Many internet users get a message, when they are trying to load a web page “the proxy server is refusing connections.” It is a technical error that occurs in all types of web browsers. The proxy server refuses to connect because your system is infected by an adware (Virus) or because you have installed an unnecessary program in your system. This problem is quite common to see in Mozilla and Internet Explorer browsers. You can also experience this issue in other web browsers like Safari and Chrome, but not at a big level. There are solutions to fix this issue, but before that you must understand that what it is and how this problem occurs in the system.
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What is a proxy server?
A free online proxy server is known as a faithful computer program, which is a mediator between the device used to access the internet and the server of a website. The proxy server may reside on your system as the firewall, or it may have a separate server that furthers the request by using a firewall. The proxy server comes into action when a user tries to open more than a site, which reside in proxy server’s cache. Thus, the user gets larger response time to use the websites. Proxy server also helps you in identifying the error, when your internet connection is not working properly. You can troubleshoot and detect the error quickly with the help of proxy servers.
Check out below-given illustration to know how the proxy server works:
When you try to open a webpage via a proxy server enabled web browser, it checks for the asked web page in its local cache. If you have visited the web page previously via the same browser, the proxy server will find it in its cache and open it quickly. In case, the web page is not available in proxy server’s cache, and then it acts as a client and forwards request to the Internet by using its own IP address. As it finds the page, it connects the requested page to the original user. It means proxy server uses its own IP whenever the user requests for a new web page.
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Today’s internet users use proxy servers for both legal and illegal needs. Large organizations and industries use free online proxy server to increase their system security. They need better managerial controls and caching servers, which are provided by a proxy server. Individual internet users apply proxy server to prevent the exposure of their real identity and do web surfing in a cryptic way. That means you can do anonymous web surfing without disclosing your real IP address. Whatever website you open by using a proxy server, you will be an anonymous user for them, and thus you can maintain privacy in web surfing by using the proxy server.
Internet browsing with and without a “proxy server”:
Some people think that proxy server was invented to avoid filters, but that’s not true. You can consider anonymous browsing as a benefit of the proxy server. Let’s check internet browsing without proxy server:
- When you connect directly to the server of any website, the website gets your external IP address. You can consider it as a price of checking information from the website. Probably, the IP address cannot disclose complete details regarding the user, but it will reveal the area from where the user is accessing the internet.
- Internet users do not delete the cookies available on their system. If a user is accessing the internet without using the proxy server, external servers on the Internet can quickly know the cookies existing on your system.
- The server can know what browser you are using to browse the internet and the plugins installed on your system. Whenever you access the internet by using a browser, it sends user agent string that is used by web servers to identify the type of browser and type of operating system you are using on your system.
- The website servers know your IP and your location. They can also know that which site you have visited recently if you are browsing the internet without using the proxy server.
Internet browsing with proxy server:
Let’s check the benefits you get when whole traffic passes through the proxy server.
- Proxy server instantly removes user agent string and use a pointless string.
- Proxy server effectively blocks all the cookies. It accepts cookies, but it doesn’t pass them to the user.
- Your IP address is prevented from exposure because proxy server provides its IP to the connecting server.
- A user can easily set proxy to perform system-wide. It means not a single program can avoid it.
- A user can easily save the bandwidth by compressing traffic with the help of proxy.
- The page loading time decreases when you use the proxy server.
- No adware can harm your system if you are browsing the internet with the proxy server.
- Proxy server effectively blocks malware and malicious WebPages
- The proxy server cannot only prevent filters, but it can also work as a filter.
A free online proxy server is an incredible solution to prevent your system from malware and malicious extension. Adware and malicious extensions, which are also known as the virus, can create various problems for the user. Below you can check the worst consequences you can face because of malicious extensions.
Types of proxy servers:
There are 4 different types of proxy servers, and those types are:
1). Transparent proxy
Transparent proxy servers recognize their self as proxy servers, and they generate real IP address with the help of HTTP headers. This type’s proxy servers are renowned for their capability to cache the WebPages and reduce anonymity of their users.
2). Anonymous proxy
Such kind of proxy servers knows that they are proxy servers, but they never generate any real IP address. Experts can detect this types’ proxy server easily, but still users get anonymity to some extent.
