How to disguise on the Internet: compare server and resident proxies

To hide an IP address or bypass content blocking, a proxy is usually used. They come in different types. Today we will compare the two most popular types of proxies - server and resident, let's talk about their pros, cons and usage scenarios.

How server proxies work

Server (Datacenter) proxies are the most common type. When using them, IP addresses are issued by cloud service providers. These addresses are in no way associated with Internet home providers.
')
Server proxies are used to hide the real IP address or bypass content blocking based on geodata, as well as to encrypt traffic. Often, web services restrict access to users from certain countries, such as Netflix. Users from such locations using server proxies can obtain an IP address in the USA and bypass the blocking.

Pros and cons of server proxies

Server proxies are easy to use and able to solve their main task - to disguise 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 the hosting providers. Many modern web resources restrict connectivity from server IP addresses, as they are often used by various bots.

How resident proxies work

In turn, the resident proxy is an IP address issued by a real Internet provider from a specific city, state or state. Typically, these addresses are given to homeowners, they are noted in the databases of regional Internet registries (RIR). When used correctly, requests from such addresses cannot be distinguished from real user requests.

Pros and cons of resident proxies

Since, in the case of resident proxies, IP addresses are issued by home Internet providers, the likelihood that they will be included in various blacklists 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 access the necessary 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, resident proxies are better suited for data collection and analysis tasks. Therefore, companies that need to collect data from various sources and bypass possible blockages use such proxies.

In this case, server proxies usually outperform residents in speed, and also cost less.

What to choose

When choosing a proxy should proceed from the tasks. If it is necessary to disguise the IP address and at the same time carry out operations quickly and with minimal cost, and the probability of blocking is not particularly scary - the server proxy would be the best option.

If you need a reliable tool for data collection, with a wide choice of geolocations and minimal chances to get blacklisted or blocked, resident proxies are more convenient.