A Proxy Service — is more than just a tool for changing your IP address. It is an intermediary that determines how quickly, anonymously, and securely data will be transmitted between you and the internet.
Depending on your tasks — from high-speed gaming to bypassing government firewalls — you will need a completely different protocol. In this overview, we will break down the four main types of proxies, their technical essence, and give clear recommendations on choosing a tool for specific goals.
1. Basics: Who transmits data and how?
Proxy protocols differ in which layer of the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) model they operate on. The higher the level, the «smarter» the proxy (it reads HTTP headers); the lower the level — the more universal it is (it simply transmits packets).
| Protocol | OSI Level | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| HTTP | 7 (Application) | Web traffic, reading headers |
| HTTPS | 7 (Application) | Web traffic, tunneling encrypted connections |
| SOCKS5 | 5 (Session) | Universal traffic, including UDP |
| Shadowsocks | Transport | Bypassing censorship and Deep Packet Inspection (DPI), traffic encryption. |
| Vless/Xray (XTLS-Reality) | Transport | Maximum masking, protection against active probing. |
The OSI model — is a 7-layer structure describing how data is transmitted over a network. The lower levels (1-4) are responsible for physical transmission, while the upper levels (5-7) — are for logic and applications.
2. Technical breakdown of main protocols
🌐 HTTP Proxy
HTTP proxies work at the application layer (Layer 7), meaning they analyze web requests (URL, headers, User-Agent).
- Pros: Easy to configure, can be used for content caching (remembering frequently requested pages, though not always) and filtering. Ideal for simple web scraping and data collection tasks.
- Cons: Work only with the TCP protocol. Absolutely useless for any traffic that is not HTTP (games, torrents). They do not encrypt data on their own — everything is transmitted in clear text (unless the site uses SSL).
🔒 HTTPS Proxy
An HTTPS proxy — is essentially an HTTP proxy working via the CONNECT command.
- Feature: It creates an encrypted tunnel from the client to the end resource (end-to-end TLS encryption). In this case, the proxy cannot read the data inside the tunnel, guaranteeing confidentiality.
- Pros: Significantly increase the security of transmitting sensitive data (passwords, payments) compared to pure HTTP.
- Cons: Like HTTP, they only work with TCP. The channel from you to the proxy in the classic version is usually not encrypted additionally, unless you use the proxy over VPN/SSH.
🚀 SOCKS5 Proxy
SOCKS5 (Socket Secure) operates at a lower level, as a pure transport channel. It does not analyze data inside packets.
- Versatility and UDP: This is the most mass-market of the standard protocols, supporting not just TCP, but also UDP. This is critically important because:
- Online games (Counter-Strike, Dota 2) use UDP for minimal latency.
- VoIP (Discord, Zoom, Skype) uses UDP for voice communication.
- Torrents (P2P) and modern protocols like HTTP/3 (QUIC) depend on UDP.
- Security: Supports authentication, but SOCKS5 itself does not encrypt traffic inside the tunnel (data flies «as is», unless the application encrypts it itself).
- Pros: Maximum versatility, best speed (lower overhead), support for remote DNS resolving (which prevents DNS leaks).
- Cons: Can be harder to configure for inexperienced users, as it requires support from the application side (via a proxy client or browser settings).
👻 Shadowsocks
This is a relatively new protocol developed to bypass the Great Firewall of China (GFW) and other Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) systems.
- Feature: Unlike SOCKS5, Shadowsocks masks its traffic as normal TLS traffic, making it extremely difficult to detect and block. Uses encryption like AES-256-GCM or ChaCha20-Poly1305 (depending on implementation).
- UDP: In full implementations, it supports UDP-relay, making it suitable for games and calls.
- Pros: Traffic looks like «white noise», making it extremely hard to spot and block. The ideal choice for users who need to bypass strict government censorship and blocks.
- Cons: Requires a special client. Implementations depend on the developer and can vary in quality and security. Can be slower due to encryption, and not all providers support it stably.
🛡️ VLESS-Reality (Xray)
The most modern and advanced protocol at the moment. An evolution of Vmess and Shadowsocks ideas.
REALITY Technology: Allows masking proxy traffic as a visit to a normal legitimate site (for example, browsing the Apple or Google website). To censors, this looks like a regular secure connection.
On our site: We have already implemented Vless/Xray support on our mobile premium proxies.
Look for proxies with the special Vless/Xray badge.
Also, in proxy cards, you will find a mention of VPN (since the connection can be implemented via v2rayNG/Streisand clients, working as a VPN service on the phone).
Pros: Maximum survivability in difficult network conditions, high speed (no extra re-encryption with XTLS).
Link to proxies with Vless/Xray support.
3. Security and «Free Cheese»
Channel Encryption: Dotting the «i»s
Confusion often arises. Let's fix this:
Classic HTTP and SOCKS5 do not encrypt the channel itself «Client → Proxy». Your provider sees that you are connected to a proxy server (though doesn't always see what's inside).
Shadowsocks, Vless/Xray, and «SOCKS5 + VPN» combinations encrypt the channel completely. To the provider, this looks like an unreadable stream of data.
⚠️ Why are free proxies dangerous?
We strongly recommend against using public free proxy lists.
Honeypots (Traps): Often such servers are created by hackers specifically to intercept your data, passwords, and cookies.
Logging: A free service must be monetized somehow. Usually, this is the sale of your data to third parties.
Content Injection: A proxy can inject its own ads or swap links in unencrypted HTTP traffic.
