GlossaryNetworkingBeginner

Proxy Server

A proxy server is an intermediary computer that sits between your device and the internet, forwarding your requests so that websites see the proxy's IP address instead of your own.

Last updated June 8, 2026

Definition

A proxy server is a middle-man machine that relays traffic between a client (your browser, app, or scraper) and a destination server. Instead of connecting to a website directly, your request first travels to the proxy, which then forwards it on your behalf and returns the response back to you.

How it works

When you configure a proxy, your software sends every request to the proxy's IP address and port. The proxy opens its own connection to the target site, so the website only ever sees the proxy's IP, location, and headers, not your real ones. This masks your identity and can also cache content or filter traffic.

Why it matters for proxies and scraping

Proxy servers are the foundation of web scraping, ad verification, and privacy workflows. By routing requests through many different proxy IPs, scrapers avoid rate limits and IP bans, while privacy users hide their true location. Proxies come in many flavors, including residential, datacenter, and mobile, each with different trust levels and price points.

  • Hide your real IP address and location
  • Bypass geo-restrictions and access region-locked content
  • Distribute scraping load across many IPs

Examples

1

http://198.51.100.10:8080

2

Corporate proxy filtering employee web traffic

3

Residential proxy pool used for price scraping

Common Use Cases

Web scraping at scale without IP bans
Accessing geo-restricted content
Hiding your real IP for privacy
Caching and filtering corporate traffic

Frequently Asked Questions

They are similar but not identical. Both route traffic through an intermediary, but a VPN encrypts all device traffic system-wide, while a proxy typically works at the application level and may not encrypt your connection.
It hides your IP address from the destination site, but the proxy operator can still see your traffic. For full anonymity you also need encryption and a trustworthy, no-logs provider.

Keep Learning

All terms

Residential Proxy

A residential proxy routes your traffic through a real device with an IP assigned by an Internet Service Provider, so requests appear to come from a genuine home user rather than a server.

Read definition

Datacenter Proxy

A datacenter proxy is an IP address hosted on servers in a data center rather than assigned by an ISP — offering high speed and low cost, but easier for websites to detect.

Read definition

Reverse Proxy

A reverse proxy sits in front of one or more servers and forwards client requests to them, handling load balancing, caching, TLS termination and security on the servers' behalf.

Read definition

Forward Proxy

A forward proxy sits between clients and the internet, forwarding their outbound requests so the destination sees the proxy's IP instead of the client's.

Read definition
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