3). Distorting proxy
Distorting proxy recognizes itself as a proxy server, but it generates a fake IP address. It means it is quite difficult to detect your real IP address if you are using this type’s proxy server. You can quickly find out this proxy server online and use it for your safety.
4). High Anonymity Proxy
People, who want to browse the internet anonymously, they use this proxy server. It does not recognize itself as a proxy server and it also never create original IP address. It is used widely by organizations and internet users to protect their personal details.
How do malicious extensions infect?
To explain proxy server in simple words, it works as a pass on among the home network in your system and the website you are trying to load in the web browser. Proxy servers offer you an advantage that you can browse any website without disclosing your real identity. It is quite beneficial, but in recent days people have experienced a lot of issues regarding proxy server. The number of adware and malware is increasing day by day. This malware is also referred as a virus that changes proxy settings in your system without your permission. The two renowned malware are Browser Guard and Coupon Server, which have infected many systems till now.
What happens when malware or malicious extension is installed?
People used to download software to their system. Some of them buy the software online, and some prefer to download the tools for free. People, who download software for free, they often become careless with the potential malware they can get with the free software. Web sites that offer free software, often add some adware and unnecessary tools in the package of required software. Thus, the malicious extension gets installed into the system and cause the problem when you try to load a web page. You get a message “The proxy server is refusing connections” and you can also see below given error messages:
- The browser is configured to use a proxy server that is refusing connections.
- Check the proxy settings to make sure that they are correct.
- Contact your network administrator to make sure the proxy server is working
- Try Again
These are some standard messages that web browsers show when the proxy server refuses to connect, but there are also some other symptoms that show your computer is infected with malicious extensions. Those symptoms are:
- If unwanted ad banners have covered whole home page of your web browser, it is a symptom that proxy settings are changed.
- If you are getting directed to random web pages, without clicking any link, it is occurring because of malicious extensions.
- Too many popups and unwanted program updates for the computer.
- Adware tools and programs downloaded to your computer without any cognition.
How to set up the proxy server?
As we have shown earlier in this article, a free online proxy server is quite beneficial for safe and secure web browsing. If you also want to avoid malicious extensions and use the proxy server, then you can do it yourself. Usually, you can find out many guides to set up a proxy server, but the maximum of them ask you to download their tools for it. Our guidelines offer you establish a proxy server with the help of Google App Engine. Check out the guidelines:
- Visit appengine.google.com and login to your Google profile.
- Find “Create an application” option and click it. Google may provide you a verification code by sending a message to your number if you are trying it for the first time. Verify the account and you’ve done.
- Now you have to select an app identifier that will be the sub-domain of the proxy server. Now you can provide a title to your app. Agree to all terms and conditions and choose “Open to all users.”
- Now the APP ID is confirmed, and now you can build and upload your proxy server app to the visited site.
- Now download Python 2.7 installer and extract its files on the desktop.
- Now you have to download Google App Engine SDK for Python, which you can get online. Once it is downloaded, install it and run the program to open the software.
- Open the software and click “Edit” option to set right values for Python Path.
- Now go to File option and then select Add Existing Application’s option and then browse for the file that hold index.yaml and other data you have extracted in the previous step. If you have done this, go to Edit option for replacing “YOUR_APP_ID” with your App ID.
- Now choose Deploy option and mention the Google account details. Thus, your proxy server will get deployed and then you can use it. The official URL of the newly uploaded proxy server will be your_app_id.appspot.com.
This newly created proxy server can be quite beneficial for you. Many people change the .HTML coding of the file to provide a better appearance to their proxy sites. You can also do that and have a user-friendly interface. Also, you can earn money through it if you add code for Google Analytics and AdSense. Off-course your proxy server is public, but you can secure it by asking users to verify their Google Accounts.
The free online proxy server comes with many advantages for both individual web browsers and organizations. It is the best protection against malware and malicious tools that infect web browsers quickly. Many people think that their system’s antivirus is capable of dealing with such programs, but malware creators develop programs that can easily break safety. The proxy server offers you a fantastic chance of avoiding all the irritating tools and doing safe browsing. Now it is up to you that you find it useful or useless. You may think that it will be quite difficult to create and set your proxy server, but it is not. You can check out above given guidelines and then you will find it quite simple.
