What is a Web Proxy Server?

The internet works intricately, and people rarely think about it. The risk of that is the looming danger of crimes such as identity theft and data security breaches. Different individuals use proxy servers or Virtual Private Networks (VPN) to protect themselves. A proxy server is a web server that acts as a gateway between a client application, for example, a browser, and the real server. It makes requests to the real server on behalf of the client or sometimes fulfills the claim itself. 

Web proxy servers have two primary purposes, namely to filter requests and improve performances. Additionally, there are proxy servers that sit between web servers and web clients known as a reverse proxy. Reverse proxy servers pass on requests from web clients to web servers. They are used to cache images and pages to reduce the load on web servers significantly.

There are several reasons to use web proxy servers as an individual or an organization.

Control internet access

As an individual, you can use proxy servers to control and monitor your children’s internet access. It works to block unfavorable sites and lock them out of adult content. Organizations also use proxy servers to limit and control internet access. They do this to avoid employees looking at various sites while at work. Alternatively, they log all web requests, which indicates what sites employees are visiting and how much time they spend cyberloafing. 

Privacy benefits

Proxy servers allow users to browse the internet more privately by changing your IP address and other identifying data on your computer. Proxy servers keep your personal information private, so the server does not know who has made the request and thus keeps your browsing activities and browsing history private.

Access to blocked sites

Content providers put restrictions on their content for various reasons, such as locations, which is essentially the IP addresses. However, a web proxy server allows you to log on to a restricted server by making it seem like you are at a different location.

Improved speeds and bandwidth savings

Organizations can save on bandwidth and improve loading speeds by using efficient web proxy servers. Proxy servers cache images and web data to keep the latest copy of a website. The caches allow a proxy server to retrieve the most recent copy of popular sites, which saves on bandwidth and improves network performance.

Improved security

Efficient proxy servers encrypt your web requests to protect them from prying eyes and protect your transactions. Proxy servers also work to prevent intrusion from known malware sites. Organizations also add to VPN’s to increase security and allow remote users to access the company network.

Web proxy servers play a significant role in cybersecurity for both individual and organizational use. With increased internet use, there is a rising need to protect your data, keep away malware and viruses, protect personal information and data, and enable access to a wide range of information. Web proxy servers help increase browsing speeds by caching web pages, offering bandwidth, and providing heightened security measures.