HTTP Proxy Server - Maximum Speed and Performance Tips

Picking the location of your http proxy server plays a very important role. Many people fail to understand that the speed and reliability of your proxy in part depends on the connection between your home computer and where your http server is located. A general rule is that the further away your home computer is from your proxy then the less performance you'll get speed wise from the http server. Obviously using http proxies that have IPs in other countries will typically mean slow web browsing. The good news is that you can do your homework to make sure your http proxy server runs as fast as possible.

The easiest and most effective thing to do to make sure you get a fast proxy server is to setup one as close to the city you live in as you can. This sounds obvious and it should because distance is key as the less the distance the less time it will take. Always look to see if there are any hosting providers in your local cit. If you can't find any just try looking in a city larger than the one you live in. Failing that, check online to see if there are any surrounding countries that have hosting companies who you think might be able to help. The basic key here is that the closer the better. Less distance between your computer and the proxy means less time for any information sent to travel back and forth. This means that faster your internet surfing will be and the less likely you'll experience any major slow downs while online with the proxy.

Once you've found a host you need to run another test. Ask your host for an IP you can ping to test. Ping here is used to see what kind of internet connection you have between your computer and the host. Generally speaking, distance is key to speed and performance but you should really carry out the ping test to make sure the connection is fast. A simple ping command will test their connection and most major operating systems will have some kind of ping feature. What kind of results are you looking for when you ping the IP? The lower the ping response time the better. Ping times simply show how long it took for information to travel to the proxy. An ideal ping speed is around 250ms.

The truth is that a lot can affect the performance of a http proxy. Give these two tips a test for the next proxy you create. You should now be able to greatly reduce the problems of slow performing http proxies.

How Anonymous Are HTTP Proxies?

Many people use http proxies for the main purpose of being anonymous. However, you really need to stop and think about what kind of anonymity you are looking for. There are two basic kinds of anonymity when it comes to using a proxy server to hide your identity. One is based on your IP and the other is actually a financial one.

Most people are concerned about hiding or changing their IP online with a proxy server. If this is what you call being anonymous then http proxies are one of the best ways to be truly anonymous online. You'll be able to surf websites, watch videos, post messages and do many other things online all without having to worry about a web master or website knowing your true home computer IP and location. You have absolutely nothing to worry about when it comes to IP anonymity with a http proxy.

What many people overlook is that while you can hide your IP, this is not the case when it comes to your financial information. What does a proxy server have to do with your personal finances? HTTP proxies are usually paid and not free, at least the good quality ones, and this means that you have to pay for your server somehow. This might mean providing credit card information, paypal account information or some other personal information that is required when making payments. Obviously this isn't something you should be concerned about, but you should nevertheless keep it in mind when hunting for a http proxy.