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What is proxy?
A proxy server is a kind of buffer between your computer and the Internet resource you are accessing. The proxy server receives a request for an Internet service, and if the proxy server is also a cache server, it can use its local cache of previously downloaded web pages to provide the page without forwarding the request to the Internet. If the page is not in the proxy cache, the proxy server uses its own IP address to request the page from the server on the Internet. When the page is returned, the proxy server forwards it to the user. So the data you request first come to the proxy, and then the proxy server transmits it to you.
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How to use proxy servers
There are several uses of a proxy server:
Improve web performance
The most common use of proxy servers is to speed up web performance. Proxy servers store copies of web pages that are most often requested. And, when the user requests a webpage stored in the proxy server's cache, it is provided by the proxy server, which is faster than going to the web. Therefore, the proxy server can increase the speed of web performance.
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Another common use of proxy servers is to provide Internet privacy. If the page is not in the proxy cache, the anonymous proxy server hides your IP address saving you from vulnerabilities concerned with it by forward the request to the end server using its own IP address. So you can safely surf the web and your information will never be used by hackers and spammers. Proxy servers also help improve security by filtering out some web content and malicious software.
Another use of anonymous proxy servers is to bypass network restrictions and access websites which are blocked by your administrator or ISP.
Proxy servers are also used is to filter requests. This operation might be seen in schools or workplaces, where the employees are not allowed to visit certain web sites. This can be very easily done by configuring the Internet proxy server that is used.
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When you are surfing through proxies they send different environment variables to the targeted web sites.
These are some environment variables:
REMOTE_ADDR - IP address of a client
HTTP_VIA - if it is not empty, then a proxy is used. Value is an address (or several addresses) of a proxy server, this variable is added by a proxy server itself if you use one.
HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR - if it is not empty, then a proxy is used. Value is a real IP address of a client (your IP), this variable is also added by a proxy server if you use one.
HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE - what language is used in browser (what language a page should be displayed in)
HTTP_USER_AGENT - so called "a user's agent".
HTTP_HOST - is a web server's name
In fact there are much more of them.
Your anonymity is determined by what environment variables "hide" from a web-server.
• Proxy server is not used:
REMOTE_ADDR = your IP
HTTP_VIA = not determined
HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR = not determined
• Transparent Proxies
REMOTE_ADDR = proxy IP
HTTP_VIA = proxy IP
HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR = your IP
These proxies are not anonymous. They don't hide IP-address of a client and let a web server know that you are surfing through a proxy server. The task of such proxies, as a rule, is information caching and/or support of Internet access for several computers via single connection. Such proxies are not applicable for security and privacy while surfing on net. You can use them only for network speed improvement.
• Anonymous Proxies
REMOTE_ADDR = proxy IP
HTTP_VIA = proxy IP
HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR = proxy IP
These proxies don't show your real IP but change the request fields so it is very easy to detect that you are using proxy.
• High Anonymous Proxies
REMOTE_ADDR = proxy IP
HTTP_VIA = not determined
HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR = not determined
High Anonymous proxy servers do not pass an IP-address of a client and don't send any variables indicating that you are using proxy server to host and look like real browser.
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Proxy Question
• The proxy software logs show that I am surfing through proxies but the IP address test shows my real IP.
As you may know not all proxies hide an IP address. Transparent proxies are not applicable for private surfing as they do not hide your IP address. If you need to change your IP address, you should use anonymous or high anonymous proxies.
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Friday, February 3, 2012
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