Glossary · 73 terms
Proxy terms, defined in one paragraph each.
The vocabulary of proxies as it is used in practice: what each kind of address is, how sessions and rotation behave, how targeting and authentication work, what detection systems look at, how billing is counted and what the errors mean. Every entry opens with a definition you can quote, then says how the notion applies here.
01 — Proxy types
What kind of address you get and where it comes from.
18 terms. Each page defines the notion first, then explains how it works and what it changes for the job.
- Backconnect proxyA single gateway address that connects you to a changing set of exit IPs behind it.
- Datacenter proxyA proxy whose IP is announced from a hosting facility rather than assigned by a consumer ISP.
- Dedicated proxyAn address used by one customer only for the duration of the rental.
- Exit IPThe public address the destination actually sees when a request leaves the proxy network.
- Forward proxyA proxy that acts on behalf of clients, sending their requests out to any destination.
- HTTP proxyA proxy spoken to with the HTTP protocol; carries plain HTTP requests and HTTPS tunnels.
- ISP proxyA static IP registered to a consumer ISP but hosted in a datacenter, dedicated to one customer.
- Mobile proxyA proxy whose exit IP is assigned by a cellular carrier to a real 4G/5G device.
- Proxy anonymity levelsWhether a proxy reveals your real IP, reveals that it is a proxy, or reveals neither.
- Proxy gatewayThe hostname and port your client talks to; it routes each connection to an exit.
- Proxy poolThe set of exit addresses a gateway can choose from; its size and freshness shape success rates.
- Proxy serverAn intermediary that forwards your requests to the internet under its own IP address.
- Residential proxyA proxy whose exit IP belongs to a real household connection assigned by a consumer ISP.
- Reverse proxyA proxy placed in front of servers that receives visitors' requests on their behalf.
- Rotating proxyA gateway that changes the exit IP on every new connection or at an interval you choose.
- Shared proxyAn address used by several customers at the same time; cheaper, with an unpredictable reputation.
- SOCKS5 proxyA protocol-agnostic proxy that tunnels any TCP connection, not just HTTP.
- Static proxyA proxy whose IP address does not change for as long as you rent it.
02 — Sessions & rotation
How long you keep an IP and what makes it change.
6 terms. Each page defines the notion first, then explains how it works and what it changes for the job.
- Concurrent connectionsHow many connections you can hold open through the proxy at the same time.
- IP rotationChanging the exit address between requests so that no single IP carries the whole job.
- Keep-alive and rotationReused HTTP connections stay on one exit; rotation only happens on new connections.
- Session IDThe token you choose to tell the gateway which requests should share one exit.
- Session TTLHow long a sticky session keeps its exit IP before the gateway assigns a new one.
- Sticky sessionKeeping the same exit IP across several requests for a chosen length of time.
03 — Targeting
Choosing where an exit is: country, state, city, ASN, carrier.
9 terms. Each page defines the notion first, then explains how it works and what it changes for the job.
- ASN targetingChoosing exits announced by one specific network operator, identified by its AS number.
- Carrier targetingChoosing which mobile network operator the 4G/5G exit belongs to.
- CGNATThe carrier practice of placing thousands of subscribers behind one public IPv4 address.
- City targetingRestricting the exit to households geolocated in one city; precise, but only as large as that city's pool.
- Country targetingAsking the gateway for an exit inside a given country, by its two-letter ISO code.
- Geo-targetingChoosing the country, region or city your exit IP should appear to be in.
- IP geolocationMapping an IP address to a country, region and city from registry data and measurements.
- State targetingRestricting a United States exit to one state, for prices, ads and content that vary by state.
- Username parametersKey-value pairs appended to the proxy username that steer location and session behaviour per request.
04 — Protocols & authentication
HTTP, SOCKS5, CONNECT, credentials and whitelists.
8 terms. Each page defines the notion first, then explains how it works and what it changes for the job.
- HTTP CONNECTThe request that asks an HTTP proxy to open a raw TCP tunnel, used for HTTPS through a proxy.
- IP whitelistingAuthenticating by source address: connections from your registered servers need no password.
- IPv4 and IPv6 proxiesIPv4 addresses are scarce and universally accepted; IPv6 ones are plentiful but many targets ignore or block them.
