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You've probably heard of a web proxy tool, but what exactly is it? And how does it assist you in browsing anonymously and accessing restricted content? Continue reading, and you'll be sneaking around content blocks and hiding like a pro in no time.
To create no further confusion, before understanding what a web proxy tool is, you need to learn what a proxy server is. A proxy server is a server that acts as a bridge between your computer and the rest of the internet. As you connect to the proxy server, it provides access to your desired while concealing your identity which means hiding your IP address and geographic location.
A web proxy tool allows you to connect to a proxy server. Multiple websites can provide you with a free web proxy by letting you connect to their proxy server and browse anonymously. Depending on your use proxy servers can provide varying levels of functionality, security, and privacy and can be of great use at a personal level and for the company as well.
The proxy server looks through its cache for all the previous pages you've visited. If it finds your current request in its memory, it will return it to you without using the public internet. If it can't find it, the server will use one of its IP addresses to request the page you're looking for. The website that hosts this page only sees your server's IP address (not yours) and sends the page data to the server, which then sends it to you.
When you use a proxy server through a web proxy tool, internet traffic passes through it on its way to the address you requested. The request is then routed through the same proxy server, and the proxy server forwards the data received from the website to you. In simple terms, web proxy tools offer anonymity to their users by modifying their IP address, making it much more difficult to determine their geographical location.
A quality web proxy tool offers a lightning-speed service that is almost undetectable. A Web Proxy Tool is used for a variety of reasons by businesses and individuals. Some of them are mentioned below:
To keep an eye on the internet usage of children and employees
Most organizations do not want their employees to be lurking around the internet and wasting their time on social media and recreational or adult websites during working time. The Web proxy tool will allow you to deny access to specific sites by redirecting the user to a nice note asking them to refrain from looking at said sites during working hours. With a web proxy tool, in addition to knowing what sites your child is visiting, you can also monitor how much time they spend on specific websites.
A good proxy server through a web proxy tool can also help improve overall network performance. Proxy servers can save a copy of the website locally, that is, cache popular websites. For instance, if you request www.xxyyzz.com, the proxy server will check to see if it has the most recent copy, and then send you the saved copy.
This means that when hundreds of people use the same proxy server to access www.xxyyzz.com at the same time, it will only send one request to xxyyzz.com. This results in saving bandwidth and improving network performance.
Individuals and businesses alike use web proxy tools to browse the internet more privately. Some proxy servers will alter the IP address and other locations and identities revealing information contained in the web request. This means that the destination server has no idea who made the original request, which keeps the personal information and browsing habits of the Web proxy tool private.
In addition to privacy benefits, using proxy servers through web proxy tools provides a ton of security benefits. To prevent the prying eyes of hackers from reading your transactions, configure your proxy server to encrypt web requests. You can also block known malware sites from being accessed and also combine their proxy server with a Virtual Private Network (VPN) so that remote users can always access the internet through the company’s server.
Web Proxy Tools also enable users to bypass content restrictions imposed by businesses or governments. Is the online game blacked out in your country? Connect to a proxy server on the other side of the continent and play the game for hours! The proxy server makes you appear hundreds of miles away from your actual location.
Several governments around the world closely monitor and restrict internet access, and proxy servers through Web Proxy Tools can offer citizens uncensored internet access. Now that you understand why individuals and organizations use proxy servers, consider the risks listed below.
As mentioned above, while Web Proxy tools have an array of benefits, when opting for such tools, you must keep in mind a few of their common risks that might cancel out their potential benefits.
Using a free web proxy tool, even those with advertisement-based revenue models can be extremely dangerous. They usually made no effort or investment in backend hardware or encryption. Almost certainly, there will be performance issues as well as potential data security issues. It is suggested to proceed with caution if you come across a completely "free" proxy server.
You might as well not use a proxy server at all if you don't use an encrypted one. Your requests are sent in plain text if they are not encrypted. Anyone who is keeping an eye will be able to obtain usernames, passwords, and account information from your server with ease. Ensure that the proxy server you use provides full encryption.
The Web Proxy Tool has your original IP address and possibly unencrypted web request information saved locally. Make sure to check if your proxy server logs and saves that data, as well as what kind of retention or law enforcement cooperation policies they subscribe to. If you expect to use a proxy server for privacy but the vendor only logs and sells your data, you might be getting deceived in the name of anonymity and security.
You might be wondering why an online tool that provides such a useful aid through a highly technical process must be somewhat difficult to use. The answer is no! The Web proxy tool is a piece of cake when it comes to usage. And by following a basic procedure of just a couple of steps, you can conceal your IP address and geographical location through a Web Proxy Tool.
Ans: Web Proxy Tool is an online service, paid or unpaid, that provides a proxy server for internet browsing.
Ans: Virtual Private Networks (VPN) can be considered a type of proxy server. While a standalone proxy handles network traffic, a VPN goes above and beyond by concealing the data being transmitted.
Ans: There are various popular proxy tools; for example, the TOR Network is a proxy that provides a high level of privacy and anonymity when browsing the internet.
