What are the differences between HTTP, HTTPS and SOCKS proxies?

A proxy may depend on the type of proxy you choose whether you achieve your goals when working on the Internet. That is why it is important to know the differences between the main proxy protocols: HTTP, HTTPS and SOCKS (4/5).

Some programs and online services support only HTTP, for others, on the contrary, you only need to purchase SOCKS. Below we will examine in detail the question of what are the differences between the existing proxy protocols.

HTTP Proxy Function

HTTP Proxy is intended for:

Surf the Internet;

file downloading and information transfer;

Works in programs that support connecting through a proxy using the HTTP protocol.

At its core, an HTTP proxy is an intermediary between your computer and the websites you visit. That is, the transmission of requests from your computer does not occur directly, but on behalf of the proxy server that is used.

HTTP proxies support data caching. Therefore, when used, high page loading speeds can be achieved. Requests go to data that has been downloaded from the site, which is stored in the cache. Of course, this data is updated, but the frequency is from a few hours to a few days.

Other features of HTTP proxy:

The ability to control and filter network traffic;

Use a speed limiter;

Block certain network resources;

Collect statistics by saving logs.

Learn how to configure a proxy server.

Various HTTP proxies

The main difference between HTTP protocol proxies is their level of anonymity. Based on this parameter, they are divided into 3 categories:

Transparent proxy – does not mask valid IP addresses and informs the visited web resource that a proxy server is being used at the time of the request. This type of proxy is not very popular. Usually, they are used only to redirect users to another server.

Anonymous proxy – informs the site when making a request that a proxy is used, but masks the real IP address of the device. At the same time, another IP is displayed, belonging to the proxy server. Anonymous proxy is suitable for situations where an increased level of security is required.

Anonymous proxies – when using them, no network resource will recognize that a proxy server is being used during a request. The IP address of the device is reliably masked. The visited sites appear to be directly requested. Anonymous proxies are able to provide personal data in various HTTP servers with the highest level of security.

HTTPS proxy feature

HTTPS proxies are a subset of HTTP servers that use the SSL transport mechanism. They are able to connect to servers over a secure connection. That's why there's a letter in front of it – "S", which stands for the English word "Secure".

HTTPS proxies handle SSL encryption using the CONNECT method. This allows you to tunnel low-level protocols through HTTP. This type of proxy reliably encrypts network traffic. Thus, they manage to ensure maximum anonymity of the connection between your computer and the final network resource.

Usually, proxies using HTTPS protocol are used in banking networks to provide a high level of security. They are also needed in business organizations, where secure corporate networks are created on their basis.

Otherwise, an HTTPS server acts like an HTTP proxy.

SOCKS proxy functionality

SOCKS proxy is considered the most advanced data transfer protocol. The main advantage of this type of server is the ability to work with client-server applications outside the firewall. In other words, a SOCKS proxy can receive requests from clients located behind a firewall, check their access rights and transmit the requests to an external server.

SOCKS technology has another significant advantage over HTTP(S). It is able to provide connections from external clients to network resources. Let's consider other features of SOCKS proxy versions 4 and 5.

SOCKS5

Proxies using this protocol are anonymous. They allow pure web traffic and do not display HTTP headers. Using a SOCKS5 proxy, the accessed web resources not only cannot identify the valid IP address and other data of the user's computer, but cannot even detect the fact that a proxy is used.

At the same time, SOCKS5 proxy supports common network protocols:

HTTP;

HTTPS;

FTP.

SOCKS5 proxies support data caching, authentication, and SSL. Among other things, you can easily build a chain of proxy servers, which will further increase the security of personal user data. In addition, this type of server uses TPC and UDP connections, which expands their possible application range.

SOCKS4

This version of the proxy server has limited functionality compared to "5". The main difference between SOCKS4 proxy and SOCKS5 is the lack of support for UDP network protocol and ipv6 network addressing. In addition, this version of SOCKS proxy does not work in scenarios that provide strong authentication.

Conclusion: Differences between HTTP(S) and SOCKS

So which proxies are better than HTTP or Socks? Proxy servers supporting different protocols differ mainly in the degree of anonymity, data transmission principles, and additional features. All types of proxies have useful options such as data caching and fast page loading, but HTTPS proxies perform better than HTTP due to support for SSL connections.

When comparing HTTP (S) proxies and SOCKS, the latter are more preferable, especially the SOCKS5 version. They will provide you with complete anonymity on the Internet and also help you perform complex tasks that other versions of proxy servers are incapable of. SOCKS5 can be used with almost any network resource and program, so they have a wide range of applications and are in the greatest demand. You can win in the confrontation between socks5 vs https.