What Is A Proxy Server Ip Address
What is a Proxy Server and How Does it Work? – Varonis
The actual nuts and bolts of how the internet works are not something people often stop to consider. The problem with that is the inherent danger of data security breaches and identity theft that come along with the cute dog pictures, 24-hour news updates, and great deals online.
But what actually happens when you browse the web? You might be using a proxy server at your office, on a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or you could be one of the more tech-savvy who always use a proxy server of some kind or another.
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What’s a Proxy Server?
A proxy server is any machine that translates traffic between networks or protocols. It’s an intermediary server separating end-user clients from the destinations that they browse. Proxy servers provide varying levels of functionality, security, and privacy depending on your use case, needs, or company policy.
If you’re using a proxy server, traffic flows through the proxy server on its way to the address you requested. The request then comes back through that same proxy server (there are exceptions to this rule), and then the proxy server forwards the data received from the website to you.
If that’s all it does, why bother with a proxy server? Why not just go straight from to the website and back?
Modern proxy servers do much more than forward web requests, all in the name of data security and network performance. 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.
How Does a Proxy Server Operate?
Every computer on the internet needs to have a unique Internet Protocol (IP) Address. Think of this IP address as your computer’s street address. Just as the post office knows to deliver your mail to your street address, the internet knows how to send the correct data to the correct computer by the IP address.
A proxy server is basically a computer on the internet with its own IP address that your computer knows. When you send a web request, your request goes to the proxy server first. The proxy server then makes your web request on your behalf, collects the response from the web server, and forwards you the web page data so you can see the page in your browser.
When the proxy server forwards your web requests, it can make changes to the data you send and still get you the information that you expect to see. A proxy server can change your IP address, so the web server doesn’t know exactly where you are in the world. It can encrypt your data, so your data is unreadable in transit. And lastly, a proxy server can block access to certain web pages, based on IP address.
What are Forward Proxies
A forward proxy server sits between the client and an external network. It evaluates the outbound requests and takes action on them before relaying that request to the external resource.
Most proxy services that you’re likely to encounter are forward proxies. Virtual Private Networks and Web content filters are both examples of forward proxies.
What are Reverse Proxies
A reverse proxy server sits between a network and multiple other internal resources. A large website might have dozens of servers that collectively serve requests from a single domain. To accomplish that, client requests would resolve to a machine that would act as a load balancer. The load balancer would then proxy that traffic back to the individual servers.
Some popular open source reverse proxies are:
Varnish
Squid
Why Should You Use a Proxy Server?
There are several reasons organizations and individuals use a proxy server.
To control internet usage of employees and children: Organizations and parents set up proxy servers to control and monitor how their employees or kids use the internet. Most organizations don’t want you looking at specific websites on company time, and they can configure the proxy server to deny access to specific sites, instead redirecting you with a nice note asking you to refrain from looking at said sites on the company network. They can also monitor and log all web requests, so even though they might not block the site, they know how much time you spend cyberloafing.
Bandwidth savings and improved speeds: Organizations can also get better overall network performance with a good proxy server. Proxy servers can cache (save a copy of the website locally) popular websites – so when you ask for, the proxy server will check to see if it has the most recent copy of the site, and then send you the saved copy. What this means is that when hundreds of people hit at the same time from the same proxy server, the proxy server only sends one request to This saves bandwidth for the company and improves the network performance.
Privacy benefits: Individuals and organizations alike use proxy servers to browse the internet more privately. Some proxy servers will change the IP address and other identifying information the web request contains. This means the destination server doesn’t know who actually made the original request, which helps keeps your personal information and browsing habits more private.
Improved security: Proxy servers provide security benefits on top of the privacy benefits. You can configure your proxy server to encrypt your web requests to keep prying eyes from reading your transactions. You can also prevent known malware sites from any access through the proxy server. Additionally, organizations can couple their proxy server with a Virtual Private Network (VPN), so remote users always access the internet through the company proxy. A VPN is a direct connection to the company network that companies provide to external or remote users. By using a VPN, the company can control and verify that their users have access to the resources (email, internal data) they need, while also providing a secure connection for the user to protect the company data.
