Glossary · Networking
Exit node
The last hop in a proxy chain, the address the destination site actually sees, as opposed to the gateway you connect to.
The exit node is where your traffic leaves the proxy network and enters the open internet. It is the address the destination records, which makes it the one that matters for everything a site infers: location, network type, reputation. The gateway you connected to is invisible to the destination; only the exit is seen.
In a rotating pool the exit node changes while the gateway stays fixed, which is why the same connection can present as many different visitors. In a static setup the exit holds steady. Either way, when you ask what country or reputation your traffic carries, you are asking about the exit, not the entry.
Confusing the two is a common source of surprise. Testing the address you dialled tells you nothing; testing what an IP-echo endpoint reports back tells you the exit, which is the real answer.
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