Here's Why You Should Consider Using a Proxy Server

Most people are not always curious to find out how the internet operates. However, compromising your security online is a significant risk by clicking on presumably harmless videos and pictures or some exciting ads. To browse the internet, it is highly likely that you may be on a proxy server, whether it is through a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or from your work office. To get started quickly, read this ExpressVPN activation guide. But obviously VPN might not be suitable for all of us, so continue reading and we’ll teach you everything you need to know about proxy servers.

Understanding Proxy Servers

Proxy servers are essentially the link that allows access to the internet. You could think of it as a temporary server that serves as a boundary between the sites and the users. These servers are designed to offer you some privacy and security level, usually following your requirements or institutional policies.

As soon as you request access to a particular webpage, the data is relayed through the proxy server to the target website. The information is then sent back from the website through the same channel to your device. It might seem like a trivial process considering that you could channel your requests without a proxy.

However, in this day and age, proxy servers have more functionality besides channelling web requests. They can serve as filters or firewalls where they limit access to certain websites of your choosing. They can also speed up connectivity while offering you a much-needed layer of privacy whenever you decide to browse online.

Reasons for Using a Proxy Server

As mentioned earlier, proxy servers offer you security, privacy, and better speeds as you browse online. There are a few more reasons why a proxy server is used. Let's take a look.

Limiting Access to Certain Internet Websites

It isn't strange to find that individual companies have established proxies that aim to monitor their staff's online activities. Parents also use proxy servers to restrict access to certain websites that their kids may wander into as they browse the web. A significant number of companies also restrict access to certain websites as their policies do not allow for this during work hours.

In case you try to access the blocked sites , you will be redirected to a page letting you know that access to the site has been denied. Through these proxy servers, these companies can keep a record of all your web requests detailing how many times you tried to access a particular website and how long you spent trying to do so.

Accessing Blocked Content

Using proxies also enables you to go around the different restrictions that may have been put in place by strict company environments, such as financial institutions and telecommunication companies. You can do this by accessing a proxy server from a different location, after which you can view the blocked site.

Ideally, the proxy shows that you are in another place much further from your actual location. This way, you can gain access to almost all the restricted content. According to testers, you can also use some high-quality VPN services to access blocked content as VPNs and proxies work similarly by masking your device IP address.