Did you know that there is an intermediary between your computer and the router? In the following article, we will explain whatwhat is proxy ? What functions does it fulfill?
What is proxy?
The proxy server is the intermediary between the host and the router that is connected to the Internet. A simple method of explaining it is as follows: If you have a computer and need to use the Internet, first a request is made to the proxy server and immediately it is given the authorization to do so.
The computer cannot have direct contact with the router, this is because it must be established by the proxy server. We will give you an example so that you can understand it much better:
Let's say there are three LANs that want to connect to the Internet, but unfortunately, none of these have a direct connection to the router. When the different users of the LAN networks want to make a request to search the Internet, it is mandatory that they go through the proxy first, which will send the request to the router; followed, this will make the request to the Internet.
If you want to know more about this topic, we invite you to watch the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMC0ZOUm4kc
Server benefits
Now that you know what a proxy is, you should understand that there are multiple advantages for which it is necessary for the proxy to be an intermediary, among which we will mention below:
- The proxy can decide who enters the network and who does not. In other words, only people who have authorized access can do it.
- It gives us the power to know who wants to enter our router.
- The proxy has a temporary memory where the searches are saved. It can be useful when we want to load a page quickly.
- Do you want to protect your children? With the proxy you can make a list of the URLs that you do not want to be accessed, in this way it will be prohibited to enter.
- We can deny internet access to networks, this means that, if you have a neighbor using your internet, you can deny it in a very simple way.
- With the proxy, you can have a report on all those connections that the different users will make. In this way, if any of those users were viewing inappropriate material, you could find out and deny the connection.
- You can have a secure network thanks to the firewall barrier that the proxy has.
- Having a proxy server will help you redirect traffic.
- There are proxies that will help you remain anonymous while you are browsing, in this way you can stay more secure.
- With the caching that some proxies have, your internet experience will become more efficient.
- There are many proxies that adapt to your needs and purposes that you want to achieve.
- It is very inexpensive and some may even be free.
- It grants you access to certain types of websites that are restricted.
Server disadvantages
Although the proxy has many uses and good things, like any system, these can have flaws or disadvantages. This does not make it unusable, but even so for your record, we will present you with some flaws:
- When a user wants to connect to the Internet, they first need to configure the proxy in their browser, although fortunately, it is not necessary to do it every time they want to enter the Internet, it only needs to be done once.
- As we said before, to connect to the Internet, it is essential that you first go through the proxy before the router. Once this is clear, you should know that, if the server comes to present an error, the network will be completely offline, making it impossible to use the Internet.
- All servers need maintenance and the proxy is not an exception, so it is a priority that every certain period of time, it is checked, updated and repaired if necessary.
- Your IP address can be easily discovered, leaving you unprotected.
- You become a victim to crackers, as HTTP data is not encrypted.
Proxies Type
Regardless of whether a proxy is public or private, these can be divided into different types of proxies depending on their function and purpose, each one is unique. Among the types of proxy that there are, we can mention and explain the following:
Transparent proxy
The transparent proxy happens when the user acts as he normally does when accessing the Internet, without the need for any special configuration that needs to be done in the browser. In fact, users do not usually realize that they are giving it a use, since automatically any type of configuration is carried out by the security architecture.
One of the advantages of the transparent proxy is that it is very easy to implement, although it is also good to know how it works and how to apply it.
The transparent proxy does its work through port 80, where it redirects the different connections, all this in the internal service of the proxy. There are multiple ports with which the HTTP protocol or the "Connect" method can be used.
Another function that this type of server has is the so-called "caching resource", which is already in an integrated way. Thanks to this, it is much easier to save band, because the Internet objects that are stored within the computer memory or secondary memory, and at the time they are downloaded, without the need to use internet, the user can do it when requested.
Web proxy
It is known as a Web proxy that has a connection to an HTTP server that is open to users, this is similar to what Cyber Ghost provides. When you make a web request, this type of proxy will be the one that receives and processes it; Once that is done, it will change those requests and then send it to its recipient.
The Web proxy gives you the opportunity to browse the Internet in a more confidential way, this without the need to acquire a separate software or program, you will not have to do any configuration either.
One of the disadvantages that it has is that you will have constant ads which will appear suddenly on your screen, which, in addition to being very annoying, can become delinquent. Many of the IP addresses block the entrance to this type of servers, denying access to the information that the page contains.
These problems are because you are using an HTTP server, which is very insecure and your identity is not completely hidden due to this, that is why security cannot be guaranteed while you remain connected.
Security, speed and access problems hide the fact that the Web proxy is really very simple, it does not have many complications when using it, although if you want to remain safe, we do not recommend it.
Anonymous proxy
This proxy keeps your IP address hidden, which makes it more secure than the transparent proxy. When you are browsing and enter a page, it will be possible to know that you did it using a proxy, although they will not be able to know who you are because your IP address is not visible, they will only be able to see the IP of the Proxy server.
Thanks to this type of server, you can keep your identity hidden and navigate without anyone knowing who you are, although this does not guarantee 100% that someone will be able to find out. In order to be even more hidden, there are proxy servers that are extremely anonymous, through these, not even the website will be able to know that you are using a proxy.
