Open proxy vs closed proxy: the difference and advantages and disadvantages of two network proxy services

Network proxy is a common security tool for protecting and using anonymous users' network activity. The proxy server acts as a middleman between the user and the Internet, hiding the user's real IP address and forwarding the request.

Open proxy

Open proxy (also known as public proxy) is an proxy service that is provided free to all users. These proxy servers are often managed by individuals or organizations and are open to the public. Anyone can use these proxy servers to access the Internet without any authentication or restrictions.

Advantages

1. Free use: Open proxy are usually provided for free, and users do not have to pay anything to use them.

2. Easy access: Since open proxy are public, users can easily find and connect to them without any special permissions or authentication.

3. Anonymity: Using open proxy can hide the user's real IP address and protect the users' privacy and anonymity.

Disadvantages

1. Unreliability: Since open proxy are public resources, they are often subject to abuse and overload problems. This can result in slow connection speeds or service disruption.

2. Security risks: Since the open proxy does not authenticate, hackers and malicious users may abuse them to carry out illegal activities, such as network attacks, fraud, etc.

3. Restricted Access restrictions: Some websites and services may detect users using a proxy server and restrict or block access to their content.

Closed proxy

A closed proxy (also known as a private proxy) is an proxy service that is provided only to a specific user or organization. These proxy servers are usually managed by a professional cybersecurity company or organization and custom configured to the user's needs.

Advantages

1. Reliability: Closed proxy are usually managed by a professional team, providing higher reliability and stability, and avoiding the abuse and overload problems in open proxy.

2. Security: Closed proxy usually authenticate users to ensure that only authorized users can use the proxy services. This reduces the risk of proxy abuse by hackers and malicious users.

3. Faster connectivity: Since closed proxy are customized for specific users or organizations, they often provide faster connectivity and a more stable network experience.

Disadvantages

1. Limited network access: Closed proxy only allow access to specific users, which means that you may not be able to have access to certain public websites or restricted content. If you need to access specific websites or resources, but the proxy server does not have the appropriate rights, then you will not be able to access them.

2. May pay: Closed proxy usually need to pay for use, especially high-quality closed proxy services. This may increase your network use costs, and may be an unfeasible option for some users.

To sum up, according to the different needs of individuals and use scenarios, the choice of proxy forms are also different, but in the selection of proxy need to consider all aspects of the risk of security, if it is recommended to choose closed proxy, if you want to free, you can choose open proxy.