Τόσο το VPN (Virtual Private Networks) as well as proxy servers are designed to keep you anonymous online and help you view websites and services that are not available to everyone due to censorship or various other restrictions.
Both proxies and VPNs have advantages and disadvantages. Do you know which of the two should you choose and when? Do you use a proxy server and need a VPN connection?
The following guide will explain everything you need to know:
What is a proxy or a proxy server?
A proxy server is an intermediate point of route between your computer or your device with the internet. The proxy sends requests to websites, servers and other internet services in your name.
For example, if your web browser is configured to use a proxy and you are trying to visit https://iguru.gr, the request will not be sent directly to our website, but will first go to the proxy server. Once the proxy server receives the request from your web browser, it will forward it to the server where iGuRu News is hosted. Our server then responds and returns the iGuRu News homepage to the proxy server you are using, which in turn displays it in your web browser.
Έτσι επειδή το αίτημα του web browser σας δεν φτάνει άμεσα στον διακομιστή μας αλλά μέσω του διακομιστή μεσολάβησης, η by clicking here us does not "see" your computer or device as a guest, but "sees" the proxy server.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Proxy Servers
Using proxy server you have the following advantages:
You can hide your real IP address from basic controls. If you want to see a sample of what information you share during such a basic check, please visit: Lookup IP Address Location and click Lookup IP Address.
Using a proxy server means hiding your geographical location. The websites and services you access "see" the location of the proxy server you are using.
Depending on how they are configured, proxy servers can improve your security by blocking malicious web sites that distribute malware because they can check for malicious content before sending it to your computer.
Proxy servers can be used to access geographically limited internet services.
There are many public proxies available for free on the internet and some of them provide good enough services for mediation.
Disadvantages:
Proxy servers do not encrypt your internet traffic.
Neither your IP address nor your actual location is completely hidden by more advanced detection techniques. You can get an example of how your site can be crawled with your browser and location services from: W3C Browser Geolocation.
When using a proxy server, all of your online traffic passes through it. This means that a malicious proxy server can see and check what you do on the internet. This protects your privacy and security.
Proxy servers usually track your online activity, which can be used to locate you.
Despite the fact that you are accessing a secure encrypted website or a secure Internet service, if the proxy server is not configured correctly, it can transfer the data on the computer without encryption. Any unencrypted information can be intercepted by others.
There are many public proxies for free on the internet and many of them are unreliable. Some of them are completely malicious.
What is VPN?
Virtual Private Network or VPN is a secure network between your computer and a VPN server from the Internet. All network traffic passing through this connection is encrypted, so only your computer and your VPN server know the website or internet service you have access to.
For example, if you use a VPN and try to visit https://iguru.gr, the request is encrypted and sent to the VPN server. Once the VPN server receives your request, it will decrypt it to find out what you want. In this case, it will send a request to the server hosted by iGuRu News. Our server responds and returns the iGuRu News homepage to the VPN server, which in turn encrypts and sends the iGuRu News homepage to you.
Because every bit data circulating is encrypted, no one can see what websites you visit and what online services you use. This includes your government and your contracted Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Advantages and disadvantages of VPNs
Using a VPN:
All network traffic between your computer and the VPN server is encrypted, so no one can see which websites you visit or which services you use.
VPNs hide your real IP address. So websites and web services will only "see" the IP address of the VPN server.
VPNs hide your real geographic location, and show the location of the VPN server you are using.
Using a VPN server, you can override geographical constraints. You can access content that is available in some countries or regions.
Your network traffic will not be monitored because they are all encrypted.
There are many VPN providers that also offer free services.
Although VPNs have many advantages, there are some not so many positive aspects that you need to consider:
VPNs because they encrypt all the internet traffic passing through them may have poor performance in speed.
When you connect to a VPN server, all the data between your computer and the server is encrypted. However, data is decrypted on the VPN server, so someone with access to the server knows what you are doing on the internet. It is important, therefore, to know if VPN providers keep log files for your activity. If it keeps logs, the VPN provider knows how you use its service. Also let's not forget the NSA or other authorities that with a court request can read the logs.
Reliable VPNs have higher costs. Why; With all this encryption, the VPN server needs to have very powerful hardware.
By comparing the advantages and disadvantages:
We consider VPNs better than proxies in almost all opinions. VPNs are best for providing anonymity and security. Everything you do online while using a VPN service is encrypted and no one can track you (you or your activities).
The only significant disadvantage of VPNs is that they cost much more than proxies. If you only want to hide your IP or your real position from a service or web site that makes basic controls, a proxy server is good for you. If you want anonymity, security and confidentiality, signing up for a VPN is what you need. However, check if the service stores logs of your activities and stores them, make sure they do not share them with third parties.
