Web proxies

Web proxies work like proxies in general, that is to serve as an intermediary between your computer and the resource that you are trying to access (such as web pages). Unlike socks proxies however, web proxies come in the form of a web page, and its target use tends to focus only on anonymizing other web pages and resources as well. Web proxies are a quick and easy solution to browse anonymously or bypass firewall filters that your school or workplace may have set up, and don’t offer any benefits beyond this.

The web proxy interface is generally a HTML form into which you can enter an URL for it to anonymously relay back to you, often with additional privacy related options that you can set with checkboxes. Most web proxies allow you to strip the target document of JavaScript code, cookies and so on, and some even allow you to use SSL encryption.

A disadvantage of proxies in general, but particularly web proxies, is the speed with which data is accessed and delivered back to the user. Since web hosts tend to frown on web proxies due to their enormous resource usage, they’re often fly by night operations running on cheap virtual accounts on overcrowded servers.

Software

There are many web proxy scripts available, particularly in the PHP and Perl scripting languages. The vast majority however use Glype or PHProxy, which are easy to set up and customize PHP scripts with big user communities.

Caveat

Web proxies are typically slow, unreliable and generally run by someone with money rather than privacy motives.

If you are serious about your anonymity and want a more permanent and convenient solution, consider getting a subscription to a good VPN proxy instead.