explainers

Everything tagged explainers.

23 articles

Topic explainers

Explainer

HTTP vs HTTPS Proxy: The Difference Is the First Hop

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.

Explainer · July 18, 2026 · 6 min read
Explainer

IPv4 vs IPv6 Proxies: Which One Actually Reaches Your Target

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.

Explainer · July 18, 2026 · 5 min read
Explainer

What Is a Backconnect Proxy? One Endpoint, a Whole Pool Behind It

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.

Explainer · July 18, 2026 · 6 min read
Explainer

What Is a Datacenter Proxy? The Cheap, Fast, Easily-Spotted Option

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.

Explainer · July 18, 2026 · 5 min read
Explainer

What Is a Proxy? A Plain-English Explanation

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.

Explainer · July 18, 2026 · 6 min read
Explainer

What Is Proxy Rotation? The Technique That Beats IP Bans

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.

Explainer · July 18, 2026 · 6 min read
Explainer

Forward vs Reverse Proxy: Same Word, Opposite Jobs

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.

Explainer · July 17, 2026 · 6 min read
Explainer

SOCKS4 vs SOCKS5: What Changed, and Why It Matters

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.

Explainer · July 17, 2026 · 6 min read
Explainer

Sticky vs Rotating Proxy Sessions: Holding One IP vs Changing Every Request

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.

Explainer · July 17, 2026 · 7 min read
Explainer

What Is a Rotating Proxy? How One Endpoint Becomes Thousands of IPs

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.

Explainer · July 17, 2026 · 8 min read
Explainer

What Is an ASN? The Number That Tells Websites Who Owns Your IP

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.

Explainer · July 17, 2026 · 6 min read
Explainer

What Is an ISP Proxy? Static Residential IPs Explained

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.

Explainer · July 17, 2026 · 10 min read
Explainer

What Is JA3/JA4 Fingerprinting? How a TLS Handshake Identifies Your Client

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.

Explainer · July 17, 2026 · 8 min read
Free proxies

Free Online Proxy Site: Instant Browsing, Nothing to Download

A free online proxy site unblocks pages in your browser with nothing to install. Here is how web proxies work, what they do well, and where they quietly fail.

Free proxies · July 11, 2026 · 9 min read
Free proxies

Unblock Proxy: How to Reach Any Blocked Site for Free (2026)

An unblock proxy fetches a blocked site through another server so the page loads. How each method works, why blocks return, and the honest safe options.

Free proxies · July 11, 2026 · 10 min read
Explainer

Free Proxy vs VPN vs Residential Proxy: A Plain-English Guide

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.

Explainer · July 10, 2026 · 8 min read
Explainer

Datacenter vs Residential Proxies: Which to Use

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.

Explainer · July 3, 2026 · 8 min read
Explainer

HTTP vs SOCKS5 Proxy: Which Should You 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.

Explainer · July 3, 2026 · 8 min read
Explainer

What Is a Mobile Proxy? 4G and 5G IPs Explained

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.

Explainer · July 3, 2026 · 10 min read
Explainer

What Is a Residential Proxy? A Plain Explanation

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.

Explainer · July 3, 2026 · 10 min read
Free proxies

Free Web Proxy vs Free Proxy List: Which One Do You Actually Need?

A free web proxy loads one site in your browser with no setup. A free proxy list gives you ip:port entries you control in any tool. Here's which one you need.

Free proxies · July 2, 2026 · 6 min read
Explainer

Rotating vs Static Residential Proxies: Which One Your Job Actually Needs

The real difference between rotating and static residential proxies, how rotation works mechanically, where each one fails, and a decision guide by use case.

Explainer · July 2, 2026 · 7 min read
Explainer

What Is a SOCKS5 Proxy? A Plain-English Guide With the Details Kept In

What is a SOCKS5 proxy? How the protocol works, what it does that HTTP proxies can't, remote DNS, UDP support, and when a SOCKS5 proxy is the right choice.

Explainer · July 2, 2026 · 7 min read

Proxies that don't die mid-job

Residential, ISP, datacenter and mobile, verified by the same engine that runs tens of millions of checks. They read as a real device and hold up under load. Pay as you go, and your balance never expires.

47M+ proxy checks run · 100+ countries · HTTP / HTTPS / SOCKS · re-checked every few minutes · no signup