A proxy server is a dedicated server application that integrates the traffic requests and responses coming and going to the web. It has its own IP address that can be used to make web requests on the user’s behalf, collect the response from the server, and direct the data to the destination.
When it comes to types of proxy servers, there is no one-size-fits-all. The kinds of proxies can be categorized depending on the application, service, location, traffic flow, and anonymity level.
This post will cover different types of proxies available to help you make the optimum choice for your business. But before that, let’s take a quick look at the benefits of proxies for business applications.
Table Of Contents
Benefits of Proxies for Business Applications
Proxy servers can prove to be advantageous for businesses and individuals alike. Following are some important benefits proxies can provide for business applications:
- Enhanced security
- Regulated internet usage
- Improved speed
- Access to blocked resources
- Assistance in geolocation testing
Main Types of Proxy Servers
Different types of proxy servers are used on a daily basis by various clients and networks. Here are the main types of proxies:
Residential
Residential proxies are real IPs given by internet service providers (ISPs). These proxies are IP addresses linked to a physical location and composed of a huge web-like network.
Advantages
- Higher privacy
- Access to localized content
- Better security
- Ability to bypass IP blocks
Disadvantages
- Limited availability
- Slow speed
- No encryption
Use Cases
- Web scraping & internet marketing – This proxy continuously provides different IP addresses, which enable businesses to perform large-scale scraping.
- Social media management – Residential proxies allow users to manage multiple accounts seamlessly on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
- Ad verification – These proxies aid with adequate verification of the displayed ads on web pages for recognizing and blocking suspicious ones.
Static Residential
A better alternative to the standard residential proxy, static residential proxies assign the user a dedicated IP address that can be used for as long as required.
Advantages
- Stable IP addresses
- Guaranteed anonymity
- Reliability
- Authenticity
Disadvantages
- Easy detection
- High maintenance cost
- Exposure to malware
Use Cases
- Market intelligence – Static residential proxies collect market intelligence data, like customer behavior, pricing information, and product trends, which can be used to make well-informed decisions.
- Ad verification – Advertisers use these proxy servers to verify that their ads are getting displayed correctly and not being blocked by fraudsters or ad-blockers.
- Circumvention of geo-restrictions – Static residential IP addresses can be used to hide the real IP of a user and access geo-restricted content.
Mobile
A mobile proxy is a secure intermediary that connects users to the web with an IP address linked to a mobile device. These proxies use multiple IPs associated with mobile devices, enabling different connections from different regions in a short time span.
Advantages
- Faster connection
- Reliability
- No Cookies
- Added anonymity and security
Disadvantages
- Higher cost
- Difficult to manage
- Less control
Use Cases
- Data scraping – Many websites don’t allow web scraping and use CAPTCHAs to prevent scraping bots from accessing the site. Mobile proxies are great for bypassing blocks and minimizing the chance of encountering CAPTCHAs.
- Price intelligence – Some retailers show different prices based on the location and mobile carrier. A mobile proxy hides this information to ensure the price displayed is right and inflated.
- Social media management – Mobile proxies work great for businesses needing multiple social media accounts. These proxies provide unique IPs for each account so that the platforms will not detect the real IP address of the connected device.
As the name suggests, a shared datacenter proxy assigns an IP address that can be shared among multiple users at one and the same time. It uses an IP address given by a data center instead of a physical device.
Advantages
- High performance
- Highly anonymous
- Dedicated IP addresses
- Anytime IP refresh
- Cost-effective
Disadvantages
- Lower speed
- Less secure
Use Cases
- SEO – This proxy can be used to collect data from search engine results pages to boost SEO strategy. It helps with position monitoring, competitive analysis, audit, keyword research, and content generation.
- Data extraction – These proxy servers enable users to bypass anti-scraping measures, access geo-specific content, and obtain data without any interruptions.
Dedicated Datacenter
A dedicated datacenter proxy server replaces an actual IP address with another IP originating from a data center full of servers. This type of proxy cannot be shared among multiple users.
Advantages
- High scalability
- Advanced rotation
- Fast operation
- Inexpensive
Disadvantages
- Weak anonymity
- Unsuitable for bulk scraping
- Limited providers worldwide
Use Cases
- Website testing – It works great for site testing as it has the ability to change the country server to monitor the website performance, limit the traffic, and automate the entire testing process.
- Social media management – Dedicated datacenter proxies enable users to manage multiple social media accounts simultaneously, bypass geo-restrictions, track social media activities, improve search rankings, and automate repetitive tasks.
- Ad verification – These proxies enable users to detect and analyze potentially fraudulent advertisements. They can identify suspicious patterns and monitor network traffic to take action against ad fraudsters.
In Conclusion
Though many proxies are available to choose from, selecting the right kind of proxy can be overwhelming. But once you are familiar with all the main types of servers and their pros and cons, you can make wiser and more informed decisions.
