What happens to a request when you connect through a proxy, what it changes and what it doesn't, and how it differs from a VPN.
Proxies in a nutshell
A proxy is an intermediate server between your device and a website. Without a proxy, your browser or app connects to the site directly, and the site sees your IP address. With a proxy, the request goes to the proxy server first, and the proxy passes it on. The site sees the proxy's address, not yours.
How a request travels
- Your app sends the request to the proxy server instead of the website — using the address and port from your settings.
- The proxy checks that you're allowed to use it: by username and password or by your IP address.
- The proxy opens a connection to the website on its own behalf.
- The website's response comes back to the proxy, and the proxy passes it to you.
To you it feels like using the internet as usual — except websites "think" you're wherever the proxy's address is.
What a proxy changes and what it doesn't
It changes:
- the IP address the website sees;
- the country and city detected from the IP;
- the provider the address belongs to.
It doesn't change:
- cookies and data stored in your browser;
- your browser fingerprint: screen size, fonts, graphics card;
- your system time zone and language — unless you set them manually;
- accounts you're already signed in to.
That's why one proxy isn't enough for running multiple accounts: you also need a separate browser profile for each account.
Proxy vs VPN — what's the difference
A VPN usually routes all of your device's traffic through itself at once. A proxy is set up for a specific app or browser profile: one tab can go through Germany, another through the USA, and a third can connect directly. For tasks that need many different addresses at the same time, proxies are more convenient.
Where proxies are used
- Data collection — scraping public websites without getting blocked for sending too many requests.
- Account management — a dedicated, stable address for each account.
- Ad and search result checks — seeing them the way users in different countries do.
- Testing — checking a website or app from the region you need.