Proxies

Proxies, in a broad sense, are stand-ins or authorized representatives acting on behalf of someone else. They are used to carry out actions or decisions that the original party is unable or unwilling to perform directly. This can be in a variety of contexts, from representing a shareholder's vote to masking a user's IP address online. proxies are frequently employed to establish connections to a remote server to access data without revealing the user's own information, which is important for data security and anonymity. The underlying principle is to facilitate a delegation of authority or function, providing an intermediary link between the original entity and the task or environment at hand. They can simplify complex processes by centralizing control or obscuring the initial point of origination.

Proxies meaning with examples

• In a shareholder meeting, many investors can't attend, so they appoint a proxy to vote on their behalf. This proxy is given specific instructions or broad discretion to cast votes on proposals, allowing for corporate governance to continue effectively, even with widespread shareholder involvement.
• When accessing a website, a user's IP address can be masked using a proxy server. This is especially common for online privacy, as it helps to prevent tracking of location and browsing history. The proxy server forwards the user's requests, and the website only sees the proxy's IP address.
• During an international negotiation, each country might send proxies, or delegates, to represent their interests. These delegates have the authority to make decisions on the nation's behalf, facilitating talks and allowing governments to interact through intermediaries.
• Web scraping often uses rotating proxies to avoid detection and rate limiting. Multiple IP addresses from different locations can be rotated in and out of the scraping process so that there's no obvious overload originating from one place.
• In software development, a proxy object can be used as an intermediary for another object. This allows for control over access to the original object, adding additional functionality, such as logging or security checks, without modifying the object itself.