Get access to blocked resources: Proxy servers allow users to circumvent content restrictions imposed by companies or governments. Is the local sportsball team’s game blacked out online? Log into a proxy server on the other side of the country and watch from there. The proxy server makes it look like you are in California, but you actually live in North Carolina. Several governments around the world closely monitor and restrict access to the internet, and proxy servers offer their citizens access to an uncensored internet.
Now that you have an idea about why organizations and individuals use a proxy server, take a look at the risks below.
Proxy Server Risks
You do need to be cautious when you choose a proxy server: a few common risks can negate any of the potential benefits:
Free proxy server risks
You know the old saying “you get what you pay for? ” Well, using one of the many free proxy server services can be quite risky, even the services using ad-based revenue models.
Free usually means they aren’t investing heavily in backend hardware or encryption. You’ll likely see performance issues and potential data security issues. If you ever find a completely “free” proxy server, tread very carefully. Some of those are just looking to steal your credit card numbers.
Browsing history log
The proxy server has your original IP address and web request information possibly unencrypted, saved locally. Make sure to check if your proxy server logs and saves that data – and what kind of retention or law enforcement cooperation policies they follow.
If you expect to use a proxy server for privacy, but the vendor is just logging and selling your data you might not be receiving the expected value for the service.
No encryption
If you use a proxy server without encryption, you might as well not use a proxy server. No encryption means you are sending your requests as plain text. Anyone who is listening will be able to pull usernames and passwords and account information really easily. Make sure whatever proxy server you use provides full encryption capability.
Types of Proxy Servers
Not all proxy servers work the same way. It’s important to understand exactly what functionality you’re getting from the proxy server, and ensure that the proxy server meets your use case.
Transparent Proxy
A transparent proxy tells websites that it is a proxy server and it will still pass along your IP address, identifying you to the web server. Businesses, public libraries, and schools often use transparent proxies for content filtering: they’re easy to set up both client and server side.
Anonymous Proxy
An anonymous proxy will identify itself as a proxy, but it won’t pass your IP address to the website – this helps prevent identity theft and keep your browsing habits private. They can also prevent a website from serving you targeted marketing content based on your location. For example, if knows you live in Raleigh, NC, they will show you news stories they feel are relevant to Raleigh, NC. Browsing anonymously will prevent a website from using some ad targeting techniques, but is not a 100% guarantee.
Distorting proxy
A distorting proxy server passes along a false IP address for you while identifying itself as a proxy. This serves similar purposes as the anonymous proxy, but by passing a false IP address, you can appear to be from a different location to get around content restrictions.
High Anonymity proxy
High Anonymity proxy servers periodically change the IP address they present to the web server, making it very difficult to keep track of what traffic belongs to who. High anonymity proxies, like the TOR Network, is the most private and secure way to read the internet.
Proxy servers are a hot item in the news these days with the controversies around Net Neutrality and censorship. By removing net neutrality protections in the United States, Internet Service Providers (ISP) are now able to control your bandwidth and internet traffic. ISPs can potentially tell you what sites you can and cannot see. While there’s a great amount of uncertainty around what is going to happen with Net Neutrality, it’s possible that proxy servers will provide some ability to work around an ISPs restrictions.
Varonis analyzes data from proxy servers to protect you from data breaches and cyber attacks. The addition of proxy data gives more context to better analyze user behavior trends for abnormalities. You can get an alert on that suspicious activity with actionable intelligence to investigate and deal with the incident.
For example, a user accessing GDPR data might not be significant on its own. But if they access GDPR data and then try to upload it to an external website, it could be an exfiltration attempt and potential data breach. Without the context provided by file system monitoring, proxy monitoring, and Varonis threat models, you might see these events in a vacuum and not realize you need to prevent a data breach.
Get a 1:1 demo to see these threat models in action – and see what your proxy data could be telling you.
Pilot Network – Proxy Server IP Address – Windows
For networks using a proxy server to filter content, you might be required to enter the proxy IP address and port number into the Beam Desktop App to direct data traffic appropriately.
The instructions below are based on Windows 10 locate your Proxy Server IP Address:
In the Windows search bar, type “Internet Options”.
Select Internet Options from the results list.
Click to open the Connections tab.
Click the LAN settings button.
Notice in the Proxy Server section:
If a proxy server is in use, the checkbox next to “Use a proxy server for your LAN (These settings will not apply to dial-up or VPN connection) will be marked.
The proxy server address and port in use for HTTP/HTTPS traffic will be displayed.
