What Is A Private Proxy
What Is a Private Proxy? [Quick Guide 2021] – Blog | Oxylabs
A private proxy acts as an intermediary between a client and the internet. Applying a private proxy means that one client is exclusively using the dedicated IP address at a given time. When a private proxy is in use, requests run through the proxy server (which masks the client’s original IP address) first, and only then connects to the internet resources to fulfill client’s requests.
Whenever you connect to the internet, your IP address allows other websites to track your browsing activity, regardless of its nature. The only way to stay anonymous is knowing how to hide IP address, and this is where private proxies come in handy.
When it comes to proxies, there are a few different types of proxies one can look into:
Residential proxiesDatacenter proxiesShared proxiesPrivate proxies
Also, exclusivity is something that defines their quality and, usually, the price. That’s why most proxy providers offer shared, semi-dedicated and private proxies. Shared proxies can have their own benefits but usually buying private proxies is the way to go as the former can experience significant slowdowns, reduced privacy and increased chances of blocked IPs. Today, we’re taking a closer look at private ones.
What is a private proxy?
A private proxy, also known as dedicated proxy, refers to a proxy type that is used only by one user at a given time. It’s not shared with anyone else, so you have full control over how and when this proxy is used.
A private proxy carries an exclusive IP address allocated to one single user. Since the IP address belongs to one person only, there’s no need to be cautious about other proxy users performing activities that might lead to the IP blocking by specific websites, thus preventing you from accessing the same websites. Owning a proxy privately gives an increased level of privacy and control over your proxy, but it also comes with higher prices compared to shared and public proxies.
Private proxies for personal and business needs
Private proxies provide you with the highest level of anonymity, and that’s why they are used not only for personal but also for business purposes. While personal use cases usually involve anonymity and you can setup your Chrome browser to use a proxy which will route all traffic via a specific endpoint, business uses are more sophisticated.
For example, ad verification companies use private proxies to check advertisers’ landing pages anonymously. Or, let’s take travel fare aggregators whose businesses almost entirely depend on private proxies. For travel fare aggregators proxies enable automated data collection of flight company websites, online travel agencies, and other sources without IP blocks or bans.
Private proxies are also used to get pricing data (e. g. for MAP monitoring), buy limited edition products, create and manage social media accounts, and for many other reasons. Of course, to perform these tasks with the use of proxies requires users to understand the differences between residential and datacenter proxies. Residential private proxies are better when imitating an average internet user is important while datacenter proxies are better when high internet connection speeds are required.
Private residential and datacenter proxies
Proxies differ not only by their usage but also by their point of origin. Two common points of origin are residential and datacenter proxies. Both of these types can also be shared or private proxies.
Residential proxies are servers that are created by Internet Service Providers. These proxies are hosted on real, physical machines and they provide a dedicated IP. Additionally, these private IPs are the best choice for ad verification, pricing intelligence data gathering and many other internet activities where maintaining the identity of a regular consumer is critical.
What is a residential proxy? A residential proxy is a dedicated IP address provided by an Internet Service Provider to a homeowner. It is a genuine IP address attached to a real physical machine.
Datacenter proxies, on the other hand, are created by hosting virtual machines on powerful servers. One server can host large amounts of proxies without compromising connection speeds. These private IPs are perfect when traffic-intensive activities (such as email protection or market research) are being performed.
What is a datacenter proxy? A datacenter proxy is a virtual IP address created by a server. These dedicated IP addresses are generally provided by businesses instead of Internet Service Providers.
Dedicated IPs from datacenter proxies do have a drawback – they all come from the same subnet. Destination servers can see that a large amount of similar dedicated IPs are using their services which might trigger anti-bot detection algorithms.
Understanding the differences between datacenter and residential proxies is incredibly important whenever a decision to buy a private proxy is being made. We have outlined these differences in greater detail in our blog post where we compare datacenter and residential proxies in general.
The advantages of using a private proxy
Private & secure
The main benefit of private proxies is that, well, they are, in fact, private. If you buy these proxies, no one else will have access to them. By using private proxies you’ll face little to no risk of having your personal information compromised which gives you a higher level of ivate proxies will always show up as a different IP address than your usual one. Residential private proxies will provide an additional layer of privacy as it will seem as if a regular internet user is browsing the Internet.
