A proxy server, or simply a proxy, is a computer that acts as an intermediary between the user and the target server. First, the client connects to the proxy server and requests the required resource on another server like mail or HTML page. Then the proxy either connects to the specified server and gets the resource from it or returns the one from its cache.
Companies buy proxies to ensure security, improve network performance, and access “remote” resources. Individuals use proxies to anonymize traffic or bypass access restrictions.
In the visual perception of users, the proxy server seems non-existent. It is because sending a request and receiving a response is very fast. In this case, the user thinks that they are made directly from the Internet server. There are two main reasons for using proxy servers. One is productivity and the other is query filtering. An Internet proxy server can improve performance for users because it stores all the queries created by the user, making working on the Internet much faster. The second reason for using proxy servers is query filtering, which can be considered in schools or workplaces.
The popularity of proxies has become possible due to the following advantages:
- They are supported by all modern browsers;
- They can be used on any operating system;
- Increasing the security of the corporate network as a result of the lack of access to the Internet using other protocols;
- They provide full access control, accounting, and traffic filtering.
Currently, despite the growing role of other network protocols, the transition to Internet service charging based on access speed, as well as the emergence of cheap hardware routers with NAT function, proxy servers continue to be widely used in enterprises, since NAT cannot provide a sufficient level of control. over the use of the Internet (user authentication, content filtering).
