We are sure that you hear or read about VPN networks and Proxy servers frequently. However, it is very likely that you have confused them on occasion. Later, we guide you in the clarification of both concepts and in which contexts each of them brings to light its main advantages. A good implementation of both Proxy and VPN, according to the situation, will ensure secure and reliable access to networks.
What is a proxy server?
It is a node that acts as an intermediate server between the client and the final server. It is responsible for providing indirect network services to the client. The main purpose is that said client manages to go out on the Internet with guaranteed anonymity and the least possible risk that malicious traffic will get in the way. The anonymity in question is achieved by hiding the client’s IP address, and the location from where you are browsing the Internet.
Although the person connects to the Internet with the intermediary of the proxy server, the traffic generated through the network is not encrypted if the proxy is HTTP. Which implies a huge risk, even cybercriminals tend to mask their attacks under applications that give you supposed access to proxy. Thus, they manage to appropriate your credentials. However, there are also HTTPS Proxies where communication is encrypted point to point, but the traffic that is encrypted is only web traffic, or those applications that have the possibility to configure a Proxy to access the Internet, the rest of the traffic goes routed through the main network and not the proxy.
Advantages of adopting a proxy server
These servers have a very important role in anonymous web traffic. In addition to this, those organizations that implement proxy servers in their internal networks will have control of the Internet use by all users in order to prevent or mitigate the misuse of corporate network services. Another important advantage of citing is that they provide extreme protection against cybercriminals that attack through public Wi-Fi network vulnerabilities, or bypassing censored websites. Although they do not offer traffic tunneling, as well as the VPN, it is a tool that is recommended to adopt especially at the organizational level to protect and control traffic, especially if the Proxy is configured with HTTPS so that communication from the client to the Proxy is encrypted and authenticated.
One of the best known utilities even by any user of medium-advanced Internet knowledge is access to blocked websites in our country. Either by regulations of our own country, ISP or the restrictions of the organization for which we work. Hide your original IP address to be able to mask it with another address that does not identify the actual location where you are. The implementation of proxies is simple and in the long run, you will save a lot of problems due to bad or irregular use of bandwidth.
VPN: tunneling all traffic and encrypting it point to point
A virtual private network is specially developed to redirect all VPN client traffic through said server, all traffic between the VPN clients and the server is encrypted and authenticated, either with TLS-based protocols or mainly with the IPsec protocol. From the moment the user accesses the VPN, any sensitive data that may circulate during the session cannot be visible by other people on the Internet, once the traffic flows from the server to the destination on the Internet, there we will no longer count with the protection of the VPN, but with the public IP of that server.
Unlike proxy servers, VPNs can be somewhat slower in connection speed, however, today there are free VPN servers that work really well, both for smartphones and for computers. The encryption processes that encrypt traffic for a secure and invisible session for other people on the Internet, are very important for environments where very sensitive information is handled.
As we have seen, Proxy servers are oriented to the anonymity of our sessions on the Internet and the speed of access. On the other hand, VPNs are oriented to the encryption of the data generated in the network and the invisibility of the same through the tunnel that is created. However, VPNs also serve to anonymize our sessions on the Internet, since the public IP address with which we go to the Internet is that of the VPN server itself, so we will be masking our real public IP. The most important difference between the two is that the proxy is primarily oriented to web browsing, and the VPN routes all traffic through the VPN tunnel.
