What is a proxy? What is it used for?

A proxy server serves as a conduit between your browser and the internet. When you utilize a proxy server, your internet traffic is routed to the proxy before going on to the website or address you requested. As a middleman, a proxy server guarantees that you’re never in direct touch with sites you visit on the web.

Proxy servers have various functionalities and features to accommodate different use cases, targets, or needs. In addition to forwarding web requests, proxies are also used as/for:

• market research

• brand protection

• ad verification

• travel fare aggregation

• pricing intelligence

• SEO monitoring

For regular internet users proxy servers are a good means to add additional layer of privacy to your connection. As your real IP is hidden while using proxy connection your real location is hidden as well, thus it can be used to access geo specific content online.