Multiple locations
Usually, private proxy providers offer IP addresses from various locations. This enables you to access content that may otherwise be unavailable in your location. For example, use a Germany proxy to access content in Germany, or Brazil proxy, to browse the web as if you were in Brazil. This can come in handy for multiple occasions. For instance, if your target website uses geo-blocks or if you want to get localized SERP data.
Extremely fast
Private proxies won’t negatively affect your browsing speed. They are assigned to one user, so there’s a little chance of the bandwidth overload. Private proxies are also more reliable than shared ones and, in most cases, have unlimited bandwidth. If a datacenter private IP proxy is chosen, the internet speeds will be extremely high as servers generally have an enviable internet connection plan.
Wrapping up
The main downside is that private proxies are usually more expensive. However, they come with many benefits. If you’re interested, we suggest you read our dedicated IP vs shared IP article to understand the main differences between shared and private proxy types.
Using private proxies proved to be the most reliable option for many of our clients. If you want to find out how proxies can boost your business, discover other useful tools for data acquisition, decide what to choose according to your business needs: proxies or a scraping API, we have many great blog posts available!
Lukas Motiejunas is an Account Manager at Oxylabs, and he places a strong personal interest in the market research field. Mainly, in the merge of business sector and digital tools utilization to distinguish the most effective practices to carry out automated market research operations. So if you have any questions relating to market research, he’s your guy to answer them. Lukas believes that he has a hidden talent to be a great chef, although rumor has it, he uses the smoke alarm as a timer.
All information on Oxylabs Blog is provided on an “as is” basis and for informational purposes only. We make no representation and disclaim all liability with respect to your use of any information contained on Oxylabs Blog or any third-party websites that may be linked therein. Before engaging in scraping activities of any kind you should consult your legal advisors and carefully read the particular website’s terms of service or receive a scraping license.
What’s The Difference Between a Proxy and a VPN? – Varonis
The Internet can be a scary place: we’re under near constant attack from ransomware and botnets – on work computers, personal devices, even smart home devices like thermostats and baby monitors.
If you’re security conscious, you might be thinking about setting up a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or a proxy server.
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Proxy and VPN Defined
Both VPNs and proxies enable a higher degree of privacy than you might otherwise have, allowing you to access the internet anonymously by hiding your IP in various ways. But how they do that is quite different.
A proxy acts as a gateway – it’s ideal for basic functions like anonymous web browsing and managing (or circumventing) content restrictions. Proxy servers excel at IP masking and misdirection, making them good for viewing geographically limited content. They allow users to bypass content restrictions and monitoring, or enforce website content restrictions – so that you can’t log into certain web pages on company time.
A VPN client on your computer establishes a secure tunnel with the VPN server, replacing your local ISP routing. VPN connections encrypt and secure all of your network traffic, not just the HTTP or SOCKS calls from your browser like a proxy server.
VPNs are great when you need to use the WIFI at a local coffee shop: using a VPN instead of the potentially completely unencrypted local WIFI adds another layer of privacy – who knows who is lurking on that network, just sitting in the corner sipping coffee and waiting to steal your credit card digits?
Proxy and VPN Drawbacks
If you’re using proxy servers to mask your internet activity, you might see performance issues that prevent you from streaming or downloading the thing you are trying to get. High ping times and other traffic on the proxy server can cause web pages to load slowly. For this reason, some users pay for a private proxy server which limits the number of users that access it, speeding up your connections.
Proxies are also vulnerable to security exploits: they can be open to attack, allowing the bad guys to infiltrate networks or steal private data. Some proxies can still track (and store) your browsing habits, as well as recording usernames and passwords – rendering that promise of anonymity null.
VPNs can also suffer from performance issues, depending on proximity to the VPN server you’re connecting with. VPNs use a local client to create the connection to the VPN server, so any local CPU or memory issues will slow down the connections. VPNs are typically more expensive to use (and maintain) than a proxy server, and they are often more complex to manage.
