What is Proxy?
A proxy is essentially an “agent” for your web browser. It acts as an intermediary between your browser and the internet, handling requests and responses on behalf of your browser.
How does it work?
Normally, when you use a web browser (like Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge) to visit a website, your browser directly connects to the server where the website is hosted to retrieve the page.
However, when you use a proxy, the proxy server does this job for you. Instead of your browser contacting the website server directly, it asks the proxy to fetch the page. The proxy then communicates with the website server, gets the page, and sends it back to your browser. This way, the proxy acts as a go-between.
Why use a proxy?
- To hide your identity
The proxy server hides your real IP address, so the website only sees the proxy’s information. This keeps your identity and location private. - To speed up access
A proxy server can store (or “cache”) pages it has previously fetched. If you request the same page again, the proxy can quickly deliver it from its cache, which can be faster than fetching it from the website again.
In Summary
A proxy is like a “middleman” for your web browser. It helps you browse the internet more securely and efficiently by handling the communication with websites on your behalf.