How to enable proxy in a browser

A modern user understands that he and his computer are at risk when accessing the network. There are a lot of sites, programs that can not only cause harm, but also steal data. This includes personal data of the PKP owner, his documents, letters, correspondence, which can be used for blackmail, as well as payment data. In other words, modern online fraudsters can get access to the payment capabilities of the PC owner, steal his money.

There is also a risk that cybercriminals may learn the real data of the user – for example, the place of residence. To protect yourself from all this, you should use a proxy server.

What is a proxy server and what it is

A secure proxy server, or a connection through a proxy, implies the use of a special node as an intermediary. All incoming and outgoing information will flow through it. Thanks to which it will be difficult to calculate the user using proxy or steal his information. Moreover, some proxies may use data encryption, thereby increasing the level of protection of transmitted information.

A proxy is even translated into Russian as an intermediary or a bridge. Its name fully justifies itself, because to run a proxy means to get the same intermediary, or rather a customs officer who controls incoming and outgoing traffic. That’s the solution and the downside. Since the scheme user – site – user has an additional node and now the scheme looks like a user – proxy – site – proxy – user, a little slower, ping. However, all of these losses are fully paid off due to the fact that

• the ability to keep your data to yourself;
• to remain anonymous online;
• Proxy bypasses most of the existing locks.

Bypassing the existing locks is carried out by changing the real IP address of the user’s computer to a virtual one. In other words, if you use proxy settings to connect to the network, you can change your address, making yourself not a citizen of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, but, say, presenting yourself as a Canadian, American, Brazilian, etc.

This solution allows you to access sites that were previously inaccessible to the user due to blocking by ip or geolocation data.

Installation and proxy connection options

There are several options for installing and connecting a proxy. Among them:

• Installation of the appropriate specialized software;
• manual or automatic connection setting;
• use of special add-ons for browsers.

In the first case, you can change the proxy on your computer by installing the program. The full version of the proxy server will not only allow you to connect to the existing proxy server, but also to create your own. A plus of such a solution can be called a huge functionality and toolset, an abundance of settings and features. The disadvantages are the complexity of management and the impossibility of using such software by users who have little understanding of computer technology, network technologies, etc.

The second way is to manually configure the connection. As practice shows, inexperienced people often do not succeed in this business – they either make mistakes when writing values or enter them incorrectly in the wrong place. It is often the case that the user, having failed to restore the default settings, cannot restore the default ones. This method is convenient and relevant when it is necessary to provide work through proxy for absolutely all programs available on the PC.

There is another option for you to run your computer through a proxy server. To do this, you can download a configuration file with connection settings, which you need to tighten in the network connection settings. Having chosen the path to the file storage place in the settings, the user removes the need to change the values himself – it will be done automatically and quickly. Still, this may seem like a difficult way to do it, too.

The easiest way to provide your PC connection to the proxy can be called the installation of special browsers or extensions for them.

Installing extensions for browsers or how to use proxy in a browser

Most often the user does not need a proxy for the whole system – he is interested in protection only in those moments when he is surfing the network. Hence, it will be enough to change a proxy in a browser, and it already will give the necessary level of protection, bypass of locks.

To establish a proxy it is possible practically on any modern browser, and to make it even the most inexperienced user, having spent a minimum of time for the given process.

Quote: Opera Browsers and Thor already have proxy functions as standard. So they don’t need to download extensions. The proxy can be used immediately after the browser is installed.

To install a proxy in your browser, you will need to go to the extension store and use the search engine to find what you want. For example, Chrome offers a huge number of proxy options – you can choose any application.

Which proxy to use depends on the user’s preferences. But it is worth noting that the best choice will be the application that the user compares with others. In other words, you should install several different extensions and check their operability and quality of work. In this way, the best one can be determined, which should be used.

Quote: You cannot install several proxy extensions at once – in this case the browser will not work correctly, the system will be slowed down, probably the appearance of errors, failures, etc. In addition, the expansions themselves may conflict.

Before you start the proxy server, you should measure your current connection: find out the speed, both incoming and outgoing, the ping value and the actual IP address.

After starting the proxy, you need to run the test again. The first thing to do is to make sure that the ip address has changed. If this does not happen, it means that the proxy does not perform its main function. Moreover, bypassing the locks is impossible in this case. Recommend to get rid of the selected extension and move on to the new one.

The same situation with speed and pinging. In case the speed of proxy connection is too low or ping too high, it is worth finding another extension.

Which proxy to use depends on the characteristics of speed and ping, the possibility of replacing ip. Any of these parameters is critical for comfortable work. Therefore, even if the selected server is acceptable, it is worth checking it periodically and comparing it with others.

If the user does not want to use extensions for any reason, you can always install a browser that normally offers a proxy function. For example, there’s an opera like this. Turning on and off the proxy is just one click, so you can quickly and conveniently switch between a normal network connection and a proxy connection.