Explainer

Using a proxy is legal in most countries. Whether that particular proxy is yours to use, and whether what you do through it is lawful, are separate questions with different answers.

These three get ranked as if hiding were a single scale. They are different trust models. Who can see what in each one, where each genuinely wins, and where each is the wrong tool.

Residential, datacenter, ISP, mobile, rotating, static, shared, dedicated, HTTP, SOCKS5. Four independent questions decide which you need, and most people only ask one of them.

A solver API generates the payload an anti-bot script would have produced, over plain HTTP, so you skip the browser. Where it sits between a CAPTCHA solver, a scraping API, and your own proxy.

Proxy anonymity grades explained: what transparent, anonymous, and elite proxies leak, the X-Forwarded-For and Via headers that set the grade, and how to test yours.

CGNAT puts thousands of subscribers behind one public IP. How carrier-grade NAT works, the shared 100.64.0.0/10 space, and why it makes mobile IPs hard to block.

HTTP vs HTTPS proxy explained: an HTTPS proxy is not a proxy for HTTPS sites, it is a proxy you reach over TLS. What CONNECT tunneling does, what stays exposed, and when it matters.

IPv4 vs IPv6 proxies: why IPv4 is scarce and trusted, why IPv6 is cheap and abundant, the reach gotcha that catches people, and how sites block a whole IPv6 subnet at once.

What is a backconnect proxy? A single gateway you connect to that routes back through a pool of exit nodes. Why it is called backconnect, how it differs from a proxy list, and when to use it.

What is a datacenter proxy? An IP owned by a hosting company, not a home. Why it is fast and cheap, why defended sites flag it on sight, and when it is the right pick.

What is a proxy? A server that makes web requests for you, so the site sees its IP instead of yours. How proxies work, the types that matter, and what a proxy is not.

What is proxy rotation? Automatically changing the IP your requests exit from so no single address trips a rate limit or ban. How it works, the triggers, and its limits.

A forward proxy sits in front of clients and hides them; a reverse proxy sits in front of servers and hides them. The exact difference, why it matters, and how one request hits both.

SOCKS4, SOCKS4a, and SOCKS5 compared at the byte level: authentication, IPv6, remote DNS, and UDP. What each version can and cannot do, and why SOCKS5 is the one to use.

Sticky sessions hold one exit IP for a timed window; rotating sessions change the IP every request. How each is implemented, why logins break when the IP moves, and which to use.

What is a rotating proxy? One gateway address that exits through a different IP on a schedule you control. How backconnect rotation works, what it defeats, and when it is the wrong tool.

An ASN identifies the network that owns a block of IP addresses. What an Autonomous System is, how ASNs are assigned, and why anti-bot systems check yours before anything else.

What is an ISP proxy? A static residential IP with a consumer ISP's reputation and a datacenter's speed. How it works, why logins survive on it, and what it costs.

JA3 and JA4 turn your TLS ClientHello into a fingerprint that names the software behind a connection. How the hash is built, why a proxy does not change it, and how to survive it.

Free proxy vs VPN explained without fluff: what each hides, real speed and trust differences, cost, and where a residential proxy beats both for your use case.

Datacenter vs residential proxies: what separates cheap server IPs from real home IPs, how each gets flagged, what they really cost, and which one to use.

HTTP vs SOCKS5 proxy, explained without the marketing: what each protocol does, which layer it works at, how they handle DNS and speed, and which to use.

What is a mobile proxy? A real 4G/5G carrier IP shared by thousands of phone users, so sites can barely block it. How mobile IPs work, rotate, and what they cost.

What is a residential proxy? A real home IP that makes your traffic look like an ordinary person online. How it works, why sites trust it, and what it costs.