Over the years, the Internet has grown into something tremendous and rather intricate. It’s now a place where an incredible amount of data is being exchanged. People on the Internet create approximately 2.5 quintillion bytes of data per day!
With so much data roaming around the Web, it’s become tough to protect and secure sensitive information. Data breaches are expensive, not to mention very costly for businesses and users. The global loss due to cybercrime is predicted to grow to over $10.5 trillion annually by 2025. On this same note, Gartner predicts that 45% of organizations worldwide will be victims of a supply chain attack in the next 2 years.
What can be done?
This is where datacenter proxies enter the picture. This technology is a resource for those who seek more security and safety, as well as businesses that need to secure their digital assets.
And in this post, we’ll tell you all about datacenter proxies and why you should use them for your personal and business security.
What are datacenter proxies
A datacenter proxy is a proxy server that’s hosted in a datacenter. The datacenter proxy will assign IP addresses to datacenter servers unlike tying them to internet service providers and physical locations (like the case with residential proxies).
Simply put, the datacenter proxy server is a computer that routes your internet traffic via a datacenter-based server before it gets the information to the final destination. When you access a website, the other side will see not your IP address, but that of the proxy server.
As a result, your online activity remains untraceable and anonymous and therefore, much safer.
Think of this as sending a letter without your address on the envelope, or asking someone else to send it for you.
Why you should use datacenter proxies
There are plenty of reasons why you should use datacenter proxies. These are:
- Compliance
- Privacy and security
- Speed (increased ability to handle high volumes of traffic)
- Cost-effectiveness
- Helps in Efficient Web Scraping
Let’s delve into these.
Datacenter proxies and compliance
Today, website owners use proxy servers to keep user data anonymous. These serve as intermediaries between people’s devices and the internet. It allows people to access the pages anonymously, which goes a long way in preserving their privacy.
But, what does this have to do with compliance?
Ever since data privacy laws like the GDPR have become more stringent, there’s been a hysteria among companies that collect data – which makes up the majority of them. GDPR requires that companies have a lawful basis for the collection and processing of data, and they put a special focus on consent.
Under GDPR, companies need to request consent from users for their details to be used for marketing. Content requests can take many forms, some of which you can see in these GDPR opt-in examples. Proxies are great for compliance. They can provide IP anonymization and block third-party cookies, which helps websites collect data and remain compliant at the same time.
Privacy and security
When you use a datacenter proxy server and hide your IP address, as well as some other important information, you are making it a lot harder for third parties to track your activities on the Web. Routing the internet traffic increases both the security and privacy of data.
Speed and reliability
The next reason why you should be using data center proxies is the strong performance they offer. Keep in mind that these originate in data centers, which makes them very fast and with excellent uptime. You can now find servers with 10Gbps speeds. A data center proxy is one of the fastest types of proxies.
Cost-effectiveness
Datacenter proxies are far less expensive compared to other proxy types. This makes them a mix of reliability, security, and affordability, which is perfect for people and businesses who want to protect the data they use.
Helps in Efficient Web Scraping
Datacenter proxies come in pools, enabling users to rotate IP addresses. This rotation capability means that for every request or series of requests, a different IP address can be used. As a result, web scrapers can access target websites continuously without being restricted or banned, as each request appears to be coming from a different user.
Websites often have rate limits, restricting the number of requests from a single IP within a specific timeframe. With datacenter proxies, you can distribute your requests across multiple IP addresses, ensuring that you don’t hit these limits. This ensures continuous data extraction without any interruptions.
Not only do datacenter proxies offer faster speeds that reduce the time spent scraping, but they can also minimize the risk of getting blocked. Time is money, and by efficiently accessing data without setbacks, the scraping process becomes more economical.
Using datacenter proxies effectively integrates into the web scraping infrastructure, ensuring that businesses and individuals can gather the vast amounts of data they need swiftly and without complications.
You can try Scrapingdog’s free unmetered datacenter proxy for web scraping. Our proxies are scalable, affordable, and can be easily integrated into your existing setup.
