Proxies can be very useful for Linux-powered devices. Before telling you how proxies can improve your time while surfing on your Linux device, let’s cover the basics of Linux OS and proxy servers.
Linux is one of the most popular operating systems available for computers, mainframes, servers, mobile devices, and embedded devices. Although it provides a rather different computing environment than Windows and macOS, it’s worth learning it. Linux is extremely reliable, flexible, and secure in comparison to other operating systems.
It’s also completely free, which means you can install it on as many devices as you want without paying for licensing or software. The variety of distributions and the extensive community support means there’s a Linux version for almost anything.
Its open-source nature provides its users with a lot more freedom compared to proprietary alternatives. Anyone can modify, contribute, improve, and distribute the source code to others for any purpose. This is why Linux is said to be created by the people for the people. Other advantages of this OS include security, which is why there’s no need for anti-viruses on Linux, and stability because Linux systems rarely freeze or slow down.
A proxy server is a device that functions as a bridge between you and the internet. Without it, you connect directly to servers on the internet. When using it, the proxy communicates with websites, apps, video games, or services on your behalf.
When using it, you make your browser connect to the proxy server. This means all your web requests will go to the proxy before the proxy passes them to their destination. Also, it fetches the responses from websites and other servers before it delivers them back to your device.
During the whole process, the proxy uses its own IP address and location while concealing your real ones. This is why the proxy makes other servers believe the requests are coming from the proxy itself and not from your device. In other words, your privacy, anonymity, and security get a significant boost.
Since quality proxies allow you to choose an IP address from whatever location you want, you can use them for more than just security and privacy.
Your Linux device has a unique IP address provided by your ISP. This IP address identifies your location and device. Since websites, governments, ISPs, advertisers, and hackers can all see your IP address, they can take advantage of it for their own purposes. Hence the need for proxies.
Reasons to hide your IP and identity while browsing the net from your Linux device using a proxy include:
Bypassing geo-restrictions
Some websites and online services restrict your access to their content because of your geographical location that’s identified by your IP address. This means that access to these websites or online resources is blocked in your country or region.
Some services like Netflix provide location-specific content. This means they show different content to users in different countries. Once again, they use users’ IP addresses to find out their geographical location, which they use to determine the content shown to the users.
Luckily, you can get around these geo-restrictions with a reliable proxy. The proxy server can give you an IP address from a location where the website or service is available, thus making you seem as if you’re browsing from that location. Since the website server will only see the proxy’s IP address and not yours, it will treat you as a resident of that location and allow you to access the content.
You can also use proxies to bypass internet censorship in schools, companies, and organizations.
Surfing the net anonymously and safely
Using a different IP address when surfing the net can help you gain the freedom to visit and use any online service you want and hide your browsing activity from your ISP and government. But, it can also prevent hackers and cybercriminals from tracking your IP, which often happens when using free and unprotected Wi-Fi networks.
A proxy will protect your Linux device from unsafe websites and your data from hacker and malware attacks.
You can use datacenter, residential, and mobile proxies for your Linux device, as long as they come from a reliable source. In general, datacenter proxies provide speed and anonymity, so they are great for gaming, web scraping, and social media automation.
On the other hand, residential and mobile proxies provide high anonymity and security, so they are ideal for unblocking geo-restricted sites, streaming, online shopping, and instant messaging.
When it comes to the source of your proxies for Linux, make sure it’s a provider you can trust with lots of IP addresses from different countries. IPRoyal is a reliable proxy source offering safe and anonymous datacenter, residential, and mobile proxies from almost every country in the world.
