What is SSL Proxy and What Are Its Benefits?
Tags: webdev, devops, security, productivity
Published: 2023-03-10 07:45:18


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/jzi35wt224hi3wnpoz3m.png)</h1><p class="c2"><span style="overflow: hidden; display: inline-block; margin: 0.00px 0.00px; border: 0.00px solid #000000; transform: rotate(0.00rad) translateZ(0px); -webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad) translateZ(0px); width: 624.00px; height: 288.00px;"><img alt="" src="images/image3.png" style="width: 624.00px; height: 288.00px; margin-left: 0.00px; margin-top: 0.00px; transform: rotate(0.00rad) translateZ(0px); -webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad) translateZ(0px);" title=""></span></p><p class="c2"><span>You probably know about proxies and the difference between a </span><span class="c15"><a class="c11" href="https://oxy.yt/Jo1s">datacenter</a></span><span>&nbsp;and a </span><span class="c15"><a class="c11" href="https://oxy.yt/go0R">residential proxies</a></span><span>.</span><span class="c0">&nbsp;But have you ever heard of SSL proxies? </span></p><p class="c2 c3"><span class="c0"></span></p><p class="c2"><span class="c0">They are a unique type of proxy that you should know about, and we&rsquo;ll explore what makes SSL proxies stand out from the crowd in this post. </span></p><h2 class="c4" id="h.nnu2i9u0r6ub"><span class="c9">What is an SSL proxy?</span></h2><p class="c2 c3"><span class="c0"></span></p><p class="c2"><span>First, the SSL / HTTPS proxy type belongs to a group of proxies denoted by the protocol used to connect online. Another example of such a proxy would be the </span><span class="c15"><a class="c11" href="https://oxy.yt/xo9d">SOCKS5 proxy</a></span><span class="c0">&nbsp;type. Now that we have classification out of the way, let&rsquo;s get to the matter at hand.</span></p><p class="c2 c3"><span class="c0"></span></p><p class="c2"><span class="c0">SSL proxy is any proxy server that uses the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol, also known as an SSL proxy server. SSL proxy performs encryption and decryption between the client and the server without either of them being able to detect the proxy&rsquo;s presence.</span></p><p class="c2 c3"><span class="c0"></span></p><p class="c2"><span class="c0">It can also be called an HTTPS proxy, the abbreviation meaning Hypertext Transfer Protocol over SSL. To put it briefly, the HTTPS proxy server is a proxy that uses the HTTP protocol over SSL.</span></p><p class="c2 c3"><span class="c0"></span></p><p class="c2"><span class="c0">The HTTPS protocol has today become the standard for most websites and online services. The reason for this is simple &ndash; it ensures a much higher degree of privacy and security. How is this achieved? Let&rsquo;s take a look.
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/q3jl4jmkfg31uzdsv277.png)</span></p><p class="c2"><span>&#8203;&#8203;</span><span style="overflow: hidden; display: inline-block; margin: 0.00px 0.00px; border: 0.00px solid #000000; transform: rotate(0.00rad) translateZ(0px); -webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad) translateZ(0px); width: 624.00px; height: 288.00px;"><img alt="" src="images/image2.png" style="width: 624.00px; height: 288.00px; margin-left: 0.00px; margin-top: 0.00px; transform: rotate(0.00rad) translateZ(0px); -webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad) translateZ(0px);" title=""></span></p><h2 class="c4" id="h.8a4qbg50mkgm"><span class="c9">How does an SSL proxy work?</span></h2><p class="c2"><span class="c0">The keyword is encryption. As already mentioned, HTTPS proxy servers utilize SSL to encrypt all information going between an endpoint and any outside server you might want to access. </span></p><p class="c2 c3"><span class="c0"></span></p><p class="c2"><span class="c0">Technically, the process is the same as connecting to a regular SSL-certified website. SSSL encryption means that no one can intercept your connection, and all modern browsers will give a warning if you try to connect to a website without an SSL certificate.</span></p><h2 class="c4" id="h.j72okhkvawwj"><span class="c9">What benefits does an SSL proxy server offer?</span></h2><p class="c2"><span class="c0">SSL proxies offer two huge advantages, both stemming from encryption. They are safer overall, and more anonymous. </span></p><h3 class="c13" id="h.wb6km5z7ifv0"><span class="c12">1. SSL proxies are safer</span></h3><p class="c2"><span class="c0">The SSL certificate protection layer encrypts the connection between your device and the target, which means that even if traffic is intercepted, there is virtually no chance for the attacker to read the information. This is especially important for sensitive communications, such as connecting to your bank account online.</span></p><h3 class="c8" id="h.ix3gfdahhpcd"><span class="c12">2. SSL proxies are more anonymous</span></h3><p class="c2"><span>Thanks to encryption, SSL proxies also ensure a higher degree of anonymity. Although regular</span><span class="c15"><a class="c11" href="https://oxy.yt/Ho5t">&nbsp;HTTP proxies</a></span><span class="c0">&nbsp;provide reasonable anonymity, SSL proxies add an extra layer because they remove the risk of identification from intercepted data.</span></p><p class="c2 c3"><span class="c0"></span></p><p class="c2"><span class="c0">Contrary to the HTTPS protocol, the older HTTP has no traffic encryption. This makes the transferred data readable, thus making it vulnerable to interception by a third party in transit. </span></p><p class="c2 c3"><span class="c0"></span></p><p class="c2"><span class="c0">This attack vector is relatively common, known as a man-in-the-middle (MitM) attack. MitM attacks are no joke, as according to IBM&rsquo;s X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2018, more than one-third of the exploitation of inadvertent weaknesses involved MitM attacks.