Note: Under the Automatic Configuration settings, if Use automatic configuration script is checked, the address listed may contain a file (proxy auto-config) script. In this case, you will be required to download the file to determine your proxy address and port.
Please contact your IT/network administrator for additional assistance locating your proxy information.
Proxy Basics. 5 Things You Know Before You Use One
One of the most misunderstood computer terms—and services—may be the proxy. Most of us aren’t IT experts or computer geeks, so all we want to know is “What does it do for me? ” So let’s try to answer that question as simply as we can.
You may have even used a proxy, but just not have been aware of it. Today, a common type of proxy is called a VPN, for “virtual private network. ”
If you look up the word proxy, you’ll see that it simply means a “substitute who stands in for or represents another. ” In the Internet world, a proxy is an IP address that you can use as you go on the Internet that also shields your actual IP address at that time.
You either have to sign up for a virtual private network or be given access to one, by your employer, for example.
A VPN is more than just a substitute IP address—it also provides a highly secure connection that delivers more security that most on the Internet, including the one offered by your Internet Service Provider.
A VPN is a connection that’s available online, on-demand. Once you sign up for a VPN account—whenever you want anonymity, a safer secure connection or a way around Internet blocks on your IP address—you can route your connection through your VPN provider.
You get to keep your current ISP, which remains your primary Internet connection at home. There are some free VPNs, but it’s better if you pay for better service.
There are two different types of VPNs that are common today. One is for private/corporate work purposes and the other is for Internet browsing only.
A VPN for work purposes.
For example, my wife works for an advertising agency as a proofreader. At times, she’s asked to do work on the computer long after she’s left work. But she no longer has to go back to the office to do her work, thanks to the company’s very own virtual private network.
Instead of going into the office, she simply goes to her work laptop in our home office. We have an Internet connection that is always running. She doesn’t have to open an Internet browser, such as Google Chrome or Internet Explorer—she simply clicks on an icon and keys in her password to open up the VPN automatically.
Once she’s on, she can access drives and folders on her company’s server, which are accessible only to employees who are on-site or who have the exclusive VPN connection. That way, she can open up a presentation or a document that she’d typically be able to open only at work. That whole time she’s online and connected to her workplace computer/server, she’s using a virtual private network.
A secure connection is what is important.
This VPN connection provides her with a data “tunnel” which all of her online activity will go through. This is the first and most well-known quality of a VPN. All data “traffic” that goes through a VPN, whether it’s an email or a Google search, is encrypted—that means it’s electronically “scrambled” and would be undecipherable if tapped into by a hacker.
A VPN for ordinary folks.
As you might know, a lot of people have become worried about Internet safety and privacy. Many of these same people are worried that their IP addresses might be captured by “outsiders” or hackers and used for scams or computer attacks.
Thankfully, there are VPNs that are dedicated to the one application (program) that people care about the most: Internet browsing. Instead of a corporate virtual private network to connect to the workplace, a public VPN lets you connect to a network of computers to hide your IP address and give you a secure connection on the Internet while protecting all of your data transmissions.
To recap: People don’t use VPNs just to hide their IP addresses. A VPN can also protect your data when you’re on the Internet and can give you access to the websites and information that might otherwise block you out.
Get hidden now. »» I want to hide my IP
Compare VPNs.
There are a number of virtual private networks you can sign up with. To help you, we’ve put together a VPN comparison page on our website that can link you directly to VPN services. Plus you can learn more by checking out our articles on VPNs.
See the VPN Comparison List.
Frequently Asked Questions about what is a proxy server ip address
How do I find my proxy IP address?
Errors & TroubleshootingIn the Windows search bar, type “Internet Options”.Select Internet Options from the results list.Click to open the Connections tab.Click the LAN settings button.Notice in the Proxy Server section: … The proxy server address and port in use for HTTP/HTTPS traffic will be displayed.
Is IP address the same as proxy?
If you look up the word proxy, you’ll see that it simply means a “substitute who stands in for or represents another.” In the Internet world, a proxy is an IP address that you can use as you go on the Internet that also shields your actual IP address at that time.
What is a proxy server address for WIFI?
A proxy server provides a gateway between users and the internet. It is a server, referred to as an “intermediary” because it goes between end-users and the web pages they visit online. When a computer connects to the internet, it uses an IP address.
