Situations when we need to use proxies and web-proxies emanate from their fundamental nature. They are used with the goal of:
- accessing blocked websites of data (files, source code, etc.)
- providing high (or low) access to the Global Network
- limiting the use of certain resources.
Because proxies and web-proxies can be used by physical entities (end users) and legal entities (companies), they have their own specific characteristics.
1. Many proxies used by physical entities are ready-made products. Web proxies – sites featuring mechanisms, which are set up to transfer incoming inquiries via a proxy. Most such sites have a URL field, and they code URLs to create modified addresses, ensure anonymity and provide ways around limits set by administrators. Less frequently, scripts and browser add-ons are used to provide greater convenience and save the most popular webpages.
2. Mostly, legal entities use proxies to guarantee anonymity and, most important, security. Corporate information is secured in two ways:
- with the help of settings that block transfer of certain types of messages, files, and chat tools, to prevent industrial spying inside a company
- by limiting access from outside to secure a corporate local network against viruses, which could copy or ruin data depending on potential felons’ intentions.
It should be noted that local network administrators (local Internet providers can act as ones) also use proxies to create local servers, which play the role of a cushion between end users and the Internet. If there is high-volume cache on proxies, it is possible to create storages of the most visited websites, frequently downloaded files, etc.
