ProxyHorizon Glossary
The Proxy & Networking Glossary
Plain-language definitions of the proxy, VPN, scraping and networking terms you'll run into — explained simply, with examples and use cases.
88 terms and counting
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Plain-language definitions of the proxy, VPN, scraping and networking terms you'll run into — explained simply, with examples and use cases.
88 terms and counting
HTTP headers are small pieces of metadata sent with every web request and response, describing things like the browser, content type, and cookies. They quietly shape how servers treat your traffic.
An HTTP proxy is an intermediary server that forwards web (HTTP/HTTPS) requests on your behalf, able to read, cache and filter traffic at the application layer.
HTTP/2 is the second major version of the HTTP protocol that loads web pages faster by sending many requests over one connection at the same time. It replaced the older, slower one-request-at-a-time model of HTTP/1.1.
HTTP/3 is the newest version of HTTP that runs over the QUIC protocol on UDP instead of TCP. This makes connections faster and more resilient, especially on mobile and unstable networks.
HTTPS is the secure version of HTTP that encrypts data between your browser and a website using SSL/TLS. It prevents eavesdroppers from reading or tampering with the traffic.
Shadowsocks is an open-source encrypted proxy designed to bypass internet censorship. It disguises traffic to slip past firewalls that block traditional VPNs.
SOCKS5 is the latest version of the SOCKS proxy protocol. It routes any kind of network traffic — TCP and UDP — between a client and a server through a proxy, with optional authentication and no awareness of the underlying application.
WebSocket is a protocol that opens a persistent, two-way connection between a browser and a server. Unlike normal HTTP requests, it lets data flow in both directions continuously without re-connecting each time.
WireGuard is a modern, fast and lightweight VPN protocol known for its tiny codebase, strong cryptography and excellent performance.