Proxies vs. VPN Whats the difference?

The purpose of using both VPN and buy proxy is to conceal the users identity, or to spoof a certain geo-location. Many VPN Providers, in addition to offering VPN also provide some kind of proxy service, and there are also many public proxy servers hich can be used for free.

!o the "uestion for many people is # hat is the difference bet een a proxy and VPN$%, and perhaps even more importantly, #do & need to use VPN or ill a cheaper ' free proxy suit my needs$%. (lthough performing a similar function, the actual processes involved are very different, and therefore have very different conse"uences. The sub)ect is further complicated by the fact that there are a number of different types of proxy services available.

Proxy Servers
( private proxy is a computer that acts as an intermediary bet een your computer and the internet. (ny traffic routed through a proxy server ill appear to come from its &P address, not your computers. *nlike VPN servers, proxy servers do not have to devote resources to encrypting all traffic that passes through them, and therefore can accept simultaneous connections from a great many more users.

Proxy usually servers communicate ith the internet using one of + different protocols, -TTP or !./0!.

-TTP Proxy !ervers

The -TTP protocol is designed to interpret traffic at the -TTP level, hich means that it can only handle traffic that starts ith http1'' or shttp1'', i.e. eb pages2. &t is therefore only good for eb surfing, but because all it is doing is handling -TTP re"uest, it is faster than either !ocks proxies or VPN servers.

Pros /heap 3and often free4 5ill hide your &P from basic checks, and is therefore ok for accessing some georestricted ebsites and for account creation

Cons

.nly useful for accessing ebsites2 /lever use of 6lash or 7ava!cript allo s many ebsites to detect your true &P -TTP traffic is not encrypted so government t surveillance systems and your &!P can see hat you are doing. &f connected through -TTP! 3!!84 then traffic cannot be monitored but the &P of the !-TTP ebsite can be logged. !!8 encryption is roughly e"uivalent to 9+:-bit key length. ;ach eb bro ser must be configured individually to use the proxy server. -o ever, the good ne s is that this is ell supported by all bro sers

SOCKS Proxy server

!./0! servers do not interpret net ork traffic at all, hich makes them much more flexible, but because they are usually handling more traffic, usually slo er. The big advantage of the !./0! protocol is that it supports any kind of internet traffic, such as P.P< and !MTP for emails, &=/ chat, 6TP for uploading files to ebsites, and torrent files. The latest iteration of the protocol is !./0!>.

Pros /an handle any kind of internet traffic

Cons !lo er than -TTP ;ach piece of soft are 3e.g ?itTorrent client4 must be configured individually !ame security issues as -TTP

Pub ic Proxy Servers

?ecause cheap proxy server can accept so many connections, many public servers have sprung up hich allo anyone to use them. ?oth -TTP and !ocks servers are available, lists of hich can be found, together ith the necessary &P address and Port number from such sites as freeproxylist.org and -ide My (ss.

*nfortunately, public proxy servers tend to be highly unstable, going on and off-line ithout notice and varying hugely in the speed they offer. &n addition to this, you have to trust the o ners of theses anonymous servers ith often "uite sensitive information, and there is no support available. .n the hand @ they%re freeA

Private Proxy Servers

These elite proxy are of course not open to the public and are usually available for a fee. VPN.! for example offers both an -TTP and !./0!> service, hile ?TBuard and TorBuard offer !./0!> #torrent% services.

These services tend to be much more reliable, are run by companies ith good reputations, and provide comprehensive support. They also often provide customiCed soft are D for example ?TBuard and TorBuard offer pre-configured ?itTorrent clients.

Web Proxies

5eb proxy services, such as those found at -ide My (ss and /yberBhost, connect to a public -TTP server and allo you to surf the eb anonymously from ithin your bro ser indo , ithout the need to do nload and install any extra soft are or configure your bo ser settings. They are also free. -o ever, not only does using such a service usually expose you to a stream of adverts, but it usually falls do n hen encountering anything complicated such as 6lash content or 7ava scripts. &n addition this, many of the better kno n eb proxies &P addresses are idely kno n and blocked by some ebsites. 5hile incredibly easy therefore, their practical use is some hat limited.

VPN

Virtual Private Net orks create an encrypted #tunnel% bet een your computer and the host server, ith the internet traffic going in and out of the host server. Eour &!P or government can only see that you have connected to the VPN server and nothing else D your activities, &P addresses you have visited etc. are all completely hidden from them behind a minimum of 9+:-bit encryption.

Pros &nternet activity cannot be spied on by &!Ps or governments -igh levels of encryption 39+:-bit to +FG:bit4 (ll internet activity masked 3once VPN set up on device4

Cons More expensive than proxies /an be a bit slo during peak times &f VPN provider keeps logs then these may be obtained by the authorities

Conc usion

VPN is superior in almost every ay to proxies. &t provides vastly improved online anonymity, and protects your entire on-line life. &n addition to this, because &!Ps cannot monitor your online activity, it is an effective means of bypassing &!P throttling.

The only real reason for choosing a cheap VP! is over VPN is price, hich e understand is a real factor for many.

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