What Is an SSL Proxy Server and How Does It Work?
An SSL proxy is a specific proxy type that utilizes SSL encryption to safeguard online traffic from unauthorized third parties. SSL proxy servers work as middlemen between the client (usually a web browser) and the web server, handling and securing online communication. The keyword here is encryption because, unlike HTTP or SOCKS proxies that do not encrypt traffic by default, the SSL proxy server does.
You might have noticed an acronym HTTPS in your browser's search bar. It stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, meaning it uses SSL encryption to obfuscate traffic. That's why you can use SSL proxies and HTTPS proxies interchangeably because it is the same proxy type that uses HTTPS protocol.
Currently, over 86% number of websites use the HTTPS protocol and web browsers place an 'insecure' tag on the ones that don't. Unencrypted data travels in plain text, which makes it visible to anyone and susceptible to Man-in-the-middle attacks, violating online privacy rights. So here's what you need to know about SSL proxies.
How Does an SSL Proxy Work?
Just like other proxy types, an SSL proxy handles online communication between clients and servers. However, it encrypts traffic by default, making it more secure and anonymous, with a broader use case spectrum. Let's go over what it does step by step:
1. The client requests a connection to a specific server, like https://marsproxies.com/proxies/residential-proxies/.
2. The request is sent to an SSL proxy server instead of the target destination in an encrypted form
3. The client establishes a connection with the SSL proxy, called a handshake.
4. SSL proxy server provides the client with an SSL certificate.
5. Then, the SSL proxy decrypts data received from the client.
6. Additionally, it can inspect and modify it, detecting malicious elements, filtering content, or compressing it.
7. The data is once again encrypted with a different SSL certificate and sent over to the target destination.
8. The target server decrypts incoming data, forms a response, and sends it back to the proxy server.
9. The response is, once again, decrypted, inspected and modified on demand, and re-encrypted with the original SSL certificate that was shared with the client.
10. Finally, it is sent to the client and decrypted for the last time.
As you can see, there's plenty of encryption going on, but that's how SSL proxies ensure the traffic is protected every step of the way. SSL encrypted traffic is nearly impossible to break with the current technology, so the internal client can safely perform financial transactions or share confidential information, knowing it will remain private.
It is worth briefly noting the importance of an SSL certificate. These digital documents serve as proof that communicating parties are legitimate and include encryption and decryption keys, enabling the whole process outlined above.
What Benefits Does an SSL Proxy Server Offer?
The primary benefit of an SSL connection stems from encryption, just like with HTTPS protocol. However, it significantly expands SSL proxy benefits and applications because, with online privacy at hand, it can be deployed for secure online traffic management. Let's go over the main SSL proxy benefits in more detail.
Cybersecurity and Privacy
Just like HTTP proxy, SSL proxy also obfuscates the client's original IP address, adding an additional layer of online privacy. However, this proxy server also performs SSL encryption, which neutralizes online surveillance and data theft. Furthermore, SSL proxies are highly customizable and allow traffic inspection, so they can identify malicious elements and block the threat before it reaches the client's device.
Unrestricted Internet Access
The internet is divided into separate geographical regions with limited information access. For example, China maintains a strict firewall that limits access to Western websites, and some US websites are unavailable to users from the EU because of GDPR. By connecting to an SSL proxy in a different region, you will get a local IP address and access to local online content. It's an excellent way to unblock the best streaming service libraries, like Netflix in the US or BBC iPlayer in the UK.
Load Balancing
Forward proxy and reverse proxy are among the most popular SSL proxy types. Forward SSL proxies stand in front of the client, accept the traffic, encrypt it, and send it towards the target destination. Meanwhile, reverse SSL proxies stand in front of web servers. Alongside cybersecurity benefits, they can distribute incoming traffic among multiple servers to lighten the load. It helps manage massive data traffic and prevent server overload.
What Can SSL Proxies Be Used For?
Now that we've got the technicalities sorted out, let's briefly overview what are other SSL proxies use cases. As you will shortly see, they range from marketing to research, to performance balancing and more.
Web Scraping
There's so much data on the internet that gathering it manually is extremely time-consuming. That's why software developers came up with web scrapers that collect online data automatically, eliminating human error at the same time. However, most websites try to limit data access with CAPTCHAs or IP blocks. Because SSL proxies assign a new IP address, a web scraper can change them at chosen intervals, call IP rotation, to avoid bans and improve web scraping tasks.
Marketing
Directly related to web scraping, digital marketing professionals use collected data to improve sales and business decision-making. For example, they can quickly gather and compare online prices, holiday discounts, or product reviews without wasting time and human resources. Simultaneously, they can connect to a proxy server in a different region to research a foreign market for investment opportunities.
Connection Speed Benefits
Whenever you browse online, you send data requests to web servers. This data exchange uses bandwidth, and if you have a limited internet plan, it could slow down your connection speed. Forward proxies can cache data, which means that they save elements, like pictures, in the proxy server. Instead of using your bandwidth, they will display the picture instead of exchanging data with a web server, increasing connecting speed.
Conclusion
By now, it is evident that SSL proxies are a crucial part of the modern networking structure. You will notice that a SSL proxy is also categorized as a transparent proxy, which means it is invisible to the user. Without asking for any additional input from the client, it encrypts the traffic, caches data, and lightens the web server load. Although an HTTP protocol does have merits because it does not encrypt traffic, which saves resources, the cybersecurity benefits of SSL proxies outweigh all setbacks.