Types of datacenter proxies
IPs in datacenter proxies aren’t in any way connected to ISPs. Based on this, there are 3 main types of datacenter proxies you should know about:
Private Proxies
A private datacenter proxy is a dedicated IP given exclusively to the user by the service provider. In this case, the IPs can only be used on selected domains.
Out of all types of datacenter proxies, these are the most expensive and also the highest-performing proxies. They give you the most privacy and control.
Private proxies are sometimes referred to as dedicated proxies.
Shared proxies
A shared proxy can be used by more than one person at a time. This number cannot exceed 3 users. Shared proxies cost a solid sum, but they perform better than free proxies. They are excellent for simpler web scraping and data extraction tasks. However, these can sometimes be blocked on sites due to their shared nature.
Public Proxies
Public, free, or web proxies are proxies that you can find and use free of charge. They don’t work as well as private and shared proxies but come at no cost. If you plan to use them for data extractions, they have lower success rates. Basically, they are good for basic tasks such as, for instance, changing your location to access a site that’s restricted in your country.
Now, there’s an option that combines these – companies that offer free proxies for a limited time. In this case, you can enjoy the capabilities of the proxies in their paid plan for a limited time, just to give you a peak at what you’d be getting if you paid for the ‘real thing’.
Datacenter proxies vs. other types of proxies
There are different types of proxies that you can use these days, and datacenter is just one of them. Let’s talk a bit about the alternatives.
Residential proxies
One of the most frequently used proxy types is residential proxy. As we mentioned previously, these assign IP addresses to real locations and devices, such as your business or your home. They are more expensive and harder to detect as proxies.
Residential proxies will use all devices that you connect through broadband. They will use personal computers and laptops through residential ISPs.
Mobile proxies
Another type is a mobile proxy. Mobile proxies assign IP addresses to mobile devices such as your smartphone. They come at a steep price and are usually used to bypass geo-location and similar online restrictions.
Simply put, a mobile proxy is a server that will direct the online traffic through your tablet or smartphone and hide your identity and location. When you try to reach an online service or a website, the phone will send a request to the ISP, and an IP address is assigned. Then, the request is sent to the service or website via the ISP mobile network.
Why datacenter proxies: A comparison
Datacenter proxies are ideal for businesses and individuals who want to boost their online security and privacy. They are:
- Dependable
- Much more budget-friendly compared to mobile and residential proxies
- Have remarkable speed
- Can bypass many web-based limitations
- Very easy to set up (in comparison, mobile and residential proxies are hard to set up)
- Don’t require physical networks or devices
How to choose a datacenter proxy provider
If you’ve decided to invest in a datacenter proxy, know that the reliable ones come at a cost, albeit much lower than other types of proxies. To avoid spending money unnecessarily and making risky mistakes, you should carefully consider your options.
To choose a good datacenter proxy provider, it’s important to know what to look for. Different proxies will support different encryption methods and protocols, so you must consider your needs before you invest.
Here are some factors that we believe will help you make your choice:
Consider the provider’s reputation
Just like with anything else you buy, it’s imperative to know how they perform on the market. Take your time checking feedback from users and ratings on trusted websites.
Search for multiple server locations
A provider can have a trustworthy service, but if they don’t have several server locations, their service will probably be slower. To make sure you get fast data transfers and maximum uptime, search for providers that have more than one – or two server locations.
Check the speed and latency
Ideally, the provider you choose should offer low latency and fast speed. Look for details in terms of response times and bandwidth. This is especially important if you want to use them for high-performance tasks like web scraping.
Proxy pool size
The proxy pool’s size can impact everything, including the speed and reliability of the service. Search for providers with large proxy pools, ones that will offer you many IP addresses at all times.
Ready to choose your datacenter proxy?
In the end, it will all come down to your needs, preferences, and of course, budget. Take your time with this. Even though datacenter proxies can bring you tremendous benefits, remember that this will only work if you choose a reliable provider and the right proxy based on your needs.
