Dedicated vs Shared Datacenter Proxies: How to Choose the Best Option

A reliable datacenter proxy server provides an array of useful benefits for both personal and professional use. You can use it to improve your online security, protect your network, increase anonymity, save bandwidth, and more. 

With concern for online privacy skyrocketing, proxies are seeing much more widespread use than ever before. However, you must be aware that not every proxy is made the same, and not every proxy will be useful for all possible purposes. Thus, before buying datacenter proxies, you must familiarize yourself with their variations and determine the best option for your needs. 

Two of the most popular proxy types include dedicated and shared datacenter proxies. Learn more about them before making your choice. 

The differences between dedicated and shared datacenter proxies 

Regardless of their type, all proxies work similarly. They’re designed to shield your information from any websites you visit by routing your traffic through their servers and hiding your real IP address. 

When you’re using a proxy, any time you want to make a request from a website, the proxy will take it over, make it on your behalf, and then send you the website’s response. The website will only be able to see the IP address provided by the proxy, not your real one. 

Now, the specific type of IP address you’ll be given and the number of users who can share the said address will vary greatly between shared and dedicated datacenter proxies. 

Shared Datacenter Proxies 

As their name would suggest, shared proxies are those that give you access to “shared” IP addresses. To put it differently, you and multiple other users will have access to the same IP address. 

On one hand, this tends to bring their price down and your anonymity levels up. Even if the proxy is exposed, it would be difficult to discern which user is connected to the specific browsing history from the IP address. 

On the other hand, it negatively impacts proxy speed and exposes you to higher risks of IP bans and blocks due to other users. If any single user uses the IP address for suspicious activity, the entire IP address will be blocked, and you’ll feel the consequences. 

Dedicated datacenter proxies

Dedicated datacenter proxies are slightly different. Instead of sharing your assigned IP address with multiple other users, you’ll have it all to yourself. That gives you much greater control over how the address is used, minimizing your risks of IP bans. Moreover, you’ll have all the server resources to yourself, meaning you’ll have greater bandwidth and, subsequently, greater speed. 

Unfortunately, though, this comes at a price. Dedicated datacenter proxies are among the most expensive types of proxies, especially as they commonly come with dedicated support. Therefore, if you’re looking for cheap proxies, dedicated ones are not the way to go. 

When should you use dedicated and shared datacenter proxies? 

Shared and dedicated datacenter proxies have pros and cons and, of course, differing use cases. Therefore, you should buy proxy server solutions that align with your unique needs. 

Shared datacenter proxy use cases: 

• Hiding your IP – shared datacenter proxies can be great for personal use when you want to hide your IP from specific websites; 
• Avoiding personalized ads – if you’re tired of being targeted by personalized ads, shared datacenter proxies can be a great tool to use; 
• Avoiding geo-restrictions – depending on the website you’re visiting, shared proxies can help you bypass some geo-restricted content; 
• Accessing P2P networks – shared proxies can help you increase your online security when using peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. 

Dedicated datacenter proxy use cases: 

• Web scraping – dedicated datacenter proxies can help you bypass CAPTCHAs and a few other anti-bot technologies, allowing you to web scrape with ease; 

• Competitor research – with a dedicated proxy, you can conduct seamless competitor research without the fear of being caught; 

• Market research – dedicated proxies are more reliable at bypassing geo-restrictions and enable you to conduct market research without obstacles; 

• Avoiding IP blocks – with a dedicated proxy, you’re at a lower risk of encountering IP blocks, and you can bypass website firewalls. 

As a general rule of thumb, shared proxies are better reserved for personal use, while dedicated datacenter proxies are better for businesses. Therefore, when you buy datacenter proxies, consider whether you’ll be using them for personal or professional use. 

What to look for in a datacenter proxy provider?  

The quality of shared or dedicated proxy depends heavily on your chosen provider. With the wrong provider, shared and dedicated proxies can be unreliable. 

So, when selecting your provider, make sure to pay close attention to the following factors: 

• Selection of proxy types – reliable providers will have several different proxy types to ensure they meet the users’ needs; 
• Network size – maintaining an extensive server network is expensive, so only the best providers will be able to boast multiple servers across different countries; 
• Guaranteed uptime – only providers with a robust infrastructure can guarantee high uptime and the utmost reliability; 
• Available features – reliable proxy providers will give you access to exclusive features, including IP rotation, location filtering, scraping libraries, and more; 
• Security measures – reliable providers will have secure authentication and data encryption to ensure your data remains safe and sound. 

Of course, you should also keep pricing in mind. In general, free proxies are best avoided as they will deliver subpar services. Proxy providers need money to invest in their network, infrastructure, servers, security, etc. Therefore, going with the paid option is usually a better choice. 

Conclusion 

Both shared and dedicated proxies can offer unique benefits, helping you improve security, increase anonymity, avoid IP blocks, and more. However, the two have significant differences that will dictate their usability. 

When you buy datacenter proxies, explore all their features, capabilities, and more to learn whether they suit your needs.