This proxy glossary defines the terms that matter when you compare a service, configure an application, or diagnose a failed connection. Each definition describes a specific technical idea without treating a proxy as a guarantee of privacy, access, or destination acceptance.<\/p>\n
An intermediary that receives a client request, sends it toward a destination, and relays the response. Start with how a proxy server works<\/a> for the complete request path.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n A proxy that acts for a client connecting outward to websites, APIs, or other services. It is the usual role discussed when buying private or shared proxy access.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n A server-side intermediary that receives incoming traffic for one or more origin servers. It can terminate TLS, balance requests, cache responses, or protect an application.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n A proxy address assigned exclusively to one customer under the service plan. Exclusive assignment gives a clearer reputation and load baseline, but it does not guarantee destination acceptance.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n A proxy address assigned to multiple customers. Sharing can lower cost, while another user may influence address load or reputation. See the private versus shared comparison<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n A proxy that understands HTTP requests and commonly supports HTTPS destinations through the CONNECT tunneling method.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n A general-purpose proxy protocol that can relay several kinds of TCP traffic and, when both client and server support it, UDP. Read the HTTP versus SOCKS5 guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n An HTTP method used to ask a proxy to open a byte tunnel to a target host and port. Browsers commonly use it for HTTPS traffic through an HTTP proxy.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n The hostname or IP address and port that a client uses to reach a proxy service. Credentials or an approved source IP may also be required.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n A route that passes through more than one intermediary. Chains add trust dependencies, latency, and failure points, so each hop should have a defined purpose.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n A proxy that presents the same exit IP for an extended allocation or session. It is useful when a workflow depends on a consistent network identity.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n A service that changes the exit IP by request, time interval, or session rule. Rotation distributes requests but can break workflows that expect continuity.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n A rotation option that keeps one exit IP for a defined session before changing it. The provider’s session format and duration determine the actual behavior.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n The source IP observed by the destination after traffic leaves the proxy. It is not the only signal a destination can use to recognize a client or session.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n An estimate of an IP address’s country, region, or city based on commercial or public datasets. Databases can disagree or lag behind routing changes.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n A destination or third party’s assessment of an address based on network ownership, historical behavior, complaints, observed traffic, and other signals.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n A method where the proxy validates credentials supplied by the client. Credentials should be stored and transmitted using the application’s secure configuration path.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n A method where the proxy accepts connections only from approved source IP addresses. It works best when the client has a stable public IP.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n A situation where hostname lookups use a resolver outside the intended proxy route, revealing DNS activity or producing location inconsistencies. See DNS and WebRTC leak boundaries<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n A browser communication path that may expose network candidates outside an expected proxy route. Actual exposure depends on browser, network, and application behavior.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n The time required for data to travel through the request path. Proxy distance, congestion, TLS negotiation, destination speed, and local network conditions all contribute.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n The number of connections or tasks active at the same time. A service limit, application pool, or destination policy may constrain safe concurrency.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n The maximum time a client waits for connection, read, or response progress before treating an operation as failed. Different timeout stages diagnose different problems.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n A rule that caps requests or actions during a time window. Proxies do not remove a destination’s right to enforce rate limits or acceptable-use policies.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n Before ordering, write down the required access model, IP behavior, protocol, location, authentication method, concurrency, and destination rules. Then use the proxy selection guide<\/a> to turn those terms into a controlled test plan. Current Mexela plan characteristics are summarized on the proxy pricing comparison<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A practical reference for proxy types, protocols, authentication, IP behavior, privacy boundaries, and common operational terms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mexela.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/443"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mexela.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mexela.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mexela.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mexela.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=443"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mexela.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/443\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":450,"href":"https:\/\/mexela.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/443\/revisions\/450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mexela.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Forward proxy<\/dfn><\/h3>\n
Reverse proxy<\/dfn><\/h3>\n
Private proxy<\/dfn><\/h3>\n
Shared proxy<\/dfn><\/h3>\n
Protocols and connection behavior<\/h2>\n
HTTP proxy<\/dfn><\/h3>\n
SOCKS5 proxy<\/dfn><\/h3>\n
CONNECT tunnel<\/dfn><\/h3>\n
Proxy endpoint<\/dfn><\/h3>\n
Proxy chain<\/dfn><\/h3>\n
IP assignment and location<\/h2>\n
Static proxy<\/dfn><\/h3>\n
Rotating proxy<\/dfn><\/h3>\n
Sticky session<\/dfn><\/h3>\n
Egress IP<\/dfn><\/h3>\n
IP geolocation<\/dfn><\/h3>\n
IP reputation<\/dfn><\/h3>\n
Authentication and privacy boundaries<\/h2>\n
Username and password authentication<\/dfn><\/h3>\n
IP allowlisting<\/dfn><\/h3>\n
DNS leak<\/dfn><\/h3>\n
WebRTC leak<\/dfn><\/h3>\n
Operations and measurement<\/h2>\n
Latency<\/dfn><\/h3>\n
Concurrency<\/dfn><\/h3>\n
Timeout<\/dfn><\/h3>\n
Rate limit<\/dfn><\/h3>\n
Use the glossary as a decision checklist<\/h2>\n