Proxy technologies have become a game changer in surfing the web. Yet, their massive adoption didn’t happen overnight. It took a long and winding transformation journey to get there in what we call the evolution of proxy technologies.
Their original use was to cache web content and control web traffic. At the time, most users were big organizations. Proxies helped these organizations improve website performance, speed, and content accessibility. However, things have changed. They have now become an indispensable tool in the modern digital landscape.
The Drastic Increase in Proxy Use
As of April 2024, there were 5.44 billion active internet users, about 70% of the world’s population. As a result, the internet has become a world of its own. It now hosts multinational companies, governments, people of all professions, idlers, and fraudsters.
As the modern digital world took shape, data became the new thing especially in digital marketing. Big companies began massive data mining. Reports from the data would then guide product designs and marketing strategies. At the same time, more illegal activities skyrocketed in the evolution of proxy technologies.
Many internet users didn’t like the security risks involved and didn’t like that some multinational companies were using their data for unauthorized reasons. As a result, the clamor for enhanced online security and privacy increased. The agitation led to the widespread use of proxies.
Proxy Servers in the Modern Digital Landscape
The evolution of proxy technologies pushes them serve a large number of people globally. Startups and big companies have embraced them to boost online privacy and anonymity. Digital marketing companies are among the biggest beneficiaries. They use proxies to source feedback and mine data.
Proxies help bypass geo-restrictions, which benefits people who travel to different countries. With proxies, they don’t have to worry about being locked out of some websites simply because they’ve changed location.
Proxies also boost cybersecurity. Because they act as intermediaries, they protect the user against potential cyber-attacks. The user’s untraceable physical location also lowers the possibility of physical harm.
Even with these great uses of proxies in the modern web, its role in the earlier days remains. Proxies are still used for content caching to increase website speed and performance.
Different Forms of Proxy Servers
The widespread use of proxy servers also triggered the emergence of several variations. Some of the proxies you’ll come across are forward, mobile, residential, server (datacenter), reverse, and caching proxies. Each has its unique selling points.
These proxies serve in different protocols. HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS are the primary protocols. HTTP and HTTPS handle HTTP and HTTPS traffic, respectively. SOCKS handles different types of online traffic, including online gaming, file transfer protocols, and emails. It operates at a lower level than the other two protocols.
Residential proxy IP addresses represent actual residential addresses provided by ISPs. They are more trusted, challenging to flag, and deliver a high success rate. Datacenter proxies, on the other side, sit on servers. They are good candidates if you’re seeking faster speeds and reliable performance. Most people use them for data mining and activity automation. Mobile carriers are the ones managing the connections behind mobile proxies. They make it appear that you are conducting your online activities from a mobile device.
The Growth of the Residential Proxies
Many internet users have had bad experiences with one or more available proxies in the past. Some have had their IP address blocked, while others have had data breaches. This increased the need for IP addresses that would be difficult to detect. Residential proxies address this concern, which is why their user base keeps on growing every day.
Top Residential Proxy Providers
Over the years, the number of companies providing residential proxies has grown. They offer varying services, and all of them have their own unique strengths and features. If you search the web for residential proxy IP addresses, many names will appear. Some of these are Smartproxy, Webshare, Infatica, SOAX, and IPRoyal. Before settling for any of them, confirm that they serve your needs. Take the IPRoyal proxy, for example. Although not the biggest provider, it covers 195 countries. According to their latest information, their success rate is above 95%. They have over 10,000 clients and growing, with more than 32 million ethically sourced IPs.
Parting Shot
Before buying a proxy server, you must consider several key things. These include service reliability, performance, geographical coverage, and customer support. Any service that performs well on these is a fair choice. Of course, money and your specific use case should also guide your decision. You can start with a quick online search and read through user reviews to make a more informed decision. From there, you should be well-armed and ready before setting on the best provider for your needs.