Proxy

Key points of this
  • It’s a web browser shill.
  • It acts as a web browser
  • It may also be referred to as a “proxy.”
I’ll write it simply.

What is a proxy ?

Negotiator on behalf of shy web browsers .

To be more specific:

A computer that accesses websites on behalf of the software (web browser) used to view websites.

What is a Proxy?

A proxy (or “proxy server”) is a computer that acts on behalf of a web browser. A web browser is software that you use to view websites on the internet. Examples of web browsers include Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.

What Does a Proxy Do?

Normally, a web browser directly receives the data of the webpage you want to view from the server hosting that page. This process is called “direct access.” The typical flow of this interaction is as follows:

  1. The web browser sends a request to the web server, saying, “Please give me this page.”
  2. The web server responds by saying, “Sure, here is the page.”
  3. The web browser receives the response and displays the page on your screen.

However, when you use a proxy, this process changes slightly. The proxy acts on behalf of the web browser, performing the following steps:

  1. The web browser first asks the proxy, “Can you fetch that page for me?”
  2. The proxy, on behalf of the web browser, sends a request to the web server, saying, “Please give me this page.”
  3. The web server responds to the proxy, saying, “Sure, here is the page.”
  4. The proxy receives the response and passes it on to the web browser.
  5. Finally, the web browser displays the page on your screen.

In this way, the proxy acts as the “representative” of the web browser.

What Are the Benefits of Using a Proxy?

Using a proxy offers several advantages:

  1. Increased Anonymity: When you use a proxy, the web server sees the request coming from the proxy, not your browser, which hides your IP address. This increases your anonymity on the internet.
  2. Faster Access: Proxies have a feature called “caching.” Caching means temporarily storing data that was previously retrieved. For example, if you try to view a webpage you’ve accessed before, the proxy might remember that page. Instead of requesting the page again from the web server, the proxy can quickly return it from the cache, making the page load faster.

Summary

A proxy is a computer that acts as a representative for your web browser. It helps to hide your identity and can speed up access to websites. When you hear the word “proxy,” think of it as a “helper” that works on behalf of your web browser.