Basically, proxies are proxy servers, and a proxy server acts as a buffer between a computer and the things on the Internet which that computer accesses, such as web pages and FTP archives. When the computer makes a request for data or information from the Internet, that information goes first to the proxy server and from there to the computer.

They can thus be used to make sure that an individual's computer does not receive any corrupt or harmful data from the internet. Like its very name suggests, it means that computers are basically using the Internet "by proxy" - that is, through something else entirely.

There are four main types of proxy servers, each of which serves its own specific function. HTTP proxy servers are the most widely used because every browser is capable of using this proxy server. SOCKS proxies are designed to work with almost any type of data on the web (TCP/IP protocol). However, a computer must be able to work with a SOCKS proxy server. When a computer or program can work with a SOCKS proxy, it must be classified as either SOCKS 4 or SOCKS 5. The third type of proxy servers are CGI proxies, which are also known as anonymizers. It can only be accessed through a browser and, as such, it is one of the simplest proxy servers to use. The last kind of proxy server is the FTP proxy, which is an extremely specific and specialized proxy, which will only work with FTP servers. FTP proxies can be used with file managers, download managers, and with browsers.