The rate of criminal activities and insecurities found on the internet has inspired the development of several tools that help to keep internet users safe.
Some of these tools are proxies, and there are many out there, which are both a blessing and a curse.
It is a blessing because now users have several options for guaranteeing their online security. At the same time, it is not a blessing because the chances of getting confused are high in the multitude of choices.
This means that while you can now select a proxy from the several types available on the web, it can quickly get confusing when you try to decide which proxy to settle for.
This challenge has inspired us to highlight the two most common types of proxies, describe their different versions, and check out their differences. This is to help you make better decisions more quickly and with little stress.
What Is A Proxy Server?
A proxy server can best be described as an intermediary computer with its internet protocol (IP) address and location that keeps you anonymous and helps you stay safe while on the internet.
A typical proxy performs the above task using its IP and location instead of yours to forward your requests and return results. Doing this hides your IP and location, making it impossible for both the target websites and intruders to see you when you are online.
But proxies don’t just stop there; they also use specific mechanisms to make your browsing faster. For instance, proxies can ensure that not all requests interact with the target websites to collect data by storing and using caches.
When caches are stored, proxies can access them and collect data for similar queries instead of interacting with the target server again.
By concealing your IP and helping you switch your location, proxies also play the critical role of helping you jump past geo-restrictions. That way, you can access any server from any part of the world, regardless of restrictions.
How Are Proxy Servers Used In Business?
Proxies have grown in their application because they are beneficial to both individuals and businesses. Some of the ways that proxy servers are used in businesses include:
- Improving Corporate Security
Proxy servers can serve as the primary line of defense between a brand and online criminals. They can do this first by concealing IPs and locations. This way, no one on the internet can detect the brand online or steal their data.
Secondly, proxies act as a firewall with a filter system. This means that every time data is being transferred back and forth, proxies interfere, read, and screen the data for malware. Hackers sometimes send out this harmful file which can infiltrate a computer and steal data once it enters it.
Proxy servers stop them before reaching the user’s computer or network, boosting their security.
- Guaranteeing Anonymity
Staying anonymous is one of the cleverest ways of evading prying eyes. In today’s world of growing technological techniques, it has become relatively easy for online scoundrels and even competitors to keep an eye out and watch or monitor your activities online.
Proxies help to mask your IP and location, the two most essential items for identifying you online.
- Bypassing Geo-Restrictions
Smaller brands can scrape local content and be satisfied with their results when they use the local data to make business decisions.
However, bigger businesses or brands aspiring to go global do not have such luxuries. They need to harvest data from websites in other parts of the world.
And if the business is located in some forbidden location, it is often straightforward for the target servers to deny them access to their content.
Proxy servers often solve this problem by hiding the brand’s original IP and switching their location to a more favorable region.
Once this is done, the brands can extract data from formerly restricted websites without challenges.
Key Difference between HTTP and SOCKS Protocols and Proxies
Proxy types such as SOCKS and HTTP proxies are well known for their flexibility and reliability on the web. And while both proxies function ultimately to keep you safe and anonymous, there is still a world of difference between them.
The SOCKS protocol stands for Secure Sockets and is popular because it satisfies general needs. This means that you can use this protocol with any traffic, connection, browser, program, and operating system without discrimination.
Another thing with SOCKS protocols is that they are great at creating TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) connections between users and different servers without downing the integrity of the firewall that protects the users.
On the other hand, HTTP protocols function at a higher security layer than SOCKS proxies. This makes them highly selective of what type of traffic or connection they allow.
However, they are much better at reading data and allowing a seamless connection using only HTTP connections.
The critical difference between both protocols exists in the general application of SOCKS proxies which is absent in HTTP proxies.
A second difference is that while SOCKS protocols operate at layer 5 and above, the security layer for HTTP protocol only starts at layer 7.
Differences between HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS4, and SOCKS5 Proxy Types
HTTP and SOCKS4 proxies are older versions of HTTP and SOCKS protocols, respectively. These versions lack security and authentication methods, as is common in the newer versions such as an HTTPS and SOCKS5 proxy. We suggest that you check out this product at Oxylabs.
Let us see the differences between HTTPS and SOCKS protocols in a tabular form for easier comprehension.
| Differences | HTTP Protocols | SOCKS Protocols |
| Functionality | Functions through an HTTP protocol and valuable only in extracting data using a web browser | It does not function through an HTTP connection and is more general in its functionality. |
| Data Security | There is a high chance of having your data spied on, especially by the proxy provider. | Generally does not read your data. Hence, there are lower chances of having your data spied upon |
| Connection Speed | Public and free HTTP protocols are often relatively slow. The private ones have a better connection speed. | SOCKS protocol, especially a SOCKS5 proxy, is generic and guarantees a faster connection |
| Compatibility with Tools | HTTP proxies can connect and work efficiently with several tools | There are predefined tools that SOCKS protocol select and connect with |
Conclusion
The easiest way to overcome the stress of being on the internet today is to protect yourself and stay anonymous. Several proxies can help you do this, including HTTPS and SOCKS proxies.
These have their differences and advantages, but the best way to decide which to use is to determine what you need a proxy for and what tools you will be connecting with.
