What is the purpose of a proxy server?

Answer 1

A proxy server has a large variety of potential purposes, including:

• To keep machines behind it anonymous (mainly for security).
• To speed up access to resources (using caching). Web proxies are commonly used to cache web pages from a web server.
• To apply access policy to network services or content, e.g. to block undesired sites.
• To log / audit usage, i.e. to provide company employee internet usage reporting.
• To bypass security/ parental controls.
• To scan transmitted content for malware before delivery.
• To scan outbound content, e.g., for data leak protection.
• To circumvent regional restrictions.

Answer 2

For secure virtual connection of computer(s) to connect to a already active network from them proxies protocol address. This also makes it seem like that computer is within the network, when it realy isnt.

Pros are:

Encrypted Activity

Privacy

Access to files

Drawbacks are:

Slow speeds

Attackers ability to access the proxy and gain access to your network, making you vulnerable.

Answer 3

The primary purpose of a proxy server is to provide a local cache, thus reducing network traffic on the WAN while providing short response times to local network clients. For example, an organization might serve 100 internal clients (Web Browsers, for example) with one http proxy server. Rarely changing web content such as the facebook page background or the answers.com logo can then be served from the proxy server's local storage, thus saving network burden and usage fees on the WAN connection while providing a fast response to the user.

A secondary use of a proxy server is that of filtering. A proxy server can block certain resources, or block certain resources. Unlike blocking and filtering based on domain names, a proxy server can filter based on content such as offending language or adult themes. For filtering to be effective, a proxy server must be configured as a transparent proxy server, or users must be prevented from changing their proxy-related configuration, in order to prevent users from simply side-stepping the filtering proxy server.

Answer 4

Proxy server acts as a go-between for web browsers and the websites they access. All traffic from the web browser goes to the proxy server, which forwards traffic to the final destination. Both users and administrators have many reasons to use a proxy server one of which is to visit website who implements IP block for most countries

Answer 5

caching the results of internet requests from clients

Answer 6

caching the results of internet requests from clients.