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Log inWhat Is An SSL Proxy And How To Use An SSL Private Proxy
As a kid, I was obsessed with trying to crack the safe in my dad’s home office. What secrets lay inside? What treasures hidden away from public view? The Holy grail? Or better yet, candy? I never found out but now, as an adult, I would rather do the securing rather than the breaking. Once confounded by what I did not know, I am now astounded by our ability to hide data, to protect ourselves and our personal information without delay. I don’t want to burgle a safe, I want to build a digital version, password protect it, and encrypt all the files that sit inside.
In the digital kingdom, encryption is king. Think of encryption as an extra layer of security added to an already secure system. A puzzle that can only be solved by those with all the pieces.
But what do encryptions, passwords, and safes have to do with an SSL proxy? Lucky for you, the answer is hidden in plain sight. Whether you are familiar with all proxies have to offer or have never heard the term before in your life, you are about to find out what makes an SSL proxy so special. In this blog, I will take you through what SSL proxies are, their benefits, and where you can purchase them right now. Let’s get cracking.
Table of Contents
What are SSL Proxies?
Before we dive into the definition of an SSL proxy, it is important to pinpoint where this proxy gets its name and understand the meaning of internet protocols. In short, internet protocols are a set of rules used to transfer data between a client and a server. For example, we will be discussing a type of protocol known as HTTP(S) or Hypertext Transfer Protocol over SSL. HTTP(S) is a kind of subcategory of the ever-popular HTTP. You may recognize HTTP as the 4 letters that come before web addresses. HTTP(S) is an even more secure version of the HTTP protocol.
Now, what does SSL stand for? SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. Because an SSL web proxy controls SSL traffic, the exchange of information between clients and servers is very secure. Keeping all the above in mind, we can then properly define SSL private proxies. The SSL proxy is connected to the kind of protocol used to browse the internet. An SSL proxy is any proxy server that deals with SSL protocol. Not only that, but a fast SSL proxy is transparent and has the ability to decrypt and encrypt information. Remember our discussion on encryption earlier? With an SSL proxy in place, all of the personal information you keep on your computer and various online websites is safe from prying eyes. Proxies replace your original IP address, your computer’s unique address, with a new one. This gives you more freedom to stream from different locations, all while remaining safe.
Are HTTP(S) Proxies and SSL Proxies the Same?
With so much information about protocols out there, it can be difficult to know if you are buying the right proxy for the right protocol or if you are simply making a total mess of things. It would take me a long time to define every protocol in this blog, but I can set one record straight. You may have seen HTTP(S) proxy and SSL proxies being used interchangeably. Good news. You are not going mad. They are alternate names for the same tool. When doing more research about SSL enabled proxies, just remember what the S at the end of HTTP(S) stands for. For even more background of different protocols, check out our blog here.
How to Use an SSL Private Proxy
By purchasing an SSL proxy, you are about to take your passion for online security to the next level. You can hardly stand the excitement and have never felt more ready to open up a new tab in your web browser. But HTTP(S) proxies go beyond mere security, there are a myriad of ways you can apply this kind of proxy to your everyday life.
Bypass restricted content
Say you live in a country that does not allow access to certain websites. This is a major frustration for you. Well, you can use an SSL proxy to unblock sites and browse with ease. Like I mentioned above, proxies help hide your identity. They allow you to browse anonymously, shielding your IP address and making websites think you are streaming content from one location when you are really in another. Using an SSL secure proxy on websites like Netflix gives you access to content allowed in certain areas.
Web scraping
Often paired with the discussion of proxies, is the topic of web scraping. Web scraping is the automated collection of data and information online. This information is then stored in a neat document, ready for your easy viewing. Using an SSL proxy when web scraping makes it easier to gather larger amounts of data. Say you work for a company that needs you to do a lot of market research in a small amount of time, the multiple IP addresses you will have from purchasing multiple proxies, will quicken this process. The less time you spend doing tiresome research on your own, the more time you will be able to focus on other tasks.
