I have read many posts through out digital point and have seen the word "proxy" used in posts. Can anyone enlighten me on what they are and do. Also, how do proxies benefit your site?
most simplified explanation: 1. user A wants to surf site B but wishes to hide his identity or true origin - a proxy is used and on site B access_log proxy is shown as accessing site instead of A hence proxies are used by cyber criminals most of the time 2. another use is to bypass censorship if country X blocks direct access of sites of countries A-B-C but NOT E-F-G then a surfer uses a proxy located in one of the countries E-F-G to access sites located in A-B-C 3. another use - my practice on my server the worlds greatest resource of cyber crime currently on my server is China - I block by iptables almost entire china if a chinese person wants to surf my server/site - then he/she would have to use a proxy OUTSIDE china to access my site. 4. another use admins at university and public schools often block access to certain ( often adult ) sites. innovative students use proxy to access sites blocked by their sys admin from direct access. thsu the need of proxy owners to frequently change proxy site names / IPs hence conclusion in most cases proxies are used to bypass law by gov's or rules by parents or parental guardians, etc