Understanding Proxy Servers

Ever wonder what a proxy server actually does? Let's break it down.

Essentially, a proxy server processes requests on behalf of other machines in a

network. Through a process called Network Address Translation, or NAT,

your IP address gets converted. This hides your internal IP address from anyone watching

from the outside world. Because the correct IP is hidden, your actual physical

location cannot be identified by hackers. Ultimately, proxy servers make your entire computer

network virtually invisible to external users. Now, what about DNS queries?

Does the client or the server handle them? With a simple IP proxy,