In this article, we will take a comprehensive look at HTTPS proxies. How HTTPS proxies work, the difference between HTTP proxies and HTTPS proxies, to ensure a secure online experience.

What is HTTPS?

HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is an Internet communications protocol that protects the confidentiality and integrity of data between a user's computer and a site. Websites protected with HTTPS use encryption to secure data exchanges, ensuring that data cannot be tampered with or eavesdropped on.

What is an HTTPS/SSL Proxy?

HTTPS proxy , also known as SSL proxy, is a proxy server that is able to handle HTTPS requests from clients and establish a secure connection with the requested website. People usually divide proxy types based on two criteria: the connection method or the type of device acting as a proxy. SSL represents the "S" in HTTPS proxy, which is a hypertext transfer protocol based on HTTPS-SSL. SSL or HTTPS proxy means that you use the HTTPS protocol to connect through a proxy server.

How does an HTTPS proxy work?

HTTPS establishes an encrypted connection, eliminating the possibility of a third party eavesdropping on the network. This means that HTTPS is not compatible with common proxies, and your browser must create a secure proxy connection. That's why you need OkeyProxy, which supports HTTPS proxy mode, with 150 million+ real residential IPs, covering 200+ countries, supporting all devices and use cases.
Initially, you need to connect to the server through a specific TCP port. These port numbers are arbitrary, but server administrators can specify specific ports for specific purposes.
The security process then begins. Transport Layer Security (TLS) and the older Secure Sockets Layer (used at Green Prophet) are the two most common encryption methods used during joint work. These guidelines are designed to create a "chain of trust" where each node in the communication chain is independently verified.

Difference between HTTP Proxy and HTTPS Proxy

HTTPS proxies can improve your online security and privacy in a number of ways. It’s easy to compare HTTP proxies to HTTPS proxies, but there are actually significant differences between the two types.

The main difference between HTTP (https://) and HTTP (http://) is that HTTPS is a protocol for securely transmitting data over the Internet. It uses the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol. Essentially, HTTPS is a combination of HTTP (a protocol used to transmit data on the web) and TLS. In other words, HTTPS is based on the more basic TLS protocol.

HTTPS is more secure than HTTP because HTTPS uses digital certificates to encrypt and decrypt user page requests and pages returned by web servers. Since HTTPS traffic is encrypted, it must be decrypted before it can be inspected. As security requirements increase, more and more websites, especially banks and online payment websites, are switching from HTTP to HTTPS. Both HTTP and HTTPS proxy servers can be downloaded from the Internet. Using this feature can speed up surfing and reduce network traffic.

Can I use an HTTP proxy to implement HTTPS?

Technically, HTTP proxies can be used for HTTPS traffic, but do not provide any additional security or encryption. The proxy will simply forward unencrypted HTTPS traffic between the client and server. In addition to creating a secure communication channel over an insecure one, communications engineers should consider the advantages of HTTP vs. HTTPS proxies because the latter use SSL/TLS, thus ensuring end-to-end security.

Application scope of HTTPS proxy

1. Stay anonymous: An IP address is one of the main identifiers online. It can be used to track, monitor, and harass people. A proxy is an easy way to change your IP to prevent this problem, and an HTTPS proxy is the most secure type of proxy available.
2. Unblock Websites: Many websites block content from users from other countries. That’s why many people look for proxies to listen to Spotify, watch YouTube videos, etc. In addition, proxies and VPNs allow people to access various sites without being blocked by firewalls.
3. Web scraping: There are many obstacles to collecting public information from the internet. One of the most common issues is IP blocks and CAPTCHAs, which hinder market researchers, data analysts, and others trying to obtain data. HTTPS proxies are often used for web scraping and can help avoid IP bans or blocks. By rotating IP addresses, scrape data from websites and avoid being detected or blocked.

4. Testing and debugging: Developers can use HTTPS proxies to test how applications behave in different geographic locations or network conditions. This is especially useful when publishing applications globally.
5. Ad verification: Advertisers can use HTTPS proxies to verify that their ads are displayed normally in different regions, ensuring that their campaigns are running as expected.