identity data can still lead to unforeseen problems, since the proxy server’s IP address is associated with the actions of each user, and not just with your own.

Dedicated proxy servers are the only option that will give you full control and access to the proxy server, as well as greater security, higher speed, and complete anonymity while browsing.

Proxy types

Regardless of your decision to use public or private proxy servers, proxy servers are divided into several types, depending on the purpose and functionality.

Some of the most common types and their use are described below:

1. Web proxy

The most common type of proxy application, web proxies respond to user requests by accessing resources from cached web pages and files available on remote web servers. Caching files and previously visited websites means that customer requests for the same files are executed much faster and more reliably.

If the requested resource is not found in the cache, then the web proxy receives the file from the remote server and stores a copy in the cache before returning it to the client.

2. Public proxies

Of all the proxy types, these are the most insecure and unreliable. They can fail at any moment, and many of them are created by hackers to steal data. The only reason people are still using them is that they are free.

Although it is not difficult to find lists of free public proxies, it is not easy to find good proxies. You never know who hosts these proxy servers, and sending your confidential information through them is a big mistake.

3. Private proxies

Private proxies have some ambiguity in what they are, it all depends on the configuration settings. The proxy server can be configured to work with only one person at a time, or the settings indicate that authentication is required before you start working with it. This is a better use case than using public proxies.

Private proxies can be transparent or have high anonymity, like some other proxies. This type of proxy is more attuned to who can connect to it than to how it handles your requests.

4. Transparent proxies

Today, transparent proxy servers are most often used to authenticate your device’s internet connection on public Wi-Fi networks or on other servers.

As the name suggests, these proxy servers are transparent, meaning they do not hide your identity and do not provide additional protection for the network you are accessing.

Most proxy servers replace your home IP address with their IP address so that websites or other users cannot identify you. However, transparent proxies do not keep your identity anonymous.

5. Anonymous proxies

These proxy servers forward the user’s request without providing any identifying information about the user. This provides users with much-needed anonymity and, therefore, freedom when browsing.

6. SSL proxy

These proxies follow the same protocol as HTTPS requests. The letter S in HTTPS stands for SSL (Secure Socket Layer), which means that your web requests are encrypted between your client and the server you are trying to connect to.

Most proxy servers should use this by default, but there is still a chance that you will encounter some that use HTTP.

7. Reverse proxies

Reverse proxies are completely different from everything we have reviewed so far. The reverse proxy server hides the IP address of the server to which you are trying to send the request. When a server needs security and confidentiality from clients, that’s when these types of proxies appear.

These proxy servers are great if you need to control access to the server for reasons such as preventing uncontrolled client access to the database. It can also help reduce network traffic by passing cached information instead of making a new request every time.

This list, of course, is not exhaustive on various types of proxies, and there are many other specialized proxies for niche applications. However, in general, the types listed above are the most widely used and supported.

How to connect to a proxy

Connecting to proxy servers is a simple process if you know information about your proxy, such as its IP address, port number, and login password. Regardless of which operating system you use, proxies are quickly configured and work on all systems.

The best web proxy to choose

If you still haven’t decided which proxy service to choose, then we recommend looking into Utopia P2P Web Proxy.

Utopia P2P Web Proxy is a unique web proxy built into a whole working anonymous ecosystem with many tools and functions: instant messenger, file sharing, browser, web proxy, and much more.

Utopia P2P is an anonymous and decentralized network, fully protected from prying eyes by multi-level encryption. It is designed for the safe use of the internet.

Utopia P2P Web Proxy works immediately after downloading the ecosystem and anonymous registration. The proxy does not need to be downloaded separately — it works together with the anonymous browser of the ecosystem, Idyll Browser. However, you do not need to open the browser to use it; Web Proxy will work as an independent tool.

Most importantly, Web Proxy provides anonymous, unlimited, and free access to all websites, even those blocked in certain countries. Moreover, no one, not even the provider, will know that you have visited this or that page.

Learn more about Utopia P2P Web Proxy here.