You might have come across people saying they use proxy servers for a number of reasons that you just don’t understand. For any person who is not that tech savvy, they would’ve come across many explanations that might cause their head to spin. Here’s the simplest definition of a proxy server- a computer that acts as a mediator between your computer and the internet. There are a number of reasons why people use a proxy site. If you hear people saying they use a proxy server, here’s why they do so.

1. To share an internet connection

A number of small businesses and families work with a single internet connection despite having many computers. Proxy servers help them in sharing an internet connection and access the internet on several computers using LAN. This saves the hassle of having an independent internet connection for each computer.

2. For better speed

When you use a proxy server, you can access different resources at a better speed. This is because, when using a proxy server your computer would first reach the server and if your proxy server has the required resources cached already, you get to access it at a better speed than direct access. Thus, you can access cache resources in the proxy server at a greater speed than without it.

3. Adds security to searches

When you use a proxy server, you can conveniently hide the IP address of your computer when you surf the internet. Since the proxy server is the mediator between your computer and the internet, the internet would access the details of the proxy server. Thus, your computer’s IP address is not disclosed.

4. Access restricted or blocked websites

So many places, like colleges and offices, block various websites like Facebook and YouTube. While that is the case, you can’t access these blocked websites unless you use a proxy server. Proxy servers provide you with instant access to these websites by bypassing the restrictions easily.

5. To bypass regional restrictions

Many websites filter and give access only to computers that are located in a certain location. This is achieved through IP-based geo-location. However, when you use the proxy server of that country, you will get access to the location-based restricted website. This would happen irrespective of the country you live in since the internet won’t be able to detect your IP address. Instead, it takes the IP address of the proxy server into consideration.

These are some reasons why people use proxy servers to access the internet. Now that you know why people use proxy servers, you know how important these can be to a person located in a place where some sites are blocked. They are more widely used by people to access certain websites that are blocked. Proxy servers make life a lot easier by giving access to several blocked websites. Even when you want to access the internet without giving away your identity, using a proxy server is the best solution to go for.