Geo-blocking has become common on the internet, somewhat due to the increase of premium content and streaming services. The Chinese government, in particular, likes to have control over information that reaches people outside the country to avoid political unrest.
This may seem fair, but the fact that China is the world’s largest E-Commerce market has attracted several international brands to become a part of it. They use different services and technologies, like proxies, to get around geo-blocking so that they can see how well their products are selling in the China market.
This post will highlight the China proxy and its key types, as well as how these proxies are useful in circumventing geographical restrictions.
What is a China Proxy
A China proxy server is a server in China that enables users to access the web using an IP based in China. Using these proxies, users can browse websites safely or anonymously or access content that is especially available to people in China. These proxy servers are anonymous, which makes it look like a user is accessing the internet from somewhere in China.
One of the major uses of China proxies for both businesses and individuals alike is data collection. This type of proxy acts as a gateway between a user and the target website. It functions by hiding the actual IP address of a user while assigning another one.
This gives users the ability to scrape the web anonymously if they choose. A proxy pool enables users to see the specific content that the site shows for Chinese citizens and send a large volume of requests to that target site without getting banned.
Both brands and individuals retrieve data to gain valuable insights which help them perform market research, business intelligence, price monitoring, lead generation, and brand monitoring.
Proxies and Geo-restrictions
Geo-restriction, or geo-blocking, is a practice of completely restricting access to web content based on the physical location of a user. Though this act is essential for copyright and licensing reasons, many users feel the need to bypass such restrictions for the sake of business activities or entertainment.
Whether someone wants to watch entertainment content or find out about market trends in China, using a proxy to circumvent geographical restrictions is one of the most common methods practiced these days.
Proxy servers act as an intermediary between a user and the target website. These proxies conceal the actual IP address of a user while giving a new one. They route the connection via an IP address that is actually from China.
This ensures that the user has an original Chinese IP address and will not be blocked when trying to gain access to Chinese content or services. As a result, users can freely access geo-blocked content exclusively available to Chinese locals.
Types of China Proxies
China proxies are of different types, each offering a range of benefits. Here are the main types of China proxies:
Datacenter
These proxy servers are a middleman that exists between a device accessing the internet and the website getting visited. Clients get IP addresses assigned that belong to datacenter proxy pools and third-party cloud service providers.
Datacenter proxies are further divided into two types: dedicated and shared datacenter proxies. Fast speed and cost-friendliness are the plus points of datacenter proxies.
Residential
Residential proxies serve as a gateway that uses IPs given an Internet Service Provider (ISP) instead of a datacenter. These IP addresses belong to physical devices, such as computers and mobiles, and use a residential network connection.
Basically, they allow users to select a specific location (city, country, or mobile carrier) and explore the internet as a real person belonging to that area. Decreased block-rate and higher anonymity levels are among the key benefits of residential proxy servers.
Mobile
Mobile proxies form a connection between users and the internet via an IP address linked to a mobile device. It uses mobile IPs and data to hide a user’s real geographic location and identity.
These proxies are commonly in use for accessing the content in different locations and protecting the actual IP address from getting detected.
HTTP
An HTTP proxy serves as an intermediary between the client browser and the destination web server. This proxy protocol routes client requests from browsers to the web and supports fast data caching.
Web traffic managed by the server appears as if it came from the proxy’s dedicated IP address rather than the associated device.
Bottom Line
While geo-blocking may appear frustrating and a limiting factor to the digital experience, it can be bypassed easily and quickly with proxies. Businesses that are looking to access content or services exclusively available in China can use China proxies.
Different types of China proxies are available that users can leverage to get past geographical restrictions and access everything that is useful for their business development.