Just like proxy servers, VPNs can’t guarantee anonymity while browsing. Neither of these services will always encrypt your traffic all the way to the web server. A VPN only guarantees an end-to-end encrypted connection if you use the HTTPS protocol when you go to a new web address. Your data will be encrypted to the VPN, but from that point on, it could be unencrypted to the web server. For some sites, this may be irrelevant: an information-only webpage with no login or payment options for example, but for any sites that require a login or online payments – or any sensitive data – make sure the website is enabled to use HTTPS. Remember, the S stands for moderately more secure.
Proxy and VPN Benefits
The biggest argument to use a VPN instead of a proxy is the total encryption for all traffic you get with the VPN. Dollar for dollar, a VPN is more secure than a similarly priced proxy. VPN providers maintain their own networks and you use their IP addresses for your connections. The top VPN providers advertise a logless policy, which means they don’t have data to provide to anyone about your browsing habits.
If you’re an IT business owner charged with the security of data and users, there are advantages to both, and you likely have both configured for your company. For users in the network, you might route traffic through a proxy server to log web traffic, protect the organization from malware or other attacks, and enforce a web content policy.
When users are operating out of the office, you will want to use a VPN to create a secure connection to access the company resources (email, internal shares, etc. ).
Proxy vs VPN: Which is Right for me?
Privacy and security matter these days, regardless of if it’s your company data or your own personal data you need to protect. Make sure you’re investing time and money into the correct tools for your security goals: both proxies and VPNs add an additional layer of security and privacy to your data.
If you want to enable your team to work remotely with secure access to the company resources, set up and maintain a VPN users to access the network with the VPN.
If your concerns are more around “what websites are my users hitting, ” a proxy server is a better tool.
To get the most bang for the buck (and to protect your data as a security-aware citizen), sign up for a well-regarded VPN service. For the most part, VPN services allow you to use servers in different locations to work around content restrictions. If you need to use a free proxy server occasionally for that purpose as well, just be aware of the risks.
If you’re just starting to implement your data security strategy on an enterprise level, there are more complex attack vectors to account for. Insider threats, APTs, privileged account escalations – along with plain old social engineering – are just as dangerous to your data as an unencrypted data stream.
Neither a proxy nor a VPN will protect you from 100% of the cybersecurity threats your company will encounter: they won’t stop an insider from stealing personal data, a ransomware attack, or a coordinated infiltration effort.
Varonis Edge adds perimeter telemetry to security analytics – monitoring proxy, VPN, and DNS to help bridge that gap: you’ll be able to see when an attacker breaks through a VPN, get alerts when sensitive data is uploaded to external websites, more. See how it works with a 1:1 demo – and discover how Varonis helps secure your data from perimeter attacks.
10 Best Dedicated Proxy Services of 2021 – Blackdown
It’s no secret that many people behave differently on the internet than they would in real life because they think nobody can learn their identity. You can say and do whatever you want as long as no one knows who you are, right? Well, at first glance it may seem like we’re all anonymous on the internet but that’s not really the case. Unless you’re using some type of application that can hide your IP, there are a lot of people out there who could easily track your location if they really wanted to.
Most casual internet users will probably not go through the trouble of tracking your IP but there are certain individuals and organizations who might. Your data is more important than you think even if you’re just an average Joe and there are a lot of people who would love to get their hands on it. Luckily, there are ways to prevent that. You can efficiently hide your IP, and consequently your identity, by using a proxy service.
Top Dedicated Proxies Providers
In addition to strengthening your online security, proxies can also be used for a wide variety of other purposes. A few examples include web scraping, accessing geo-locked content, SEO research, web marketing, bulk account creation, and many more. Although some of these services are available for free, I strongly suggest looking into the premium options because they’re a lot more reliable.
Luminati – There’s a very good reason why Luminati is hands down the most popular provider of dedicated proxies around.
My Private Proxy – MPP Group has been providing reliable proxy services for nearly a decade.
Storm Proxies – Lots of features to work with, including three different methods of IP rotation.
High Proxies – A versatile provider that offers great prices for bulk purchases.
