Proxies are store-and-forward caches. When you configure your browser to use a proxy, but never connect to the URL. Instead, always connect to the proxy server, and he asked for the URL for you. Proxies can be used as a kind of firewall, because it isolates you connect to the Internet.
How does a proxy server work ?
A proxy server receives a request from an Internet service (such as a Web page request) from a user. If the filter requirements, the proxy server, assuming it is also a cache server, looks in the local cache of previously downloaded Web pages. If it finds the page, give it to the user without the need for the application to the Internet. If it does not in the cache of the proxy server as a client on behalf of the user, uses its own IP addresses to the page of the server on the Internet. If the page is returned, the proxy server on the original application and send it to the user.
For the user, the proxy server is invisible; all Internet requests and returned responses appear directly addressed to the Internet server. (The proxy is not completely invisible, its IP address
must be specified as a configuration option in the browser or other protocol program.)
What are the advantages of using a proxy server ?
An advantage of using a proxy server that the cache can serve all users. If one or more Internet sites are frequently requested, these are likely to be in the proxy’s cache, which the user response time. In fact, there are special servers called cache servers.
The functions of proxy, firewall, and caching can be in separate server programs or combined in a single package. Other server programs can be on different computers. For example, a proxy server on the same machine with a firewall server or it can be on a separate server and forward requests through the firewall.
There are several types of proxy servers with different properties, some are anonymous proxies used to hide your real IP address and some are used to filter sites containing material that may be unsuitable for people.
When you connect to a website, your real IP address will not be shown, but the proxy servers IP will not mean that you are completely anonymous. The proxy server will have logs of IP’s that uses the proxy server and the times.
So why would you use a proxy ?
You can use a proxy server if you have a child and the desire of the sites they view, make sure you have the right kind of proxy because not all proxies filter sites. You can use it to protect yourself, it can be used to hide your IP which is useful because it means hackers can not information about you in their use. They will only proxy servers IP. Proxy servers are not hard to install, no hardware or software, you only need to configure your browser to connect through.
Some ISPs (Internet Service Providers), all users use a proxy server, for example in the United Arab Emirates, the leading ISP, all users use a proxy server which blocks sites with inappropriate material. It does this using the meta tags in the HTML code used to access the web page. Some ISPs can offer you a choice, so you can use or not. If you want to use a proxy server, there are many around with different functions, you only need the one that suits your needs best.