What is an http proxy? I don't understand professional terms when using proxy ip for the first time. I will take you to the basics in 5 minutes.

1. Basic Concept of Proxy

Imagine that you are like a traveler in the world of the Internet, and the proxy is like a "middleman". When you want to visit a website or get information on the Internet, your request can be completed through this "middleman" first. This "middleman" is a proxy server, which can help you hide your true identity (IP address) and allow you to break through some network restrictions.

2. Definition of HTTP Proxy

HTTP proxy is one of many types of proxies. It is mainly a proxy for HTTP protocol (Hypertext Transfer Protocol). HTTP protocol is the most commonly used protocol when we browse web pages and get web page information. Simply put, when you visit a web page through a browser, such as checking news, shopping or reading a blog, the HTTP proxy server will request the web page on your behalf and then return the content of the web page to you.

3. Working Principle of HTTP Proxy

1. Request forwarding

When you enter a URL in the browser and press the Enter key, under normal circumstances, your request will be sent directly to the server of the target website. However, if an HTTP proxy is used, the request will be sent to the HTTP proxy server first. It's like you want to send a letter to a friend far away. You could have sent the letter directly, but now you hand it over to a "messenger" (proxy server) first.

2. Server response

After receiving your request, the proxy server will send a request to the server of the target website as itself. The server of the target website does not know that the request actually comes from you. It thinks that the proxy server is requesting information. Then, the server of the target website will send the web page content and other related information back to the proxy server. This is like the "messenger" takes your letter to your friend, and your friend gives the reply to the "messenger".

3. Content return

After the proxy server receives the content returned by the target website, it will pass it to you. In this way, you have successfully obtained the content of the web page through the proxy server. Just like the "messenger" gives you the reply.

4. Benefits of using HTTP proxy

1. Breaking restrictions

Some websites may restrict access based on your geographic location or IP address. For example, some foreign video websites only allow domestic users to access. Through HTTP proxy, you can choose a proxy server in the country where the target website is located, so that it is possible to break through this geographical restriction and access content that was originally inaccessible.

2. Privacy protection

HTTP proxy can hide your real IP address. This protects your privacy to a certain extent, because websites or other network trackers can only see the IP address of the proxy server, not your real IP address. It's like you are wearing an "invisible cloak" on the Internet.