Shared proxies are available IP addresses that are used by many users at the same time. Because of the lack of privacy and ease of security breach, they are considered less sophisticated in comparison to private proxies. This in no way implies that they are not fit for any task as they are suitable for many jobs online. An appealing feature is its cheap cost.

Your IP address is your identity and can give information about you like your location. So if you want to use the internet anonymously, or have access to content that is blocked to you due to your location, a proxy is what you need. Shared proxies are mostly used by those who want to hide their identity as they use the internet, to bypass web filters, or to connect to the web from a different location.

So if you want to have access to specific content or bypass geo-restrictions, a good and cheap option would be shared proxies. A VPN also keeps you anonymous and is ideal for individual use.

BENEFITS OF USING SHARED PROXIES

1 . IT’S CHEAP

The most alluring feature about shared proxies is that it’s the cheapest type of proxies you can get. This is so because since the proxy providers sell the same IPs to many users, it’s cheaper to maintain the servers when the cost is split across users. It’s also the best option for beginners in the world of proxies or trying out different types of proxies to find out the best one for their project.

2. CAN BE USED WITH SCRAPING TOOLS

When the need for data extraction comes up, shared proxies can also be used with bots. Although they are not the ideal proxies too be used for web scraping, some specific tools work perfectly with them. As long as the target website doesn’t block the IP address from shared proxies, you are good to go.

3. IT GIVES YOU GOOD ANONYMITY

Shared proxies give you a high level of anonymity partly because it masks your real IP address, and also because many users share the same IP address. And so it’s difficult to identify a single IP user.

4. IT’S ALSO EFFICIENT

The efficiency of using shared proxies depends on your needs, but its effective for tasks that its meant for. A good step to ensure that the shared proxies have good performance is to buy the IP from a good and reputable proxy service provider. Good proxy providers would optimize the shared IPs to suit the use of each user.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KEEP IN MIND

The following are factors you should bear in mind when using shared proxies;

1. BANDWIDTH ARE SHARED BETWEEN USERS

In the case of dedicated proxies, you have all the bandwidth to yourself so you get fast speed and great performance. But with shared proxies, bandwidth is shared and so you have to share the performance and speed with other users.

2. BAD NEIGHBOR EFFECT

Sharing the IP address could make you suffer for acts you didn’t commit. This is because if one of the other users goes against the ethics of a site while using the IP, the entire IP could get banned and you would have no access to the site too.

3. RELIABILITY

Shared proxies are not the most reliable as multiple users are connected to it and making use of it at the same time. So you would have a slower speed and in some cases, an unresponsive IP.

4. HIGHER RISK OF ENCOUNTERING CAPTCHAS

With shared proxies, you stand a higher chance of encountering captcha. This is the case when multiple users all try to access a site at the same time and the site sees it as spam; due to multiple requests from the same IP.

The choices are not always between a shared proxy or a private one. There is a category in-between known as the semi-dedicated proxy. A semi-dedicated proxy is a shared proxy too but the difference is that the provider puts a limit to the number of users per IP. This way, only a few people can use an IP at a time giving you faster speed and better performance.

So if your task needs speed and high performance, the best choice would be a semi-dedicated proxy.

Both types of proxy are at extremes and have a huge difference. Dedicated proxies are given to only one user per IP address, and so the user has all the speed and optimum performance of the IP. While shared proxies are shared between many users who all share the speed and efficiency of the IP.

WHAT ARE DEDICATED PROXIES?

Dedicated proxies, also known as private proxies are those whose IP is used by only one user at a time. The user has complete control over the proxy and enjoys the full benefits of the IP alone. Private proxies keep you highly anonymous and are the best option for companies and individuals who seek the highest level of anonymity. You can set up your chrome browser to make use of a proxy, and by this, your traffic would be routed via a specific endpoint.

Ad verification companies are an example of those that benefit from private proxies. They use this proxy to check the advertisers’ landing page and do it anonymously. This way, their IPs would not be recognized and fed with false information.

Travel fare aggregators also depend on proxies so they can anonymously extract travel fare data from flight companies, travel agencies, and other sources. Getting the right information is necessary, and avoiding getting banned is important hence the need for a good proxy.

