When deciding between shared and private proxies, it’s hard to choose the best solution. That’s why we’re here. If you’re looking for the right proxy type for your needs, we can help you out.
Shared and private proxy servers are excellent if you know how and when to use them.
Without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about the debate. We’ll discuss proxies first if you’re unsure how they work. Then, we’ll explain what defines private and shared proxies and compare their pros and cons to help you choose the best type for your needs.
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What is a proxy & how does it work?
While browsing the internet, your device communicates with websites via a dedicated network address. Every website you visit can see your Internet Protocol (IP) address and corresponding location. If you’re not welcome on the website, it can throw you out and block your IP.
That’s where proxies come in.
A proxy server is a tool that hides your IP address while browsing the internet. If you can imagine a middleman between your device and the world wide web, that’s essentially what a proxy is. It reroutes your traffic, making it appear like it’s coming from a different IP.
This powerful ability qualifies proxies for various personal and professional applications. You can use a proxy server to ensure anonymity and increase security. It can also help you access restricted content. As a business, you can use it for all that, plus to scrape online data.
There are many different proxy types, the primary of which are private and shared proxies.
What are private proxies? Pros & cons
As its name suggests, a private proxy is a proxy server that’s only for you. It’s an IP address that you don’t have to share with anyone else, and thus it’s your private solution for simply browsing the web anonymously or making web scraping operations successful. You can use it however you like; the responsibility is solely yours.
Here’s a list of pros and cons to help you out:
Pros
- Speed and performance
Since there’s only one user per IP address, you can count on a private proxy to stay consistent in terms of performance and speed. The best private proxy servers won’t slow your traffic one bit.
- Security and data privacy
Another thing you don’t have to worry about is security. When you share a proxy with many other users, there’s always a risk that one of them is a malicious actor eyeing your data.
- Less likely to get an IP block
Finally, a private proxy IP is less likely to get an IP block – assuming you know how to use it. We’ll discuss this problem more when we switch to examining shared proxies.
Cons
- Price
As you can probably guess, private proxy servers are more expensive than their shared counterparts. You’re paying for a new IP address by yourself, after all. That is this proxy’s only flaw.
What are shared proxies? Pros & cons
Shared proxies are the opposite of private proxies. Many individual users control a shared proxy simultaneously, usually for accessing different websites. However, that affects every aspect of this convenient solution, though not always in a positive way. In fact, shared proxies have quite a few cons.
Pros
- Increased anonymity
Sharing an IP with many other users means that nobody can pinpoint your identity or find your actual location. Shared IPs ensure more anonymity than private IPs.
- Affordable price
Aside from anonymity, the best thing about choosing a shared proxy solution is the price. Since you’re sharing an IP with many other users, the subscription is much more affordable.
Cons
- Low speed and performance
The greater the number of shared proxy users, the worse the performance. It’s only natural that sharing bandwidth will result in slow loading time and affect the performance quality.
- Security risks
Shared proxies might jeopardize your privacy because proxy providers can’t vet their users for security threats, no matter how respectable they are. Someone might buy a proxy tool to get to you.
- Greater chance of an IP block
However, shared proxy IPs often get IP blocks from accessing popular websites. The only thing it takes for everyone to get an IP block is one user who doesn’t know how to control a proxy.
How to choose the right proxy type
The best type of proxy is the one that’s right for you, and that’s not a cliche.
First, you need to define your needs and examine your options. If you’re only starting out with web scraping and need the proxy to help you get the hang of it, shared IPs can help you learn the ins and outs without burning your budget. Shared IPs are ideal if you need a one-time solution.
However, if you’re getting ready to collect data on a massive scale and daily basis, then shared proxies will only waste your time and money. They are slow and work only for smaller websites with no anti-bot measures. A private proxy server is better if you need a fast, professional, and reliable solution. Follow the link to find more info from a trusted proxy provider.
Conclusion
Hopefully, we’ve made your decision a bit easier. Proxies aren’t tough to crack, but they can be tricky to research and compare. The number of options and confusing terms feels overwhelming, but at least we’ve set this one straight. If you have another dilemma, let us know.