Squid Proxies – A bit more expensive than some of its direct competitors but you can still expect great value for your money.
Proxy-n-VPN – This is a very good option if you’re looking for reliable data center dedicated proxies.
InstantProxies – A cheap and straightforward service that will give you access to your proxies instantly after signing up.
SSL Private Proxy – The company offers great discounts to customers who subscribe to the service for several months in advance.
Shifter – Very popular provider that offers quality services but charges a bit too much for them.
YourPrivateProxy – Another decent option if you’re looking to purchase dedicated proxies in bulk.
Remember – Each of the companies on this list specializes in certain types of services. We took that into account, along with a number of other factors, when compiling this list. Make sure to check out all our picks because your ideal proxy provider might not be at the top of the list.
1. Luminati
Luminati is the biggest provider of proxy services around. The company has a pool of well over 40 million IPs if you include all the different types of proxies it has at its disposal. Luminati offers both rotating and static residential proxies, along with with a couple of other services like mobile proxies and data center proxies. You can expect a lot of great features such as load balancing and an advanced proxy manager by signing up with Luminati. However, you can also expect to pay quite a bit for the company’s premium services.
Regardless of whether you want to go with residential, data center, or mobile proxies, Lumanti gives you the option of choose between shared and private (or exclusive) IPs. The former gives you access to the company’s entire network and allows you to rotate between different countries, cities, and internet service providers. Meanwhile, private IPs can be used to exclusively target a specific domain or group of websites. The static residential package, in particular, is a great choice for dedicated proxies enthusiasts because it offers IPs that come directly from internet service providers, which makes it nearly impossible to get blocked or blacklisted.
Although Luminati has plenty to offer, its prices are definitely not for everyone. There’s a minimum monthly commitment of $500 for residential and mobile proxies. That translates to $12. 50/GB and $30/GB for residential and mobile proxies, respectively. Static residential proxies also feature a pay as you go system, however, choosing it may end up costing you a bit more depending on your monthly usage because this option will set you back $20/GB. If you’re not sure if this is something you want to invest in, you can test it out for yourself first as Luminati offers a free 7-day trial.
2. My Private Proxy
My Private Proxy, otherwise known as MPP Group, is a very popular provider that specializes in fast and relatively cheap proxy services. The company has been around for nearly a decade at this point and offers access to a pool of over 140, 000 dedicated IPs. My Private Proxy primarily operates across the United States but also has a good number of proxies spread across Europe and other parts of North America. Although the company also sells shared proxies, private IPs are definitely its bread and butter.
An interesting feature of MPP Group is that they offer both general-purpose private proxies as well as packages designed for specific types of websites. Its sneaker proxies, in particular, are often touted as being the best on the market right now. In addition, you can also find PokemonGo proxies and Ticketing proxies. Customers are allowed to authenticate up to 10 different IP addresses per private proxy and can request new proxies free of charge once per billing cycle.
You can get a private proxy from MPP Group for as little as $2. 49 per month, though you won’t have multiple locations and subnets to work with if you go for the basic package. Those features, along with additional proxies, are available with any of the other packages, which can range in price from as little as $11. 75/mo to as much as $2. 500/mo. As far as the sneaker proxies are concerned, the basic package will cost you $65 per month and includes 22 proxies. Meanwhile, the ticketing proxies will set you back $390 per month for the basic package.
3. Storm Proxies
Established back in 2016 by a group of SEO enthusiasts, Storm Proxies is one of the youngest providers of dedicated proxy services on this list. Don’t let its age fool you, though, because this is a very reliable provider that offers a number of interesting features. As of right now, Storm Proxies has a network of over 70, 000 IP addresses spread across Europe and the United States. Unlike other providers, Storm Proxies has its own server network, so the company owns 100% of its IP addresses.
If you’re looking for rotating dedicated proxies, you’re going to love Storm Proxies. Regardless of which package you purchase, you will gain access to three types of proxies – new IP with every HTTP request, new IP every 3 minutes, and new IP every 15 minutes. Rotating proxies come with unlimited bandwidth and are optimized for SEO tools, web scraping, traffic bots, ad verification, market research, and bulk accounts registration. In addition to rotating dedicated proxies, the company also offers general dedicated proxies, which are highly anonymous and optimized for maximum speed and performance.
