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tutorialsDecember 10, 20244 min read

Proxy Anonymity Levels Explained

Elite, Anonymous, Transparent: what each level means and how to test your proxy's anonymity.

Understanding Anonymity Levels

Proxy anonymity levels determine how much information about your original connection is revealed to the target server.

Transparent Proxies

Characteristics

  • Forwards your real IP in X-Forwarded-For header
  • Target server knows you're using a proxy
  • Zero anonymity protection

    • Headers Revealed

    X-Forwarded-For: [your-real-ip]

    Via: 1.1 proxy-server

    Use Cases

  • Caching
  • Content filtering
  • Corporate networks

    • Anonymous Proxies

    Characteristics

  • Hides your real IP
  • Target server knows a proxy is being used
  • Moderate anonymity

    • Headers Revealed

    Via: 1.1 proxy-server

    Use Cases

  • Basic privacy needs
  • General web browsing
  • Non-sensitive scraping

    • Elite (High Anonymity) Proxies

    Characteristics

  • No proxy headers added
  • Target server cannot detect proxy usage
  • Maximum anonymity

    • Headers

    No additional proxy-related headers

    Use Cases

  • Privacy-critical applications
  • Scraping protected sites
  • Maximum anonymity requirements

    • Testing Your Proxy

    Use our Bulk Proxy Checker to verify your proxy's anonymity level. We analyze response headers and compare your visible IP against known patterns.

    Conclusion

    Choose elite proxies for maximum privacy, anonymous for general use, and transparent only when caching benefits outweigh privacy concerns.

    Related Tools

    Bulk Proxy CheckerIP Anonymity ScoreFormat Converter