4. How to choose the perfect proxy for your tasks? (Checklist)
| Task | Recommended Protocol | Recommended Proxy Type |
|---|---|---|
| Online Games and VoIP | SOCKS5 | Datacenter (for speed) or Residential (for trust). |
| Long-term Multi-accounting | SOCKS5 | Residential (static) |
| Streaming Services (Netflix, YouTube with geo-blocks) | SOCKS5 | Residential (to bypass detection) |
| Farming / Registration | SOCKS5 | Mobile (with rotation) |
| Web Scraping (Data collection) | HTTP/S | Datacenter (for volume) or Residential (to bypass captchas). |
| Bypassing Government Censorship | Shadowsocks or Vless/Xray | Mobile (foreign locations). |
Bypassing censorship is legal in most countries, but check local laws (e.g., in Russia or China).
5. The Combination: Protocol + Proxy Type
Choosing the right protocol (SOCKS5 or HTTP) — is half the battle. The second half — is choosing the type of IP address (residential, mobile, or datacenter) that will work over this protocol.
The proxy type affects the level of trust from the target resource.
A. Application of Residential Proxies
Residential IP addresses are associated with home internet providers, giving them a high level of trust.
| Protocol | Task | Reason for Choice |
|---|---|---|
| SOCKS5 + Residential | Long-term account management (E-commerce, Merchant Accounts, crypto exchanges) | High IP trust and UDP support for stable calls/streaming if necessary. |
| HTTP/S + Residential | Anonymous web surfing (browsers) | Traffic looks as natural as possible to the target site. |
Important Choice: Static vs Rotating
With residential proxies, it is critically important to decide how long one IP address is assigned to you.
Static: The IP address is issued to you for a long term and does not change. This is a full imitation of a real home user.
What for: Managing «white» accounts, working with banks, payment systems (PayPal/Stripe), crypto exchanges, FB/Google ad cabinets. Link to Static Residential Proxies.
Rotating (Dynamic): You get access to a huge pool of addresses. Change the IP address when needed, choosing from more than 120 countries.
What for: Data parsing (scraping), when you need to change IP for every request so the site doesn't block you for suspicious activity. Link to Rotating Residential Proxies.
Important: For long-term tasks, we recommend using static residential IPs. Their sudden change (rotation) causes suspicion.
B. Application of Mobile Proxies
Mobile proxies (4G/5G) — are IP addresses of cellular operators. They are valued for high tolerance to aggressive actions, as one IP can be used by thousands of real subscribers (CGNAT). The highest trust.
| Protocol | Task | Reason for Choice |
|---|---|---|
| SOCKS5 + Mobile | Farming, aggressive SMM, registration (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) | SOCKS5 ensures UDP support (for messenger voice functions). IP changes easily for quick switching between accounts. |
| HTTP/S + Mobile | Mobile parsing | Used when you need to get data from mobile versions of sites, but SOCKS5 is still preferable due to protocol versatility. |
Tip:On our mobile ports,Vless/Xrayis available for maximum anonymity.
Important: Mobile proxies are usually used with IP rotation. Linking one account to them for a long time is not recommended, since the IP might change without your knowledge. Choose a provider with controlled rotation (via API or link).
C. Application of Server Proxies (Datacenter)
Server IP addresses — are the fastest and cheapest, but have a minimal level of trust, as they are easily identified by anti-fraud systems.
| Protocol | Task | Reason for Choice |
|---|---|---|
| HTTP/S + Datacenter | Mass scraping, open data collection | Cheapness and high speed of processing a huge number of HTTP requests. |
| SOCKS5 + Datacenter | Testing, bots without strict verification | Used for tasks where speed and UDP support are needed (for example, for running test bots). |
Access Type: Dedicated vs. Shared
When choosing datacenter proxies, the price directly depends on whether you own the IP address solely.
Dedicated (Individual / Private): The IP address is issued strictly to one person. You — are the only user.
Pros: Maximum speed (channel is not shared with others) and reputation control. You are insured against the «bad neighbor effect», when an IP is blocked due to another person's actions.
What for: Serious work where stability is important, and authorization on resources with medium protection. Link to Dedicated Server Proxies.
Shared: One IP address is used by several people simultaneously.
Pros: The lowest price on the market.
Risks: If your «neighbor» starts spamming and the IP gets blocked, you lose access too. Speed may drop during peak hours.
What for: Mass tasks where losing one IP is not critical, testing, scraping unprotected sites. Link to Shared Server Proxies.
Comparative table of proxy types (Trust vs. Price)
To quickly decide on choosing an IP address to use with SOCKS5 or HTTP/S protocols, refer to this summary table:
| Type | Trust | Speed | Price | Better for... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Datacenter | Low | High | Low | Mass scraping, tests |
| Residential | High | Medium | Medium | Long-term multi-accounting, anonymous surfing |
| Mobile | Maximum | Low/Medium | High | Farming, SMM, multiple registrations |
Conclusion
Choosing a protocol — is choosing a tool for a specific task. HTTP/HTTPS — for web-specific tasks and anonymous surfing, SOCKS5 — for everything else: gaming, multimedia, and serious multi-accounting. If your task is — maximum stealth, bypassing serious blocks, or working with VPN clients on mobile devices — choose our tariffs with Vless/Xray support.
For those looking for a reliable and high-performance solution, CyberYozh App offers excellent proxies with guaranteed UDP support, high speed, and anonymity. By investing in quality proxies, you ensure the stability and safety of your online activity in any, even the most difficult conditions.