The pricing system differs depending on which type of service you’re looking to buy. For general dedicated proxies, you pay for a certain number of proxies. For rotating proxies, you pay for a certain number of simultaneous connections (or threads). The basic package for general dedicated proxies comes with 5 private proxies and will only set you back $10 per month. At most, you can expect to pay $400 per month for a package containing 400 proxies. Meanwhile, $39 per month will get you the basic rotating proxies package, which comes with 40 simultaneous connections. At most, you can get 150 threads for $97 per month.
4. High Proxies
High Proxies is another great option for anybody who is looking for a premium service provider. The company has servers in key locations around the world and is constantly looking to improve the speed and performance of its services. Speaking of which, there are quite a few services to choose from here. In addition to private proxies, the company also has shared proxies, data center proxies, social media proxies, and even VPNs.
High Proxies has a pretty expansive network that contains more than 25, 000 IP addresses, all of which are highly anonymous. The provider supports IP whitelisting, includes unlimited bandwidth with all packages, and guarantees 99% uptime. If you’re looking for sneaker proxies, you’re out of luck with this one because the service doesn’t play well with those types of websites. If you’re looking for social media or ticketing proxies, on the other hand, High Proxies is an excellent choice.
Prices here are comparable to those of Storm Proxies. Namely, you can get a basic package that contains a single proxy for just $2. 30 a month, however, this plan doesn’t come with multiple subnets and locations. You would need to purchase one of the other packages for that, the cheapest of which costs $11. 50 per month. If you’re interested in a bulk purchase you won’t be disappointed because High Proxies lets you purchase up to 1000 private proxies in one go. As far as social media and ticketing proxies are concerned, prices here start at $3. 20/mo and $325/mo, respectively.
5. Squid Proxies
Squid Proxies is a veteran provider that offers solid proxies at reasonable prices. The cost is a bit higher compared to some of the other companies on this list but Squid Proxies is considered a premium provider so you do get what you pay for. The company has a very impressive network that includes numerous locations not just across Europe and the US, but also parts of Asia, Australia, and India. An interesting thing to note about Squid Proxies is that the company is prepared to fully refund customers for proxies that fail to work as advertised for any reason.
Dedicated proxies benefit from high speeds of up to 1 GB/s and unlimited bandwidth. Customers can expect to have access to multiple subnets from various cities around the world along with non-sequential IPs. The service is extremely simple to set up as it requires no advanced configuration – simply specify the IP address and port in your browser and you’re good to go. Squid Proxies offers fresh new proxies free of charge during every billing cycle for customers who request them.
As far as the pricing is concerned, you can get your hands on a basic package of private proxies for $24 per month. The basic package includes 10 proxies and access to multiple subnets and locations. There are 8 additional packages to choose from, each of which comes with a lot more proxies than the last, as well as access to more cities and subnets. Naturally, these packages are quite a bit more expensive. Overall, the price per proxy is comparable to some of the other companies on this list, however, there’s a little drawback in the fact that it’s not possible to purchase a single proxy.
6. Proxy-n-VPN
Just as its name suggests, this company offers both proxy and VPN services. The private proxies here come from data centers, so they’re not residential IP addresses. However, the data centers that host these IPs are owned by Proxy-n-VPN itself so there’s no need to worry about their reliability. The company has 30 data centers in major US cities along with a handful of others that are scattered across Europe, Canada, and Israel.
Proxy-n-VPN offers all the essential features you would expect from a major provider. This includes unlimited bandwidth, highly anonymous proxies, non-sequential IPs, a 99. 99% uptime guarantee, a dedicated control panel, and 24/7 customer support. The company also has a 3-day money-back guarantee refund policy, which is always nice to see. In addition to private proxies, Proxy-n-VPN also offers ticketing proxies, social media proxies, shopping proxies, and even gaming proxies. In short, this is a one-stop-shop for all your proxy-related needs.