With dedicated proxies, you can extract data on prices, make purchases of limited edition designer sneakers, and also create and manage multiple social media accounts to promote your brand.

BENEFITS OF USING DEDICATED PROXIES

A . TOP PRIVACY AND SECURITY

With private proxies, you can be sure that you are the only one making use of it. Since no one else shares the IP address, the chances of your data being compromised are slim.

B. DIFFERENT LOCATIONS TO CHOOSE FROM

Private proxies like all proxies allow you to connect to an IP server in any location you want. this way you can have access to content that was otherwise blocked to you due to your location, and you can also get localized SERP data.

C. SPEED

Since private proxies are assigned to one user at a time, the chances of bandwidth overload are low. Some private proxies even provide unlimited bandwidth to users, so whatever your intended use is, you can have the required speed for the task.

THE DOWNSIDE TO THE USE OF PRIVATE PROXIES

1 . COST

Since only one person is assigned the IP at a time, the cost of maintaining the server and providing the benefits that come with single-use are borne by one user. This makes dedicated proxies very expensive.

Apart from the cost of shared proxies, there are other reasons why people buy shared proxies.

1 . PROVISION OF ANONYMITY AND PRIVACY

Shared proxies offer a high level of anonymity and privacy to users because multiple users use the same IP address at a time. This way, if your traffic is to be tracked, it will get mixed with that of other users, making it difficult for you to be tracked.

2. DATA MINING

In data mining, many requests are sent at once and the chances of an IP getting blocked because of too many requests per time is high. To get over this, many IPs would have to be used and the cheapest way to do this is with shared proxies. Shared proxies are also beneficial in tasks where data can be gathered without the need to login to an account. Examples of such scenarios include SEO, rank checking, and keyword research.

3. TO DOWNLOAD CONTENT AND BYPASS BLOCKS

Some contents are blocked from being accessed by users in certain locations, but with shared proxies, you can have access to such content and bypass the blocks to your real location.

4. APPS AND WEBSITE VERIFICATION

You can verify that your app and website are appearing optimally when viewed from other parts of the world by using proxies. By choosing an IP from a different location, your requests would be seen as coming in from that location.

Based on the type of connection, there are two types of shared proxies.

1 . HTTP Proxies: HTTP proxies only allow HTTP traffic to go through. It’s used by software and apps that make use of HTTP connections like web browsers, web automation software, and the likes.

2. SOCKS4/5: this is a more general type of proxy, and it accepts both SOCKS and HTTP connections. It’s used for gaming, and other real-time apps and real-time tasks.

The mentioned types of shared proxies are not only shared but can also be given to only one user at a time.

Shared proxies have IP addresses that multiple users can use to have access to different domains. In a case where multiple IPs are required for a task, shared IPs are very cost-effective and can allow you to achieve results without having to spend more. An example of this is a scenario of ads verification or checks for broken links. For this, a large number of IPs are needed so that the domain can be accessed from different locations. You can achieve this while minimizing costs.

Shared IPs can also be used in data extraction from sites that have a limit to the number of requests sent at a time. This is a security feature in many sites as it helps to detect and block the activity of bots. So by changing the IP used to send the requests after several requests have been sent, you can extract data without raising red flags. This is an example of how shared proxies can give you great value at a low cost.

Both shared and exclusive proxies are available across different proxy networks, and the success rate for each one would vary. That’s why it’s important to choose your proxy service provider carefully as the right one would have solutions to glitches you may face as you perform your task. Knowing the differences that exist between a shared and dedicated proxy will help you optimize the cost and performance of your proxy in various use cases.

1. WHAT IS A STATIC PROXY?

Static proxies are data center proxies that allow you to send requests as a residential user with the given IP address. They are given by an ISP.

2. WHAT IS PROXY ROTATION?

Proxy rotation makes it possible to rotate IP addresses from your pool of IP addresses. This way you can have multiple connections with different IPs from a single device.

3. WHICH IS BETTER BETWEEN A PROXY AND A VPN?

Both proxy and VPN work to provide you with high levels of anonymity, proxies are better for use by large bodies, and a VPN is best for use by private individuals.

4. DO PROXIES HIDE YOUR IP ADDRESS?

Yes, proxies hide your IP address and allow you to have internet access with another address from a location you have pre-selected.