Nowadays, plentiful cyber-privacy products allow one to successfully conceal their IP address and imitate presence from a different location. For those searching to enter the Indian locale remotely, proxy servers may provide an invaluable and cost-effective solution.
This article reviews Indian proxies, their types, and subtypes, along with the various use cases that can help one decide whether they are worth the purchase.
What is an Indian Proxy?
An Indian proxy is an intermediary server that is physically located in India. When users connect to this server, their internet requests—such as clicking on a website or using an online service—are routed through this proxy server. The process of traffic re-routing achieves two goals: IP obfuscation and location spoofing.
• The IP obfuscation aspect means that the user’s real IP address is concealed and replaced with that of the Indian proxy server. This provides a layer of anonymity, as the websites and services the user interacts with will only see the Indian IP address. Consequently, users can browse the internet with added privacy, as their actual location and digital identity are not directly exposed.
• Location spoofing, on the other hand, is particularly beneficial for users who wish to access content or services that are geographically restricted to India. By routing their internet requests through an Indian proxy server, users can appear to be browsing from within India. This allows them to bypass geo-blocks and access a wide range of Indian services, websites, and content that would otherwise be unavailable in their actual location.
What types of Indian Proxies are there?
Proxy services tend to offer a wide variety of proxy server types that are located in India. To simplify the distinction, it is best to imagine that proxies can be categorized in two ways: the origin of their IP address and the number of people sharing it.
According to the IP address origin, there are three groups of proxy servers: residential, datacenter, and mobile proxies.
• Residential proxies are assigned IP addresses by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to actual residential users. These proxies are highly reputable and less likely to be blacklisted, as they appear as genuine user connections, making them ideal for tasks requiring a high level of legitimacy and for bypassing stringent geo-restrictions.
• Datacenter proxies are provided by servers in data centers not associated with ISPs. They offer high speed and efficiency but are more easily identifiable and, thus, more likely to be blocked by websites. This makes Indian datacenter proxies suitable for tasks where speed is a priority over stealth.
• Mobile proxies work similarly to residential proxies, as they also receive their IP address from an ISP. However, unlike their counterpart, the IP address is allocated from a cellular network, which means that the proxy is perceived to send traffic from a real mobile device.
The aforementioned proxy types can be further segmented by the number of people sharing a single IP address. For this matter, there are two groups: shared and private (also known as dedicated) proxies.
• Shared proxies refer to proxy servers where the allocated IP addresses are shared among several users. Their cost is distributed among more users, making them the cheaper option. At the same time, they tend to be slower and less regular in their connection stability than private proxies.
• Private proxies, in contrast, provide exclusive use of an IP address to a single user. Even if there are multiple users on a single proxy server, their actions do not affect the neighboring IP addresses as individual users uniquely own them. For this reason, they are ideal for tasks that require a high IP reputation, such as competitive intelligence analysis.
Who Should Buy an Indian Proxy?
Indian proxies will find most use in the hands of Indians looking for privacy from nearby servers, as well as those from outside attempting to gather local data. Here are the most common use cases for proxy servers:
• Digital Marketers and SEO Specialists: Professionals looking to analyze the Indian market, perform SEO research, or manage multiple social media accounts without triggering geo-restrictions will find Indian proxies invaluable. They allow for accurate, localized search results and the ability to see advertisements as they appear to users in India.
• Content Streamers and Viewers: Individuals outside India wanting access to Indian content platforms like Hotstar, SonyLIV, or Zee5 can use an Indian proxy to bypass geo-blocks. Similarly, Indians traveling abroad can continue accessing local content as if at home.
• Journalists and Researchers: Those needing to access local news, regional developments, or conducting investigative research without revealing their location or identity will benefit from the anonymity that Indian proxies provide. They can gather information discreetly and securely.
• Businesses Conducting Market Research: Companies looking to enter the Indian market or monitor their brand presence can use proxies to gain insights into local consumer behavior, competitor analysis, and market trends without alerting websites and services of their presence.
• Developers and IT Professionals: For testing apps and websites to ensure they perform well for users in India, Indian proxies are essential. They can simulate a local user experience, helping to identify region-specific issues or ensuring compliance with local regulations.
Conclusion
Indian proxy servers come in many different forms according to the particular needs of their soon-to-be owners. Whether they serve the casual internet goer looking for an additional layer of privacy and access to the latest series on Hotstar or a professional gathering data on the region—Indian proxies perform reliably, quickly, and efficiently.