{"id":6317,"date":"2023-10-18T14:47:43","date_gmt":"2023-10-18T14:47:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/royadata.io\/blog\/?p=6317"},"modified":"2023-10-18T14:47:43","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T14:47:43","slug":"username-password-or-ip-authentication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/royadata.io\/blog\/username-password-or-ip-authentication\/","title":{"rendered":"Username and Password or IP Authentication: Which is Better?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The wonderful world of proxies is centered around one key concept: anonymity. People get proxies to be anonymous online. It\u2019s a bit like wearing the Guy Fawkes mask<\/a> every time you boot up your computer. Whether you\u2019re an average joe who is slightly wary of an overzealous National Security<\/p>\n

Agency, entertainment-should-be-free capitalism eschewing individual that loves to torrent every last piece of media out there, or a full-on black hat technician who sets up TOR<\/a>, proxies are there for you.<\/p>\n

More than ever before, actually. Proxies and VPNs (a service like proxies but with a tweak<\/strong>) are on the rise. This is due to the lack of clarity that governs the inner workings of the web, and how easy it is to get your identity stolen.<\/p>\n

It can be as simple as not wanting hackers to find your IP address, and therefore tap into your computer. The solution for that and everything beyond? Get and use a proxy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

<\/span>The Proxy Irony<\/span><\/h2>\n

Within the seeming web of safety that proxies allow lie a couple not so well known ironies that, from my perspective, are pretty hilarious.<\/p>\n

The first is that a lot of proxies aren\u2019t actually anonymous<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Shocked? Don\u2019t be.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Most proxies are free, and free proxies are far from anonymous or safe. Yes, if you can get a free proxy<\/a> to work in your favor it will hide your IP address for certain activities, and specifically from sites like Google.<\/p>\n

\"Scan\n<\/picture>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, if you boot up a free proxy into your browser, visit websites, and at some point enter any password and username combination, you\u2019re open to risk<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

While your destination website might not see your IP address, the person or company who owns that free public proxy can, and has intimate access to your computer, what your browser displays, and a host of other information.<\/p>\n

One way to combat this is to always use private proxies<\/strong><\/a>. These come at a price, but that price is often small, and will provide a more thorough peace of mind when it comes to anonymity and security than free proxies.<\/p>\n

Below I\u2019ll get into two methods of increasing security for private proxies \u2014 username and<\/b><\/strong>\u00a0password combinations, or IP authentication <\/b><\/strong>\u2014 and which is better.<\/p>\n

First, though, know that the second proxy irony is that even private proxies are subject to crises of true anonymity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

If a hacker or government agency is dedicated enough it can retrieve the information you\u2019ve accessed even when you\u2019re on a proxy, and even if that proxy is private. This is because proxies by nature are not as secure as VPN, whose technology creates an impenetrable tunnel between users so that you actually cannot access the information.<\/p>\n

Unless you\u2019re a serious hacker yourself, you probably don\u2019t need to worry about this. And if you are a serious hacker, you should already know this.<\/p>\n

If we can assume that you don\u2019t fall into that category, a private proxy<\/a> should be more than enough to keep you actually anonymous.<\/p>\n

That said, you\u2019ll need to be sure the proxy provider gives you at least one option for secure authentication.<\/p>\n\n

<\/span>Types of Private Proxy Authentication<\/span><\/h2>\n

One of the keys to making sure your private proxies are legitimately anonymous is if they come with authentication.<\/p>\n

This should be stated very clearly on your proxy provider\u2019s website. If it\u2019s not, send an email to ask what kind of authentication they use. Both types \u2014 username and password, or IP<\/b><\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 are valid, but they have their pros and cons.<\/p>\n\n

<\/span>Username and Password Authentication<\/span><\/h3>\n

This is the more common of the two main types, and the one you\u2019ll be most familiar with.<\/p>\n

Similar to creating a bank account, joining an email marketing service, or creating any new social media account<\/a>, username and password authentication is the standard by which we protect ourselves in today\u2019s society.<\/p>\n

\"Username\n<\/picture>\n

In the case of proxies that is equally true. When you buy a single (or more likely, a bulk batch) of private proxies, you want to make sure they are used only by you. After all, a private proxy is still just a proxy, which is basically an open port that anyone can connect to.<\/p>\n

What makes your proxies safe is that to connect to that port, you have to have the username and password, thereby authenticating your access.<\/p>\n

Typically, upon purchase, your provider will send you an email with a list of IP addresses, a username, and a password. In most cases, it will look like this:<\/p>\n

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111.222.3.444:80:55555name:xyz123<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

For those not embroiled in the proxy world, that can come out a bit confusing. Of course I\u2019ve used a number and numeral combination that is very fake, but it should correspond roughly to what your provider has given you.<\/p>\n

Below I\u2019ll break each section down. Note that colons separate each section (not periods), so you can always go by where the colon is in a line like the one above.<\/p>\n