A proxy server is something like an mediator between the computer you are using and the server that you are trying to access. This concept becomes easier to understand once you understand how it works. Suppose there is a website that is accessed frequently from a particular computer. This site gets saved in the cache of the proxy server. So, when somebody else tries accessing that website, the page is pulled up from this cache.

The advantage of this style of functioning is that the process is made quicker. This is because the proxy server does not have to contact the real server of that website to view it. The site has already been placed in the proxy server's cache.

Web proxies are proxy servers that limit their job to the World Wide Web. Sometimes web proxies are used to block websites that are provocative or offensive. They also serve another, perhaps more important, function of blocking viruses that may be present on the webpages that are being visited. In fact, a number of organizations make use of proxy servers to perform these very functions. A company could even block its employees from viewing a particular website by making use of a proxy server. Notably, the user is usually unaware that the work is being done by the proxy server.

There are many other kinds of proxy servers that are available online. These include transparent proxies, split proxies and reverse proxies. Open proxies are proxy servers that are popular with spammers and Internet Relay Chat users.

There is also something called an anonymous proxy server. This offers anonymity, and hence, privacy, to the user. It does this by hiding the IP address of the user. As a result, the number of junk mails and spam that one would otherwise get flooded with are lessened considerably. It is good to use an anonymous proxy server because it keeps you protected from hackers.

If all this interests you, you could find out lots more about proxies on the Internet. But the next time you are able to quickly access your favorite webpage, keep in mind that it is your proxy server that is hard at work!