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The Proxy Server: What Is It?

What comes into your mind when you hear the words 'proxy server'? Maybe it is another piece of technical jargon? Maybe some Internet geek mentioned it to you? Maybe you saw it when you were searching for something on the Internet? Well, wherever you've heard of it or whatever you think of it, sooner or later you're going to need it. Why, you ask? This will enlighten you about the background of proxy servers. What is a proxy server? In simple terms, it acts as your 'representative' when going online; something similar to a middleman in a company. It was made mainly to hide users who wish to remain anonymous when online, because when they use proxy servers, the real identity of the computer they are using is masked. A proxy server may be an actual server, or a simple program to simplify the process of using one. What are a proxy server's functions, and what do they do? When speaking technically, when you use a proxy server, it is the proxy server that downloads resources and content from the Internet. It then passes on the content to you. Thus, it is, technically, not you accessing the Internet, but rather it is the proxy itself. Your 'request' for certain Internet content is passed onto the proxy server which you are connected to, and the server processes this request and connects to the Internet to serve it. When it has gathered the requested resources, it loads it up on the server, and passes back the results to you. What are a proxy server's specialties? When you use a proxy server, there are often special options and filters you can set. These options and filters help the server to cater the content to your need. For instance, you can disable complex Flash presentations and website scripts to help the content become smaller in size and therefore load faster. These involve safely altering your computer's request for content, which is the one that goes into the proxy, or it may happen the other way around, in which the Internet server's response is altered so that the resource is modified to your needs. Hopefully, this has answered most of the common queries you may have about proxy servers. Now that you know what a proxy server is, what it does and can do, you would be able to use one without much difficulty. Go forth and explore anonymously!

About the Author:

Peter Garant has written many articles about New Proxies for a recently launched website about Proxy Sites. Visit The Proxy Server: What Is It?.