What is a proxy?

A proxy server is an intermediary between the user and the websites they want to visit. When using a proxy, Internet traffic doesn't travel directly from the user's browser to the website's server as usual. Instead, the request first goes through the proxy server and on its way there, and then again, when the server responds, the traffic again goes through the proxy to the user.

In addition to forwarding requests, proxy servers can also provide shared network connections, work as a firewall, cache websites locally to save on bandwidth, and so on. There are special Privacy detection services that allow companies to detect proxy users.