CarderPlanet
Professional
Protecting anonymity on the Internet and bypassing regional restrictions on content is one of the most frequently asked questions, which is becoming more accessible and no less dangerous. There are a number of services that will help hide your identity and access blocked content in the region - VPNs, Smart DNS and Proxy servers are the main ones. But what exactly are these services? How do they work? And what do you need to know about the differences between them?
What are VPN, Smart DNS and Proxy?
A VPN is essentially a private network that is accessible over the internet (public network). VPNs are widely used by people who need secure, encrypted access to the Internet.
Smart DNS is a server specially configured to redirect users to a proxy server. Unlike VPNs, which transmit all Internet traffic through their tunnels, Smart DNS only broadcasts very specific traffic. It can traverse the internet without VPN servers or proxies. Therefore, Smart DNS servers are most commonly used to access websites for streaming content that restricts their content to specific countries. In such cases, the Smart DNS server makes the website think that the user is accessing it from a country that allows access to the content.
A proxy server is commonly used to keep you online anonymous. Any request you send will first be redirected to the proxy server, which will then redirect it to the server for which it was intended. This makes the recipient server believe that the proxy server sent the initial request and the user remains anonymous.
Differences Between VPN, Smart DNS and Proxy Servers
VPNs and Smart DNS services are often used for similar purposes, such as accessing geographically restricted content, but the way they work is fundamentally different:
VPNs and proxy servers give the illusion that you are logged on to the Internet, for example, from another country. This is the only similarity between them. There are also some differences:
Smart DNS vs Proxy, both of these services may look the same, but they are very different. Important differences between Smart DNS and proxy:
What is Proxy for?
Proxy is the least straightforward method. It only hides your IP, but cannot protect you from network spies. You can use proxy servers when you need your system to be recognized as a different one. For example, if you play a game where you score points for ranking on a site and want to do this many times, you can use a proxy server to make the site think it is being accessed by a different computer every time. This can easily mislead most websites that impose restrictions.
Basically, proxies should only be used for tasks where you don't need any security.
Why use Smart DNS?
This is the best option for situations where you want to access geo-restricted sites at the fastest possible speed. It allows you to enter popular sites that are not available in your country.
But Smart DNS also does not offer any encryption and is not recommended when you need a secure internet connection.
Why use a VPN?
VPN is the most secure option of all. As long as you are using a VPN from a trusted provider, you can be sure that your traffic will not be detected. Even your ISP cannot know what you are doing on the Internet. This high security is the strongest point of a VPN. Therefore, it should be used when you want to maintain the maximum level of security while browsing the web. A VPN should definitely be used when you connect to the internet from a public Wi-Fi network.
A VPN can bypass most of the restrictions imposed on websites, whether by the site developers or by the government. He will always give you free access, without fear of being noticed by anyone at all. Even if someone gets inside, they will only be able to see the encrypted data.
What are VPN, Smart DNS and Proxy?
A VPN is essentially a private network that is accessible over the internet (public network). VPNs are widely used by people who need secure, encrypted access to the Internet.
Smart DNS is a server specially configured to redirect users to a proxy server. Unlike VPNs, which transmit all Internet traffic through their tunnels, Smart DNS only broadcasts very specific traffic. It can traverse the internet without VPN servers or proxies. Therefore, Smart DNS servers are most commonly used to access websites for streaming content that restricts their content to specific countries. In such cases, the Smart DNS server makes the website think that the user is accessing it from a country that allows access to the content.
A proxy server is commonly used to keep you online anonymous. Any request you send will first be redirected to the proxy server, which will then redirect it to the server for which it was intended. This makes the recipient server believe that the proxy server sent the initial request and the user remains anonymous.
Differences Between VPN, Smart DNS and Proxy Servers
VPNs and Smart DNS services are often used for similar purposes, such as accessing geographically restricted content, but the way they work is fundamentally different:
- VPN sends all traffic through the tunnel to mask your IP address, while Smart DNS usually routes traffic related to your geolocation.
- VPN encrypts traffic and hides IP, while Smart DNS does not.
- VPN uses a tunnel through which you can access the internet from elsewhere. Smart DNS uses a different method. It changes the DNS server and tricks the web page into seeing you on the allowed access list.
- Smart DNS is much faster than VPN because it doesn't need to run data through a remote server.
VPNs and proxy servers give the illusion that you are logged on to the Internet, for example, from another country. This is the only similarity between them. There are also some differences:
- Your computer sends data to a proxy server and transmits it to the Internet, acting as the original source of your request. VPN works at the system level and intercepts all network traffic, routing it through the VPN tunnel.
- Proxies just hide the IP address, they don't provide encryption. VPN encrypts internet traffic.
- Since proxy servers do not encrypt any data, but simply change the IP address that appears on web pages, it is not too difficult to break into them in order to reveal the identity of the user. Most proxy servers do not remove any sensitive information from your network, except for changing your IP address. And a VPN strongly encrypts traffic coming from your computer, making it as secure as possible and therefore preventing surveillance.
- Due to the fact that the proxy does not encrypt any data, the load on them is very low, and the traffic flow latency is minimal. VPN has a high load due to the processing power required to encrypt data. This usually results in high connection delays.
Smart DNS vs Proxy, both of these services may look the same, but they are very different. Important differences between Smart DNS and proxy:
- The proxy hides your IP address and replaces it with its own IP, so websites don't know who is actually trying to access the data. Smart DNS doesn't do this. It just makes the website think that you are entitled to the content.
- Smart DNS can unblock sites from different countries at the same time, as it does not depend on the change of IP address. But a proxy server can only unblock access to one country.
- Smart DNS also has faster speed than proxy server. This is because Smart DNS does nothing but hide the geographic location, allowing the rest of the traffic to flow freely.
What is Proxy for?
Proxy is the least straightforward method. It only hides your IP, but cannot protect you from network spies. You can use proxy servers when you need your system to be recognized as a different one. For example, if you play a game where you score points for ranking on a site and want to do this many times, you can use a proxy server to make the site think it is being accessed by a different computer every time. This can easily mislead most websites that impose restrictions.
Basically, proxies should only be used for tasks where you don't need any security.
Why use Smart DNS?
This is the best option for situations where you want to access geo-restricted sites at the fastest possible speed. It allows you to enter popular sites that are not available in your country.
But Smart DNS also does not offer any encryption and is not recommended when you need a secure internet connection.
Why use a VPN?
VPN is the most secure option of all. As long as you are using a VPN from a trusted provider, you can be sure that your traffic will not be detected. Even your ISP cannot know what you are doing on the Internet. This high security is the strongest point of a VPN. Therefore, it should be used when you want to maintain the maximum level of security while browsing the web. A VPN should definitely be used when you connect to the internet from a public Wi-Fi network.
A VPN can bypass most of the restrictions imposed on websites, whether by the site developers or by the government. He will always give you free access, without fear of being noticed by anyone at all. Even if someone gets inside, they will only be able to see the encrypted data.