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/otehawgpfa24qo2upivp.png)</span></p><p class="c2"><span style="overflow: hidden; display: inline-block; margin: 0.00px 0.00px; border: 0.00px solid #000000; transform: rotate(0.00rad) translateZ(0px); -webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad) translateZ(0px); width: 624.00px; height: 312.00px;"><img alt="" src="images/image1.png" style="width: 624.00px; height: 312.00px; margin-left: 0.00px; margin-top: 0.00px; transform: rotate(0.00rad) translateZ(0px); -webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad) translateZ(0px);" title=""></span></p><h2 class="c4" id="h.fywpww27atv6"><span class="c9">What can SSL proxies be used for?</span></h2><p class="c2"><span class="c0">Although this proxy type offers more security and anonymity, SSL proxy use cases are more or less the same as those of other proxy types, including:</span></p><h3 class="c6" id="h.gxvltxv418cq"><span class="c12">Web data scraping</span></h3><p class="c2"><span class="c0">The internet offers an endless supply of public information that is incredibly valuable for various stakeholders. However, collecting it on a large scale is much more complex than it may seem initially. Most popular scraping targets automatically prevent large-scale data gathering by blocking IP addresses that make a much larger number of requests than the average. Scraping the web with rotating SSL proxies allows bypassing these restrictions placed on data freedom.</span></p><h3 class="c8" id="h.lszm0x6qpfx1"><span class="c12">Managing social media accounts</span></h3><p class="c2"><span class="c0">Registering and consequently using multiple accounts from the same IP can be a burden for legitimate marketers. This is the reason why many social media management platforms utilize proxies to aid marketers and social media managers in account creation and/or management hassle-free. </span></p><h3 class="c8" id="h.4q7vnbj91hzi"><span class="c12">Ad verification</span></h3><p class="c2"><span class="c7">Hackers and fraudsters use sophisticated methods to fake ad traffic. This means that many ads are never seen by real people, and it also brings big losses for businesses. Due to this, an increasing number of companies use </span><span class="c5"><a class="c11" href="https://oxy.yt/8o6d">proxies for ad verification</a></span><span class="c7">&nbsp;to detect fraud, improve ad performance, and check advertisers&rsquo; landing pages anonymously.</span></p><h3 class="c8" id="h.moa48tax0f9"><span class="c12">Brand protection</span></h3><p class="c2"><span class="c0">Cyber attacks and intellectual property theft can severely damage a business, including financial costs, loss of clients, and a hit to a brand&rsquo;s reputation. SSL proxies can help protect a brand by increasing network security, filtering malicious emails, helping monitor internal internet usage, and more.
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ps3990o5bgl2q8s3ji75.png)</span></p><p class="c2"><span style="overflow: hidden; display: inline-block; margin: 0.00px 0.00px; border: 0.00px solid #000000; transform: rotate(0.00rad) translateZ(0px); -webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad) translateZ(0px); width: 624.00px; height: 312.00px;"><img alt="" src="images/image4.png" style="width: 624.00px; height: 312.00px; margin-left: 0.00px; margin-top: 0.00px; transform: rotate(0.00rad) translateZ(0px); -webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad) translateZ(0px);" title=""></span></p><h2 class="c4" id="h.hdsfq8w2bk3i"><span class="c9">Wrapping up</span></h2><p class="c2"><span class="c7">It is obvious that SSL proxies are the go-to choice for businesses conscious of privacy and security, and with their many use cases, they are a great tool to get things done. At Oxylabs, you can use our </span><span class="c5"><a class="c11" href="https://oxy.yt/go0R">residential proxy network</a></span><span class="c7">&nbsp;to communicate with websites via HTTPS so you can be sure to get the highest level of privacy and security while performing your operations.</span></p><p class="c2 c3"><span class="c0"></span></p></body></html>