Online safety and security have never been more critical than today. With more and more activities taking place online, people have to do everything they can to protect their identity and privacy on the internet.
Fortunately, now it’s pretty easy to find a perfect solution and remain secured online at all times. Proxy servers and scraping API are widely used by individuals and companies thanks to the numerous benefits they provide.
If you aren’t sure about the differences between proxies and scraper APIs or would like to know which one suits your needs better, this is the ideal opportunity to learn everything you need to know.
What is a proxy?
Whether you’re using a proxy server already or not, you’ve undoubtedly heard about it by now. Proxy servers are probably the most commonly used tools for maintaining online privacy as they offer well-rounded protection for both individuals and companies.
Essentially, proxies are tools used as intermediaries between the people using the internet and the web pages they browse. Everything people visit first goes through a proxy server because it’s a gateway between people using the internet and the internet content.
Proxies are straightforward – you get your own fake IP address that masks your real one. That way, no one can track your physical location or take advantage of your information.
How a proxy can be used
There are multiple reasons why people decide to use a proxy server. Here are just a few of the most common answers:
Improved security and privacy
First and foremost, proxy servers provide an improved layer of security and privacy online. When using a proxy, no one can access your personal information and sensitive details that you inserted because it’s impossible to track the real IP address.
Access to blocked content
Various websites are unavailable to you purely because you live in a specific region. Proxies mask your real-life location so that you can access any geo-restricted content freely.
Control over employees and children
Proxy servers are excellent for parents who’d like to limit the internet content their kids have access to. Similarly, employers can control what websites their employees visit and how much time they spend there if they want to increase productivity in the workplace.
Faster browsing
Lastly, some individuals install proxy servers simply because they grant them a faster and seamless browsing experience.
What is a scraping API?
When it comes to the scraping API, it’s another internet tool, this time used for data extraction from various online sources. Web scraping has gained a lot of popularity over the last several years, and so did all of its tools. Scraper API is just one of them, and it’s useful for getting all kinds of data available online. To get familiar with all possibilities this tool offers, follow the link to learn more about what scraping api is.
Anything published on the internet can be obtained, stored, and used. However, a simple copy and paste trick won’t work for immense amounts of data. That’s where scrapers come into play.
How a scraping API can be used
Naturally, a scraping API can have all kinds of purposes, depending on what you need it for. Some popular choices include:
Price monitoring
Companies regularly monitor prices from their competitors to know when they should lower or increase their prices to optimize their sales. APIs can automatically track the changes and notify companies when a price alteration occurs.
News tracking
APIs can gather all the news reports almost instantly and store them in one place. Then, companies or individuals can access this information whenever they need to.
Data enrichment
Most commonly, APIs are used for data enrichment. Because this tool can automatically gather large amounts of data in just a few seconds, it’s an easy way to get all the data you might need.
Comparing proxies vs. scraping APIs
Proxies and APIs are two unique internet tools used for entirely different purposes. While proxies hide your IP address and other personal details to help you browse the internet anonymously, APIs are responsible for gathering as much data as possible you can use later.
Which one to use and when?
If you have a small company trying to climb to the top but don’t have a lot of resources, it’s best to go for an API scraper. It doesn’t require a maintenance team, and it’ll equip you with all the information you need to succeed.
On the other hand, proxies are a better choice for bigger companies with better resources. A proxy infrastructure can benefit your company significantly, although you’ll need to hire a developer team.
Conclusion
All in all, proxies and scraper APIs have their unique advantages and disadvantages. They focus on different things and bring different results to their users. Depending on what you need, you can choose between the two and witness how these internet tools positively affect you and the entire business.
