How do I use a Proxy Server?

Everybody who have used proxies to keep his own privacy in the Internet asked yourself the same question: How much anonymous this particular proxy I'm currently using? In other words whether all my personal data is hidden or only part of it.
There are many different proxy anonymity classifications in the Internet. The simpliest way is to divide all proxies into two parts. First part of proxies are completely anonymous i.e. they hide all your private information. All other proxies are non-anonymous.

Transparent Proxy
This type of proxy server identifies itself as a proxy server and also makes the original IP address available through the http headers. These are generally used for their ability to cache websites and do not effectively provide any anonymity to those who use them. However, the use of a transparent proxy will get you around simple IP bans. They are transparent in the terms that your IP address is exposed, not transparent in the terms that you do not know that you are using it (your system is not specifically configured to use it.)

Anonymous Proxy

This type of proxy server indentifies itself as a proxy server, but does not make the original IP address available. This type of proxy server is detectable, but provides reasonable anonymity for most users.

 High Anonymity Proxies

These proxy servers are called “high anonymity proxy” or "elite proxy". In contrast to other types of anonymity proxy servers they hide a fact of using a proxy:
REMOTE_ADDR = proxy IP
HTTP_VIA = not determined
HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR = not determined
That means that values of variables are the same as if proxy is not used, with the exception of one very important thing – proxy IP is used instead of your IP address.

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Basic Information About Proxies

Don't you just love the Internet? I mean, there's just so much knowledge and information available on it at a moment's notice that it may feel staggering at times. Looking for cooking recipes? Do a search - get results. Looking for good books to read? Do a search - get results. Interested in weapon manufacturing techniques? Well, you can see where this is going. You can find any type of information online, sometimes even potentially dangerous information. The expression "from a needle to a steam train" really has weight behind it when considering what the Internet has to offer. There's also a strange side to it. Since you can find literally any type of information online, you can find information about how to do damage online. Hacking, phishing, spying; you can find information about all that without much effort. Doesn't sound very encouraging, doesn't it? Well, luckily, there are ways to counter such potential threats and make your surfing experience even safer.

What are proxies?

Depending on your technical knowledge, you probably know that every computer on the Internet has a unique designation assigned to it when it connects online. It is called an IP address and it's basically a series of numbers and decimals that signify which Internet provider company you use for Internet access, what country you're in and even what city you're located in. Why is it necessary to have such sensitive data on something so easily available? Well, it's just a basic precaution. If we could compare it to something, we would compare it to fingerprints. If someone commits a felony, they can often be tracked to the crime by fingerprints. An IP address is a virtual fingerprint that links a user account online to an actual existing individual. It's very handy, but it can also be potentially exploited. To prevent the risk of IP address misuse, proxies are available for everyone to use. A proxy basically makes sure that your IP address can't be so easily detected.

What do proxies do?

Proxies are basically used through proxy servers which have their own IP addresses. In short, whenever you use a proxy server, you use their IP address. You still retain your own unique IP, but your actual visible IP address is the one the proxy server uses. Since some information is contained in an IP address, this can produce some amusing results. For instance, you could be sitting behind your computer in the UK and appear as though you're in Croatia, if the proxy server uses an IP address for that country. A lot of services actually use proxy servers by default. For instance, if you've ever used a modern chat client, you first connect to their proxy server before connecting to any other user. This ensures that not just anyone can get your real IP address.

So proxies make me truly anonymous?

To be blunt, no, using proxies does not make you truly anonymous. Using a proxy server simply adds an additional security layer to increase your own security while surfing. It's not an excuse to feel like you're undetectable while online and attempts to exploit proxies will be punished eventually. A proxy provider keeps a log of IP addresses that used their services, so there's always residual information remaining that can link a person to a certain activity that way. Fortunately, this happens very, very rarely and using proxy servers is just simple enough to warrant their usage as an added security layer.

Visit http://thefreewebproxies.com to learn more about Proxy technology and get your daily fix of free web proxy lists.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6965699

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Advantages and Désavantages of Proxy Servers

Advantages and Désavantages of Proxy Servers

Proxy servers are no different from web servers, as they help clients receive data from the parent servers. We have highlighted the pros and cons of using these servers, in this Buzzle article.
Advantages of a proxy server

 

Did You Know?
To build your own proxy server, you can choose software like CCProxy, WinGate Proxy, Squid, nginx, and the like.

Proxy servers are intermediate servers that provide clients access to the information stored on other servers like the Internet. In case any client seeks information from a different server, it will connect to a proxy server which, in turn, collects data from the main server and sends it to the requesting server. Let us take a look at the benefits of having such an arrangement.

Advantages

Hidden IP Address

Whenever any computer connects to a website, its IP (Internet Protocol) address is read by the website. If the client server wants to keep its identity under wraps, it can use a proxy server. This way, as there is no direct connection between the computer and the destination server, the IP is hidden. Thus, the client gets all the information it needs, anonymously.

Reduction of Load

As there is an intermediary server to fetch and display data, there is an immense reduction of load on the remote server. As the proxy server (a.k.a. caching server) has all the information that is requested by the client in its database, it doesn't have to connect to the remote server every time.

Control Over Services

With these servers, you can decide which services can be accessed by the user. You can choose the websites that can be connected from the main website and which cannot. If you create a proxy for an educational website, the user will be able to connect to this website via the proxy server. Similarly, if you don't add a proxy for a particular website, the user will never land on that page.

Security

While you are surfing the Internet, there is a huge possibility that you may land on any one of the malware infected websites. When you visit such a website, the malware replicates itself onto your system. Likewise, certain websites are gateways for hackers, and visiting them would put all your personal data at stake, due to the risk of hacking. In case of proxy servers, as your system doesn't directly talk to the websites, the administrator at the proxy end will be in a position to detect such threats, and not allow them to reach your system.

Speedy Internet Access

As mentioned earlier, the cache servers have most of your search results stored in its database. Thus, the next time you are looking for such information, the server returns the cached version of the website, instead of reconnecting to it. Thus, you experience faster Internet speeds in comparison to the non-proxy server setups.

Disadvantages

Though these servers provide some of the best features that make for an alluring user experience, they have certain shortcomings too.

Additional Investment

While large companies can afford to buy and use proxy servers, for a smaller firm it can be difficult to do so. Apart from installation, additional funds are required for maintenance and monitoring of the network.

Configuration

These servers are to be configured as per one's needs. So, there is some coding that needs to be done so as to make the proxy server suit one's requirements. Even if a single port is left open, it gives hackers a window to snoop onto your precious data.

Cache Data

Though caching of the data leads to faster Internet access, it is also true that the information displayed to the users is not the latest.

Proxy server settings are customized, and thus, its debugging can be a tedious task in case of any bugs. Having said that, the main reason behind using these servers is the secured access that it gives to its users.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-proxy-servers.html

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