Making the Right Choice: Dedicated vs. Shared Proxies

When it is a question of shared proxies vs. private proxies, the main difference is that a dedicated proxy is provided to a single user exclusively, whereas shared proxies are used by multiple users simultaneously.

In terms of protecting your online identity, proxies play a vital role in keeping you anonymous while surfing the web. However, as soon as you begin looking for reliable proxy solutions, you will end up having a hard time choosing between shared proxies vs. private proxies.

ADVERTISEMENT

So, which type of proxy should you choose? If you want the short answer, by all means, go for dedicated proxies. However, to better understand why private proxies are the best option for your business, consider reading through the article. It will be worth your time.

So, without further ado, let’s check out the key differences between dedicated and shared proxies.

Shared Proxies

A shared proxy is an IP address used by multiple users simultaneously. As the name suggests, a shared proxy’s overall performance will be distributed among all end-users. They can, however, be suitable for most of the online tasks. They also happen to be the cheapest of all proxy types.

ADVERTISEMENT

However, since you’re sharing the IP with other users on your network, shared proxies can be a little slower compared to dedicated proxies where you pretty much have all the bandwidth to yourself.

Also, because you share the same IP with multiple users, there’s always a risk of someone doing something illegal, and getting banned for doing so, meaning your IP will be banned as well. This phenomenon in the world proxies is called “the bad neighbor effect.”

Dedicated Proxies

A private or dedicated proxy acts as an intermediary between you and the Internet.

ADVERTISEMENT

Using a private proxy indicates you’re exclusively utilizing the dedicated proxy at a given time. When a private proxy is in use, requests pass through the proxy server first, and then connects to the web resources, masking your real IP address.

3 Reasons Why Private Proxies are The Best

Private Proxies
Image Source: Internet

Extremely Fast

Users are always looking for high speeds in terms of proxies. And one of the key differences between shared proxies and private proxies is that private proxies are quite fast as you aren’t sharing the IP with another user. It lets you use the full bandwidth, providing an overall faster internet speed.

Complete Control Over Proxies

Private proxies are provided exclusively to you, meaning no one else can access your proxies—this allows you to have complete control over when and how your private proxy is being utilized. This also helps to prevent instances where an entire proxy IP is blocked due to one of the clients with the same IP doing something fishy or illegal.

Reliable and Highly Secure

As you’ve probably already guessed it, a dedicated proxy is better known as a private proxy, the reason being it’s completely secure and private. If you purchase your proxies directly from a trusted provider, your personal data and information will never be compromised; the proxy provider will ensure that. Furthermore, since private proxies are designed only to be used by one user, you’ll never face bandwidth overload.

3 Things to Consider Before Purchasing Dedicated Proxies

Price

Regarding the price of shared proxies vs. private proxies, private proxies aren’t that cheap. This is because proxy providers offer a dedicated IP to a single user, meaning the user is required to pay the total cost of using and maintaining the private proxies’ servers. But as mentioned previously, this kind of proxy offers tons of benefits, especially for a business, so most users choose reliability and privacy over lower prices.

Proxy Provider

If you wish to enjoy the advantages of having a dedicated proxy thoroughly, you must choose a reliable proxy provider. You might see some providers offering “free” private proxies, but you should know that there’s always a catch with free stuff. Dedicated proxies can never be free, so avoid trusting such false advertisements and ensure you’re purchasing from legitimate providers only.

Shared Proxies Are Not All Bad

As a business owner, shared proxies shouldn’t be your first choice. However, they can still be used by companies for filtering content. Also, if you’re an average user, you can use shared proxies for unblocking geo-restrictions and surfing the web anonymously. They aren’t necessarily bad; they are just cheap and thus offer cheap performance compared to other proxies.

Wrapping Up

When it comes to choosing between shared proxies vs. private proxies, it all comes down to your personal needs. Dedicated or private proxies are faster and provide excellent performance, while shared proxies are cheaper and less secure.

If you’re still not sure which proxy to buy, I highly recommend checking out Oxylabs’ in-depth blog post-entry on dedicated vs. shared proxies. Or, feel free to leave us a comment below, and we will help you choose one that best suits your needs.

No posts to display