In order to hide the IP address or bypass content blocking, a proxy is usually used. They are of different types. Today we will compare the two most popular types of proxies - server and residential, and talk about their pros, cons and usage scenarios.
How server proxies work
Server (Datacenter) proxies are the most common type. When used, IP addresses are issued by cloud service providers. These addresses have nothing to do with your home internet service providers.
Server proxies are used to hide the real IP address or bypass geo-based content blocking, as well as to encrypt traffic. Often these or other web services restrict access to users from certain countries - such as Netflix. Users from such locations can use server proxies to obtain an IP address in the US and bypass the blocking.
Pros and cons of server proxies
Server proxies are easy to use and are able to solve their main task - to mask the real IP address and open access to blocked content.
At the same time, it is important to understand that in the case of server proxies, IP addresses are issued not by the home Internet provider, but by hosting providers. Many modern web resources limit connectivity from server IP addresses, as all kinds of bots often use them.
How residential proxies work
In turn, a residential proxy is an IP address issued by a real Internet provider from a certain city, region or state. Usually these addresses are issued to homeowners, they are noted in the Regional Internet Registers (RIR) databases. When used correctly, requests from such addresses cannot be distinguished from requests from a real user.
Pros and cons of residential proxies
Since in the case of residential proxies, IP addresses are issued by home Internet providers, the likelihood that they will be blacklisted and blocked is extremely small. In addition, these addresses can be issued dynamically and constantly change for each user.
Their use makes it more likely to get access to the desired content on the Internet: no one will block requests from IP addresses that are in the databases of home Internet providers, and not hosting companies. For the same reason, residential proxies are better suited for data collection and analysis tasks. Therefore, companies that need to collect data from various sources and bypass possible blocking use such proxies.
At the same time, server proxies usually outperform residential proxies in terms of speed and are also cheaper.
What to choose
When choosing a proxy, you should start from tasks. If you need to mask the IP address and at the same time carry out operations quickly and at minimal cost, and the likelihood of blocking is not particularly scary, a server proxy is the best option.
If you need a reliable tool for collecting data, with a wide choice of geolocations and minimal chances of being blacklisted or blocked, residential proxies are more convenient.
Source: habr.com