VPN vs PROXY? If you are visiting this website, chances are this is a question that you have been asking yourself over and over again. This can especially be the case if you are an individual who wants and/or prefers privacy but, at the same time, wants to obtain a connection that is solid enough to stream content from all of your favorite media portals.
Even though both VPNs and proxies share distinct differences, VPNs are actually pieces of software that help to successfully connect you to a proxy server. The only major difference is the overall amount of both protection and encryption between you and any outside servers.
Paid VPN services are typically the way to go, as these use a wall of 256-bit AES anonymity to successfully encrypt any and all traffic that takes place between yourself and other servers. A normal proxy, however, only prevents a vast majority of third parties from being able to completely trace where all of your traffic is coming from.
Here is some useful information that can help you to determine which of these two aspects would be the most beneficial to you.
PROXIES
It’s a well-known fact that surfing the internet without some form of protection on your personal computer means that the IP address that you’re using can come from virtually anywhere in your neighborhood or the city that you live in itself. Due to the lack of protection, third parties such as advertisers, marketers, and hackers will then be able to use this information to determine your true identity. VPNs and proxy servers were designed to prevent this very thing from happening.
To explain in the simplest of terms, proxy servers are designed to not only throw these third parties off of your track, but also to direct them to a separate server, which can be located literally anywhere around the world. This process will make it extremely difficult for a third party to determine exactly where a specific traffic request or query came from to begin with.
Proxy servers typically use two different types of encryption programs to help shield your true identity from any third parties. These programs are known as “HTTPS” and “SOCKS.” While “HTTPS” is both cheaper in price and a bit more faster to run, “SOCKS” gives a little bit of an extra boost in terms of defense. The most important thing to keep in mind is that both of these programs are very effective alternatives to run a connection with bandwidth that may end up becoming a successful target for third parties.
VPNs
As previously stated, proxies are ways to protect your information while it’s being transferred over the internet. VPNs, on the other hand, act as a proverbial “invisibility cloak” that essentially helps to further repel any effort by third parties to intercept your information.
VPNs work a process that is rather simple. They install software on your personal computer (or mobile device, whichever you prefer) which will connect you to a proxy server that will be under the direct control of the VPN provider. After the software has been installed, you can then visit your favorite websites as normal without having to worry about the possibility of your information being given to a third party without your express consent.
In terms of keeping archives or records on their users, about half of the VPN providers out there today do this, while the other half do not. While you may think otherwise, this particular statistic is actually extremely important due to the fact that the need for a VPN may actually be nullified in the event that your information is requested by a law enforcement agency. As a result, the information that is provided to them could potentially tie your IP address to a form of illegal activity that they may be investigating.
If a VPN provider you sign with makes the claim that they do not track the data of any of their users, the opposite could potentially be true. If you pay a monthly fee for their services, this will leave them with certain bits of information that can include financial data that can tie activities to a certain credit card that you may also be using to make those monthly payments.
Regardless of what specific VPN provider you choose to sign up with, it’s extremely important to be very careful and observant about exactly how much personal information the provider may ask for.
WHAT’S THE VERDICT?
As you have read, both proxy servers and VPNs provide their own particular positives and negatives, so there really is no logical way to determine which one is better than the other.
However, if you want more protection that will require you to sacrifice some of your bandwidth in the process, you may choose to opt for a VPN. If, on the other hand, you prefer benefits such as speed and the availability of a server, then a proxy would be the perfect choice for you.
From the point of view of the VPN you can read more here.