Reverse proxy
This type of proxy does the opposite of a normal proxy. Remember that a proxy maintains the privacy of the user who browses the Internet, but in the case of the reverse proxy, what it does is protect the Web server you are using.
One of the functions this proxy performs is to keep online data on a website secure through a firewall. The reverse proxy can both grant and deny entry to certain types of pages, this protects the privacy of a site.
For example, thanks to this server, bank pages can protect their information and prevent users from entering either by accident or by will with bad intentions. In other words, instead of protecting user information, this proxy seeks to protect the page.
This type is usually used to cache static pages, in this way it ensures that the server is not overloaded so easily.
Differences between proxy server and VPN server
The proxy server is the one that acts between your computer and the Internet, this means that when you are connected to a proxy, all traffic will go through it first. That is why when you make a connection, it will appear immediately within that proxy.
On the other hand, the VPN servers immediately encrypt the data, this unlike the proxy that does not do it. Another difference would be that the VPN server has an encrypted connection between the said server and the computer, that means that it is more secure than the proxy server, since if, for example, a hacker wants to get into your computer, the only thing they will see It will be where the IP connection comes from, therefore, all the activities you do online will remain hidden.
VPNs give us a more complex and secure encryption than a proxy server, but it could happen that these are not necessary, although that would depend on what you want to do and how much privacy you require for this task. You may be able to use a proxy server only for certain types of situations.
Similarities Between a Proxy Server and a VPN Server
One of the similarities that these two servers have is that both can establish a connection with the router and keep the host that makes the request for the Internet connection hidden.
Usually when working in browsers, the proxy is transparent, so it is only necessary to configure an Internet browser to access through a proxy, only giving the IP address and the proxy port.
Ports for this server
Usually for HTTP-type proxies, the port number can be 80, 443 or 80 80, all this will depend on the type of configuration that is being carried out within the server itself. To find out the port number of the proxy server you are using, you must first enter your browser, after that, follow the instructions below:
1- Go to the browser tools, this is usually found in the top menu bar.
2- Once there, look for where it says "Internet Options" and click on it. When you do this, a window with that name will appear.
3- Find and click on the tab that says «Connections». Once this is done, you must go to «LAN Configuration» (also known as «Local Area Network», although it is unlikely that it will appear like this), you will find this at the bottom, immediately, it will show us a window with the name previously mentioned.
4- Find where it says «Advanced» and click it. When you enter, go down to where it says "Proxy server", this is where you can see the proxy server settings in your area, along with the port number which is next to the IP address.
Proxy server types
Depending on the work you want to do, it will be the type of proxy server you will need. To have a better knowledge about proxies, you should know that two different types stand out, which are: public and private:
Public Proxy Servers
Also known as open proxy, they are the servers that are (as the name suggests) open for different users, who can use it as they wish. This can be achieved because a single proxy server is capable of simultaneously handling thousands of different connections, but unfortunately it is not supported at all.
Usually, the vast majority of these servers can be free, including HTTP proxies, which are the most common, and SOCKS. If you search the Internet, there are infinities of open proxies, such as: HideMyAss.
A disadvantage of this type of server is that it can become very fragile due to the large number of users who are using it at the same time, as a result, it becomes overloaded and, therefore, its functions are disabled; this can become very common as it is found online.
As a consequence, your computer's connection will become unstable until it suddenly stops working. Another notable disadvantage which can be extremely annoying is that you must send private information to the owners of so-called anonymous servers.
A positive aspect of this server is that it is very easy to use, plus you don't need to pay for them since they can be easily found on the internet.
Private proxy server
Unlike the previously mentioned one, this server is completely private, this means that it cannot be accessed by everyone, in case you want one, you must pay a minimum amount for it. Making the payment will give you the right to put a name and password so that only you can use it, in addition to keeping it safe.
It is much faster than the public server, which makes it much more reliable and practical, that is why it is the first choice of companies. Apart from their service, they also provide support and software, which are customized for your use.
The best and most recommended are TorGuard and BTGuard, which have a previously configured server; These are available for download in Torrent.
When can you use a proxy?
There are certain situations in particles for which you will need to use a proxy to help you, this will depend on the use you want to give it. Next, we will give you some possible situations where you can use one of these:
Firewall
There will be situations in which you need to bypass a firewall. If you want to enter a private site or streaming, a single proxy server will be insufficient, although this will only happen if you do not want anyone to know what you are doing there or want to pass private files.
In cases such as Netflix, which have a technology that prohibits proxies and, therefore, does not allow these servers to access your page.
Outdated operating system
One of the advantages of proxy servers is that you do not need to rely on software to make it work, it can be advantageous if you have an operating system that is not updated.
The VPN server may slow down your browsing, while the HTTP proxy servers are the opposite, it has no effect on the computer. In the same way, among the Proxy servers, there are some that cache the copies of the websites that you have recently visited, in this way you can reduce your bandwidth and increase the functionality and speed of the equipment.
We invite you to read another of our articles: What is a computer program?.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeYCDT1lEXc