Shared Proxies: Why should businesses avoid it?

The use of proxies for your business is important in the areas of brand promotion and marketing and allows you to reach out to a larger audience. Making up your mind to use a proxy is one thing, and choosing the type of proxy to use is another thing. Shared proxies are an example of available proxies for your use and using this type of proxy to achieve your aim is similar to taking the bus to work. And what exactly are shared proxies and what are the factors to consider before using them?

What are Shared Proxies?

Shared proxies are the IP addresses that multiple users can use at the same time. They are less sophisticated as compared to private proxies. The most appealing feature about them is their cheap cost.

Your IP address is your identity on the internet. So if you want to surf anonymously or access any content blocked in your area, using a proxy is the best option. The most common users want to hide their identity on the internet, bypass filters, or connect to the internet from different locations.

So if you want to bypass geo-retractation or access content that is not available at your location, the cheapest and best option is using shared proxies.

How does it work?

There are two ways how a user can get access to shared proxies. The first is when a user gets a list of IP addresses to use one at a time, manually accessing the server. Basically, in this scenario shared proxies are also static, meaning that automatic location change or rotation intervals set up are impossible. In this case, payment is usually set up per IP address. The second way is when a user gets access to a back-connect gateway server. This option, on the contrary, facilitates automatic assignment and rotation within the pool of IP addresses available. Payment of such shared rotating proxies is usually set up based on the traffic used or the number of IP addresses available within the pool.

Some benefits

It’s cheap

The most alluring feature of shared proxies is that it’s the cheapest type of proxies you can get. This is so because since the proxy providers sell the same IPs to many users, it’s cheaper to maintain the servers when the cost is split across users. It’s also the best option for beginners in the world of proxies or trying out different types of proxies to find out the best one for their project.

Can be used with scraping tools

When the need for data extraction comes up, shared proxies can also be used with bots. Although they are not the ideal proxies to be used for web scraping, some specific tools work perfectly with them. As long as the target website doesn’t block the IP address from shared proxies, you are good to go.

It gives you good anonymity

It gives you a high level of anonymity partly because it masks your real IP address, and also because many users share the same IP address. And so it’s difficult to identify a single IP user.

It’s also efficient

The efficiency of using shared proxies depends on your needs, but it’s effective for tasks that it’s meant for. A good step to ensure that the shared proxies have good performance is to buy the IP from a good and reputable proxy service provider. Good proxy providers would optimize the shared IPs to suit the use of each user.

Why are they not ideal for businesses?

As the name suggests, shared proxies are the type of proxy servers that are shared by multiple users and are used by said users simultaneously. They don’t offer exclusivity because multiple users are using the same IP address.

While shared proxies offer a more cost-effective option for web users, they’re not typically ideal for businesses. There are many reasons for this such as:

Security Risks

Because you’re sharing the same server with other users, there’s the potential for security risks, potentially compromising your company’s sensitive information like financial and personal information.

Moreover, there’s less control over shared proxies, so it can be difficult to impose enhanced security protocols. Sharing a proxy server can also make it difficult to trace back the malicious activity, preventing you from identifying the threat.

Reduced Speed

Sharing a network with other users can overload the bandwidth, making the connection slower and more frustrating for web users. When it comes to businesses or any type of online activity, speed is one of the most important factors, especially if you want to keep your audience’s attention.

Inability to Choose Your Neighbors

With shared proxies, you don’t have the luxury of choosing who you get to share the proxy server with. Because of this, all users of the shared network will suffer when one misuses it. This is particularly true if they engage in suspicious or illegal online activities. It will be difficult to trace who engaged in such, making everyone on the network liable.

Also, as you might understand, using shared proxies might be an issue, especially if you’re using them for important tasks. Other users can block the entire IP address. In this case, you wouldn’t be able to use them anymore. With dedicated proxies, you won’t face any problems regarding this situation because only you have full control of them.

When to use a shared proxy

You can use a shared proxy for a wide range of tasks. It will conceal your IP address and present a new one in front of the websites you visit. This feature allows you to access content that has been restricted in your location. Therefore, you can access your favorite movies or even price information that is limited to your country. If you work with a limited budget and can’t afford a dedicated proxy, a shared one will do the job for you.

A shared proxy is also used for web scraping. It will give you a new IP address so that the sites won’t block you due to many connections. If you are new to web scraping and want to experiment, a shared proxy is an excellent choice for you. After you gain important knowledge, you can switch to a better service.

Types of Shared Proxies

Based on the type of connection, there are two types of this proxy.

• HTTP Proxies: HTTP proxies only allow HTTP traffic to go through. It’s used by software and apps that make use of HTTP connections like web browsers, web automation software, and the like.
• SOCKS4/5: this is a more general type of proxy, and it accepts both SOCKS and HTTP connections. It’s used for gaming, other real-time apps, and real-time tasks.

Conclusion

Sharing proxies with other users will have its advantages and disadvantages. It might be cheaper but you’ll be getting slower speeds and the shared IP addresses you’re using might even get banned because of other users. There’s a limited amount of use cases for shared proxies, but it still can be an excellent choice depending on what you need it for and your budget.