What is Proxy server?
Also: proxy
A proxy server is an intermediary that forwards your web requests, so the destination site sees the proxy's IP instead of yours. Unlike a VPN, a proxy usually works per-application (e.g., a browser) and often without encryption. Proxies are used for scraping, geo-unblocking, and hiding origin.
Proxies come in several forms: HTTP/HTTPS proxies, SOCKS proxies, transparent proxies, and open (misconfigured) proxies. They range from datacenter proxies on hosting IPs to residential proxies that borrow real consumer connections.
Because a proxy terminates and re-originates a connection, it leaves network fingerprints — mismatched round-trip times, banner responses on proxy ports, and hosting-provider ASNs — that detection services use to flag it.
How IPLogs handles it
IPLogs aggregates public open-proxy feeds and runs SOCKS5 and HTTP-CONNECT handshake probes against reported proxy ports.
FAQ
What's the difference between a proxy and a VPN?
A VPN encrypts and routes all of your device's traffic through a tunnel at the OS level. A proxy typically forwards traffic for a single application, often without encryption. Both hide your real IP, but a VPN is broader and encrypted.