- Proxy authenticationProving to the gateway that you are a paying customer: credentials in the request, or a whitelisted IP.
- Proxy portThe TCP port that selects the protocol on a gateway: one for HTTP(S), one for SOCKS5.
- Remote DNS resolutionLetting the proxy resolve hostnames, so DNS lookups happen where the exit is and never leak locally.
- TLS passthroughThe proxy forwards encrypted bytes without terminating TLS; the website's certificate reaches you intact.
- UDP and proxiesMost proxy networks carry TCP only; UDP (and therefore QUIC and HTTP/3) needs a VPN or a special service.
05 — Detection & trust
How targets score visitors, and where proxies leak.
13 terms. Each page defines the notion first, then explains how it works and what it changes for the job.
- Acceptable use policyThe rules a provider enforces on customers: no attacks, fraud, unauthorized access or illegal use.
- Bot detectionThe systems that decide whether a visitor is a person, and answer with pages, challenges or blocks.
- Browser fingerprintingIdentifying a client from the combination of its browser, device and network characteristics, independent of its IP.
- CAPTCHAA challenge served when a site doubts the visitor; on proxies it usually reflects the exit's reputation or your rate.
- Consent-sourced residential IPsHousehold exits whose owners knowingly opted in, are compensated and can leave; the alternative is malware.
- DNS leakHostname lookups escaping to your local resolver while the traffic itself goes through the proxy.
- Geo-blockingServing different content, or none, depending on the visitor's country; a local exit sees what locals see.
- IP blocklistsPublished lists of addresses associated with abuse, consulted by mail servers, websites and security vendors.
- IP reputationA score websites attach to an address from its history, owner and behaviour, deciding how much to trust it.
- Proxy header leakageHeaders added by transparent or anonymous proxies that reveal the real client or the proxy itself.
- Rate limitingA per-address or per-session ceiling on requests; rotation spreads a job below it.
- Silent banA block that returns a normal-looking page with wrong or missing data instead of an error.
- WebRTC leakA browser revealing your real IP through WebRTC while page traffic goes through the proxy.
06 — Billing & payment
Gigabytes, terms, tiers, wallets and crypto.
13 terms. Each page defines the notion first, then explains how it works and what it changes for the job.
- Cryptocurrency paymentFunding a proxy account by sending Bitcoin, USDT, Monero or another coin to an address generated for your top-up.
- KYC (identity verification)Whether a provider asks for identity documents before selling; policies range from never to always.
- Location zone pricingDedicated addresses priced by country group, because their supply cost differs; traffic priced the same everywhere.
- Minimum top-upThe smallest amount you can add to a wallet; effectively the price of a real test.
- Pay-as-you-go proxiesBuying traffic or addresses when you need them, without a monthly plan or a minimum commitment.
- Per-GB billingPaying for the traffic that crosses the gateway, in gigabytes, instead of for addresses or time.
- Prepaid walletA balance you fund in advance and spend on traffic and addresses, with no card on file.
- Term billingPaying per address for a fixed period, with a lower monthly rate on longer terms.
- Traffic expiryWhether gigabytes you bought but did not use are lost after a period or kept indefinitely.
- Traffic meteringThe rules that decide which bytes are counted against your balance and which are not.
- Traffic poolA monthly traffic allowance per address summed across an order, so idle addresses fund busy ones.
- Volume discountA percentage off the whole order of dedicated addresses once it passes a quantity threshold.
- Volume tiersLower per-GB or per-IP prices at higher purchase sizes, applied by threshold.
07 — Quality & errors
Success rate, latency, throughput and gateway errors.
6 terms. Each page defines the notion first, then explains how it works and what it changes for the job.
- Gateway error codesStatus codes returned by the proxy itself, before the destination, and what each one asks you to change.
- HTTP 407 Proxy Authentication RequiredThe proxy did not accept your credentials, or none were sent; the destination was never contacted.
- Latency and response timeThe extra time a request takes because it travels through the proxy and its exit.
- Success rateThe share of requests that return a usable response; it depends on the target as much as on the proxy.
- Target timeoutThe destination did not answer within the gateway's or the client's time budget; usually the target, sometimes the exit.
- ThroughputHow many bytes per second a connection can move; wired exits are fast, household and cellular exits vary.
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