Ad removal
Another fantastic way to use an SSL private proxy comes in the form of ad removal. It seems that just about every site has ads these days. From social media to news outlets, advertisements are seemingly inescapable. However, with the help of an HTTP(S) proxy, those ads can be removed from the sites you visit most. As an added bonus, these proxies can also be used to verify ads. Ad verification minimizes the amount of fraud and helps increase the number of people that actually click on the ad. The more successful the ad, the better you will be able to market and advertise in the future.
The list above includes just a few of the many ways you can use proxies in your everyday life. How you use a proxy might depend on your job, the business you run, or your interests outside the office. The more you use your proxy, the more you will find new ways to make the tool work for you. When it comes to proxy use, you should never limit yourself.
Benefits of an SSL Proxy
As you can imagine, there are a ton of benefits to using a fast SSL proxy. There is a reason why proxies have become such a popular tool amongst internet aficionados, gamers, everyone in between. I do not doubt that you will discover these benefits once you purchase and download a proxy of your own, but let’s go through some of the SSL proxy main attractions.
Encryption
I might as well sing this word from a mountaintop at this point. Here we are, back to discussing encryption. An SSL proxy encrypts the data being requested and the target of that request. This means that you are taking a safer journey through the internet. With the request encrypted, you are far less likely to have your server hacked by a 3rd party. What’s more, if your computer does become a target for hackers, all the information will be encrypted by the HTTP(S) protocol. Safety should never be overlooked while browsing online. With the help of a proxy, your online activity will stay between you and your browser history. Given this kind of proxies’ ability to encrypt data, it also has the ability to decrypt. This means it has an easier time detected potential threats in the encrypted SSL traffic. Online traffic is busier than L.A. traffic, which should tell you something. There is no need to put yourself at risk, especially when there is a preventive measure right in front of you.
Anonymity
I am all about anonymity. The rise of social media has made anonymity quite difficult, but the last thing you want is to expose more of your personal life online. Because the traffic coming from an HTTP protocol that is not encrypted and can be interpreted by anyone, it proves to be less safe than SSL web proxies. Think about it. If you left your diary lying around from anyone to pick up and read, you are running the risk of the public (or maybe just a precocious younger brother) knowing your innermost thoughts. On the flip side, if that diary was written in code and had a lock on the front, fewer people would take the time to decipher your feelings. Traveling through the internet anonymously gives you more freedom than ever before.
Like the list of proxy applications, I gave, this list of benefits just scratches the surface. I am sure you will be made aware of even more benefits once you begin using your own proxy on a regular basis.
Where to Get SSL Proxies
All this talk about proxies might have you asking how to get high quality HTTP(S) proxies. One thing to keep in mind, not all proxies are made equal. For all the safety reasons mentioned above, it is important that you purchase your proxy, rather than download a free one. While free stuff is enticing, you are running the risk of your proxy not working properly. Another major factor in where to get this kind of proxy has to do with Proxy server locations. Where you wold like your IP address to be located should be a huge consideration before purchase. After all, what is the point of buying a German proxy is you want to watch U.S. Netflix? Choose a proxy provider that gives a plethora of locations to choose from. That way, you will always buy the right proxy for your needs.
Also, keep in mind the number of proxies you would like to buy at once. If you need a large number of IP addresses for web scraping, then choosing a provider that gives discounts on larger purchases will help minimize the overall cost. Equally important is the length of time you need your proxy for. Without options such as these, you are limiting your proxy use, and if we’ve learned one thing in this blog, it’s that an SSL proxy is all about online freedom.
Final Thoughts on SSL Enabled Proxies
Part of me is glad I never unlocked my dad’s safe. It made me respect one’s ownership of personal information and gave me full-body chills over a well-crafted safe (but that has nothing to do with the internet). Learning about safety lead me to the inner workings of encryption. Without encryption, I may never have found a deep appreciation for my SSL proxy. We all take steps to keep ourselves safe when walking home at night or traveling alone, why shouldn’t we take the same precautions online. Especially considering we spent the majority of our lives online. Before you take the first step and purchase SSL proxies, remember the tips I mentioned about finding the highest-quality proxies available. Do your research, buy the right proxy, stay safe and enjoy all the internet has to offer.
