One of the big debates when you are looking into proxy services is whether you should go with a shared service or a dedicated service. All paid proxy services are private, so you don’t need to pay attention to whether or not a proxy service advertises itself as being so. Shared and dedicated, however, do constitute big differences in the way that these services work.
Typically your decision on shared vs. dedicated proxies will be greatly influenced by cost and your particular use but first let’s explain the differences.
What Is Meant By A Shared Proxy?
When a proxy is described as being shared, it means that many users are accessing the proxy server. This carries some significant disadvantages for some types of users. For example, these services can be cheaper and, therefore, are oftentimes used by people who are abusing the server in some way. If one user on the proxy server manages to get themselves banned, you will also find yourself banned from whatever site put them on a blacklist.
Shared Proxy Disadvantages
Another disadvantage of using a shared proxy is the fact that there can be little geographic differentiation between the IP addresses. You may find, for example, that all of the IP addresses associated with the proxy server are geographically linked to the same country, the same region and, in some cases, even to the same city. If you need a range of proxy addresses, you’ll want to make sure that they come from different areas of the world.
Shared Proxy Minimum Requirements
Shared proxy servers oftentimes (but not in all cases) have a minimum range requirement when you sign up for them. Not all users, even very serious users, are going to need the amount of proxy server addresses that these minimums require. This is another disadvantage to the servers.
What Is A Dedicated Proxy ?
A dedicated private proxy server has some significant advantages over the shared proxy servers. Oftentimes, you don’t have to purchase a minimum number of addresses, so this can help you control costs while still getting the level of service that you need.
Dedicated Proxy Speeds
For professionals who have a lot of work to do online, the speed of a dedicated private proxy is a huge advantage. Because you’re the only one accessing the server, you don’t have to worry about congestion on the server due to a large number of users accessing it at the same time.
Choose Your Dedicated Proxy Geographic Location
Most dedicated private proxy servers also have the distinct advantage of allowing you to choose where your addresses come from. For example, if you need all of your IP addresses to come from Berlin, you can arrange this with the service. If you need them all to come from a US IP address, you can arrange this as well. You can also arrange that your addresses come from a huge geographic area, which is very advantageous for some users.
Application Specific Proxy Requirements
Sometimes, a particular application will work much better if it is run off of a dedicated private proxy. If one of your applications happens to have this requirement, you’ll find yourself enuring far less frustration if you go ahead and sign up for a dedicated high speed proxy to begin with.
Shared Versus Dedicated Proxy Server Conclusion
In the end , your decision will primarily be dictated by your budget as shared proxies can be much cheaper – just remember you can always start off with shared proxies and then upgrade later on to dedicated proxy server system.
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