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2Privacy.com - Free IP & Privacy Tests and all about Privacy Protection!
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Proxy servers
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A proxy server is a kind of buffer between your computer and the Internet resource(s) you are accessing. The data you request come to the proxy first, and only then it transmits the data to you. A proxy server receives a request for an Internet service (such as a web page request) from a user. If the proxy server is also a cache server, it can use its local cache of previously downloaded web pages to provide the page without forwarding the request to the Internet. If the page is not in the cache, the proxy server uses one of its own IP addresses to request the page from the server on the Internet. When the page is returned, the proxy server relates it to the original request and forwards it to the user.
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Why should I use proxy servers?
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Security and privacy. Anonymous proxy servers hide your IP address saving you from vulnerabilities concerned with it. So you can safely surf the web and your information will never be used by hackers and spammers.
Speed improvement: Proxy servers accumulate and save files that are most often requested by thousands of Internet users in a special database, called cache. Therefore, proxy servers are able to increase the speed of your connection to the Internet. The cache of a proxy server may already contain information you need by the time of your request, making it possible for the proxy to deliver it immediately.
Sometimes you may encounter problems while accessing to web server when server administrator restricted access from your IP or even from wide IP range (for example restricting access from certain countries or geographical regions). You can try to access those pages using an anonymous proxy server.
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What types of proxy servers exist?
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There are several types of proxies. Proxy of each type is designed to solve its specific tasks, however they have much in common, and their abilities coincide in many features.
HTTP proxy server is a proxy allowing to work on the Internet with HTTP and (not always) FTP protocols. It can carry out caching of information downloaded from the Internet.
Now HTTP proxy servers are the most widespread. Their support (ability to use them) is included into many programs: browsers, download managers etc. However, their support is not realized at a level of an operating system - in order to use them, you should configure all programs, which should use proxies, in an appropriate way. HTTP proxy servers have several anonymity levels.
SOCKS is a networking proxy protocol that enables hosts on one side of a SOCKS server to gain full access to hosts on the other side of the SOCKS server without requiring direct IP-reachability. SOCKS is often used as a network firewall, redirecting connection requests from hosts on opposite sides of a SOCKS server. The SOCKS server authenticates and authorizes requests, establishes a proxy connection, and relays data between hosts. There are two major versions of SOCKS: SOCKS4 and
SOCKS5.
For more information, see: SOCKS Overview and SOCKS FAQ
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Anonymity of HTTP Proxy
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•Transparent - these proxies are not anonymous. They don't hide IP-address of a client and let a web server know that you are surfing through a proxy server. The task of such proxies, as a rule, is information caching and/or support of Internet access for several computers via single connection. Such proxies are not applicable for security and privacy while surfing on net. You can use them only for network speed improvement.
•Anonymous - these proxies don't show your real IP but change the request fields so it is very easy to detect that you are using proxy.
•High Anonymous - these proxy servers do not pass an IP-address of a client and don't send any variables indicating that you are using proxy server to host and look like real browser.
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Question of the Day
• What are cookies and how do they work?
A cookie is a piece of data which often includes an unique identifier, that is sent to your browser from a web site you visit, stores as a file on your computer, identifies you as a unique user and track your web usage. There are two commonly known types of cookies. One is called a "session" or "non-persistent cookie." It is a cookie that only exists as long as your session on the web site lasts and expires as soon as you leave the web site. It is used to facilitate your activities within that site. The second type of cookie is a "persistent cookie". It exists beyond the life of your session and may live for months or years. A persistent cookie is created in order to recognize users when they return to a website. It enables the site to offer a customized experience tailored to that user - such as remembering your name and password on protected login pages. Cookie data is stored on the user's hard drive. The filename is different for each platform. For example, on Windows machines, cookie data is stored in *.txt files. A web site may set an expiration date for a cookie it delivers. If no expiration date is specified, the cookie is deleted when the user closes the browser.
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