Proxy-n-VPN offers private proxies at competitive prices that start at $2. 35/mo for a basic package that includes a single proxy. Alternatively, you can purchase proxies in bulk if you don’t mind spending more. You can get anywhere between 5 proxies to 1000 proxies for anywhere $11. 50 and $1, 390 per month, depending on the package. Meanwhile, social media proxies have fairly similar prices, which start at $2. 80 per month and ticketing proxies will set you back $270 per month for the cheapest package, which comes with 100 proxies.
7. InstantProxies
InstantProxies is a simple and straightforward service that has been around for many years. The name isn’t just for show because the setup process is actually almost instantaneous. Simply complete a purchase and you will receive a notification email less than a minute afterward. Click the link in the email and you’ll be automatically logged into the service and ready to use your newly acquired proxies. A nice feature offered by the company is the ability to test your proxies before buying them without having to create an account.
At first glance, InstantProxies may not seem too remarkable but that simplicity is actually one of its main selling points. There are no fancy features here but the company covers its bases by offering fast speeds, unlimited bandwidth, good subnet variety, 99% uptime guarantee, and an advanced control panel. The company’s proxies work exclusively through IP authentication and the maximum number of connections is limited to 10, so there are some downsides. However, those disadvantages are offset by the very low prices.
InstantProxies charges just $10 per month for the basic package, which comes with 10 proxies, 2 cities, and multiple subnets to choose from. That translates to only $1 per proxy. The pricing for the rest of the packages is equally straightforward – the $25 plan includes 25 IPs, the $50 plan includes 50 IPs, and so on. At most, you can get a $500 package that comes with 500 IPs. Naturally, the more expensive packages also include a lot more locations and subnets.
8. SSL Private Proxy
SSL Private Proxy is another reliable service that offers a very good bang for your buck. The company boasts a strong network of over 120, 000 IPs and mainly operates across the US, though there are a few locations spread across Europe as well. SSL Private Proxy has an excellent selection of services, which include not just dedicated proxies but also shared proxies, Instagram proxies, gaming proxies, ticketing proxies, VPNs, and more. That’s the sort of variety more companies should strive for.
All proxies are hosted on fast dedicated servers with high-end specs so performance will not be an issue here. The company promises 99. 99% uptime and two types of IP authentication systems – IP whitelisting and username/password. Customers can also expect unlimited bandwidth, non-sequential IPs, monthly randomization, and an advanced control panel. An interesting thing to note about SSL Private Proxy is that a good portion of its data centers run on wind power and the company is currently looking for additional ways to support clean energy.
As far as the pricing is concerned, SSL Private Proxy is a bit more expensive than some of its competitors but its packages are overall fairly affordable. A basic plan that includes 5 proxies will only set you back $15 per month while a package that comes with 10 proxies goes for $29 per month. On average, that’s $3 per proxy, which isn’t too bad. In addition, you can benefit from some very nice discounts that can range anywhere between 20 and 50% by subscribing to the service for several months in advance.
Shifter is already a household name among proxy users at this point as the company has been operating since 2012. The provider has amassed a very impressive P2P network over the years that can rival even that of other big names like Luminati. Unlike Luminati, however, Shifter offers a smaller selection of services. Namely, backconnect residential proxies, dedicated HTTP proxies, and shared HTTP proxies. Shifter is one of the best in the business when it comes to residential proxies, however, the company only started offering dedicated proxies in 2017 so it doesn’t have that many private IPs to work with just yet.
According to the company, its dedicated network features tens of thousands of IP addresses and all its proxies are located within the United States. The proxies are very reliable and have the highest level of anonymity (elite) possible. So although the IP pool isn’t particularly impressive, all proxies are very solid and trustworthy. The main features you would expect from a provider of this caliber are all here, including unlimited bandwidth, 99. 99% uptime guarantee, non-sequential IPs, multiple subnets, advanced control panel, and username/password authentication.
The prices aren’t too shabby either, but Shifter is definitely a bit more expensive compared to other providers. The cheapest package costs $25 per month and only includes 5 dedicated proxies, so that’s $5 per proxy. From there, you can scale up to 10 proxies or go for one of the higher tiers, the most expensive of which comes with 500 dedicated proxies and will set you back $2, 500 per month. Also worth noting is that Shifter offers a 3-day money-back guarantee.
10. YourPrivateProxy
YourPrivateProxy, otherwise known as simply YPP, is a premium provider that specializes primarily in private proxies, just as its name indicates. The company has a network that spans 30 different locations across the United States, Canada, and parts of Europe. YPP offers a lot of great features and its services are considered solid, however, you’ll need to pay quite a bit more compared to other providers in order to use them. The prices aren’t too crazy, but they’re definitely above average.
YPP supports HTTP/S and SOCKS5 connections, both IP and username/password authentication, and allows up to 20 threads per proxy. The proxies are very reliable so you shouldn’t have any issues with them under normal circumstances, but on the off chance that something does go wrong, YPP offers free replacements on every new billing cycle. Aside from that, you’ve got the usual features like unlimited bandwidth, advanced control panel, multiple cities and subnets to choose from, fast set up time, and 24/7 customer support.
The cheapest package here costs $6. 97 per month and only includes 1 proxy. Quite expensive, however, you can benefit from increasingly better prices with the other packages. For instance, the $29. 97 per month package comes with 10 proxies. That’s roughly $3 per proxy, which is fairly affordable and comparable to many of the other entries on this list. In addition, the company also offers a 24-hour free trial and a 3-day money-back guarantee on all plans so there’s no harm and testing out the service.
What Are Proxies and How Do They Work?
Whenever you access a website, you establish a direct connection with that site’s remote server, which is why there’s nothing to prevent the administrator (or anybody with the right privileges) to view and track your IP. You can think of your IP as your physical home address, but for your computer. Under normal circumstances, pretty much anyone with a bit of know-how can easily track this address back to its original location. However, you can just as easily stop that from happening by using a proxy server.
A proxy is essentially just a remote server that acts as a middleman between your computer and any website you’re trying to access. Proxy services are able to reroute any web request you make from an application (usually a web browser) through an additional server that can be located anywhere in the world. The farther away from your real location, the better. Because your request goes through an additional server, you will be assigned a different IP address in the process.
By the time your request reaches the website you want to visit, it will appear as if the request was initiated from a different location. Unless you repeatedly engage in suspicious activities, there’s usually no real reason for anyone to block or blacklist your proxy. As far as everyone else is concerned, you’re a completely legit user and your real online identity will remain hidden. Needless to say, this can be incredibly useful. But before you go ahead and subscribe to a proxy service, it’s worth talking a bit about the different types of proxies you can come across.
What Are Dedicated Proxies?
There are a few different types of proxies you should be aware of. First, we can split proxies into three categories based on their anonymity levels – Public, Shared, and Dedicated. Public proxies are often free and can there’s no limit on how many people can use them. Because of this, it’s not uncommon to experience huge lag with public proxies or come across blacklisted IPs. Meanwhile, shared proxies are paid and, just as their name suggests, are servers that are shared by multiple users. Shared proxies are faster than public ones but are still not entirely reliable.
Dedicated proxies, otherwise known as private proxies, are definitely the most foolproof of the three. These proxies are only assigned to one user at a time so you wouldn’t have to share the server with anyone else. That’s a big advantage and translates to a lag-free experience and a high level of reliability. With a shared or public proxy, you have no control over what other people choose to do with the service. If somebody in the shared pool manages to get an IP blacklisted, everyone else will suffer the consequences. That’s not something you have to worry about with a dedicated proxy.
The main (and pretty much only) drawback of dedicated proxy services is that they are more expensive than the shared ones. Prices differ from one provider to the next but the cost difference between dedicated and shared proxies is generally pretty significant across the board. That said, you do get what you pay for here. If you’re worried about anonymity and want to go about your business in peace without having to worry about other users, dedicated proxies are the way to go.
A Few Things to Note About Proxy Locations
Proxies can be divided into three different categories based on their location. You have Residential proxies, Mobile proxies, and Data Center proxies. Residential proxies are highly sought-after because they use IP addresses that are assigned to actual households. This is the same type of IP you get from your internet service provider. Residential proxies don’t tend to raise a lot of suspicions because anybody who is trying to track your IP will see you as just another regular user.
Mobile proxies are pretty similar in the sense that they allow you to remain indistinguishable from any other user browsing the internet. However, in this case, it will appear as if you’re accessing websites from a mobile device. The advantage of mobile proxies is that they’re always changing, which makes it less likely that your real location will get pinned down by someone who is trying to track you. Certain residential proxies rotate as well, but mobile proxies tend to do it more frequently.
Finally, we have data center proxies, which are pretty self-explanatory. Just as their name suggests, these types of proxies are housed in a data center somewhere. Data center IPs are static and this makes them less than ideal for certain activities. Namely, these proxies are not recommended for creating accounts on websites that only allow one account per IP. Pretty much anything related to social media is off the table if you’re using a data center IP, however, these proxies can be used successfully on sneaker sites. It’s also worth noting that data center proxies are usually the cheapest of the three types.
FAQ
What’s the difference between dedicated proxies and shared proxies?
The main difference between the two is that dedicated proxies can only be used by a single person while shared proxies can be used by multiple people. The amount of users tends to differ from company to company but it’s usually at least 3-5 people per shared proxy. However, you can expect a lot more from cheap services.
Can I choose the location of my proxies?
This all depends on the service. For example, a company like Microleaves currently only has dedicated proxies based in Buffalo, New York so you won’t be able to choose different locations in that case. However, most of the other companies on our list do have multiple data centers and in those cases, yes, it is usually possible to choose the location.
Can I test a proxy before purchasing?
A handful of providers still offer trial memberships, which tend to last anywhere between 1 and 3 days. Unfortunately, in the past a lot of users took advantage of these types of trials in order to abuse proxies. As a result, a good portion of companies no longer wish to offer free trials at the moment.
Is it possible to get a proxy replacement?
Most companies guarantee that they will replace your proxies free of charge if needed. However, providers tend to only replace proxies on every new billing cycle and they’re pretty stingy with the amount – usually only 1 proxy replacement per month.
Can I use private proxies for mailing?
A lot of companies block port 25 and don’t allow SMTP based email but pretty much everything else is allowed. In other words, you can use private proxies for web mailing via popular clients like Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL, and more.
Final Thoughts
Using dedicated proxies is a great way to protect your online identity and prevent companies or malicious actors from tracking your location. Dedicated proxies are very unlikely to get banned by websites and, unlike shared proxies, you don’t need to worry about sharing them with other users. This means you can expect better speed and performance along with a high level of anonymity. But which dedicated proxy service should you go for? There are clearly many to choose from but what works for me might not work for you.
If you’re not too worried about the price I would definitely recommend checking out Luminati as they are always a very safe choice. If you’re looking for something cheaper, there are a handful of good options that offer a good bang for your buck, including My Private Proxy, Storm Proxies, and InstantProxies. But if you’re new to dedicated proxies, I suggest going with any company that offers a free trial for starters just so you can test things out for yourself and then decide how much you are willing to spend for this type of service.
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Frequently Asked Questions about what is a private proxy
What is the difference between a proxy and a VPN?
A proxy acts as a gateway – it’s ideal for basic functions like anonymous web browsing and managing (or circumventing) content restrictions. … VPN connections encrypt and secure all of your network traffic, not just the HTTP or SOCKS calls from your browser like a proxy server.Sep 28, 2020
Where can I get private proxy?
Make sure to check out all our picks because your ideal proxy provider might not be at the top of the list.Smartproxy. Smartproxy is a simple and straightforward service that has been around for many years. … Bright Data. … Shifter. … Storm Proxies. … My Private Proxy. … High Proxies. … Squid Proxies. … Proxy-n-VPN.More items…
What is the purpose of using a proxy?
Proxy servers act as a firewall and web filter, provide shared network connections, and cache data to speed up common requests. A good proxy server keeps users and the internal network protected from the bad stuff that lives out in the wild internet. Lastly, proxy servers can provide a high level of privacy.May 7, 2021
