So, you’ve decided to use a proxy to hide your online identity for whatever purpose. We assume that you’ve already done your research and realized which type of proxy you need. But, with so many proxy providers out there offering hundreds of millions of proxies of all types, it’s easy to end up with the wrong one, especially if you use free proxies.
That’s why testing your proxy server before using it is of absolute importance, and the best part is that you can do it for free.
Why Do You Need to Test Proxy Servers?
A lot of free proxies simply don’t work. They may even not exist, and if they do, they are too slow. Although solid free proxies do exist, they are difficult to find in which case this info might be useful.
Sometimes the same thing can happen with paid proxies. Instead of wasting your time trying to connect to the internet via a proxy that doesn’t work, you should first test it by using a proxy tester.
Most proxy testers allow you to scan proxies in bulk so you can quickly find the ones that work and those that should be avoided. All you need to do is run the list of proxies through the scanner and see if they work. You only need the proxies that work so you can remove the ones that don’t.
But, this is not the only thing to consider when checking your proxies. No one wants slow proxies, and proxy testers can reveal which of the proxies on your list are too slow. Discard the slow proxies and keep the fast ones.
Some proxy testers offer extra features such as checking the safety of the proxy. But, usually, you’ll only know if it’s live. No proxy tester can reveal if the proxy is operated by a hacker. Since this can happen only with free proxies as they are not owned by a company, it’s best to stick with paid proxies when dealing with sensitive data to ensure your information stays safe.
Also Read: Best Pirate Bay Proxy Sites and Mirrors
What to Test in Proxies?
You can test many features of proxy servers, but the most important ones are the speed, location, and uptime of the proxy.
Speed
A lot of public or free proxies are slow because they can be used by tens or hundreds of users at the same time. Overloaded or busy proxies can make your browsing experience terrible, so it’s important to avoid them.
Even paid proxies can add a bit of latency to your web browsing which can result in a small delay in page load. But, even the slightest delay can practically make them ineffective in situations such as playing online video games, streaming videos or movies, and purchasing with a sneaker bot.
That’s why testing the speed of your proxy is always a good idea, especially when speed is a major concern to you. We recommend testing both free and paid proxies to ensure they are fast enough for your needs.
Location
If you need a proxy server to bypass geo-blocking and access sites or services that are not available in your country or region, you need to ensure it has an IP address of a supported location. For example, if you live in the UK and you want to access a Canada-only website, you need to use a Canada proxy or proxy with a Canadian IP address.
While the proxy provider may claim the proxy is hosted in a specific location, you can never be sure if that’s really the case. Checking the location of the proxy is a good way to ensure you get an IP address from the right location.
Uptime
The uptime of the proxy is the amount of time it stays up and running. A proxy provider that has a high uptime percentage means its proxies will stay up and running so as the websites you visit through them.
However, not all proxy providers are honest. They can claim a high uptime percentage when in reality they get down quickly. Luckily, you can test the uptime of proxies so you can see how they hold up with time.
Tools to Test Your Proxies
There are all sorts of proxy tester tools on the internet, so finding the right one may not be so easy. That’s why we’ve gathered some of the best tools that can help you scan your proxy.
IPRoyal Proxy Tester
IPRoyal is a free tool that can help you test any proxy servers and find out if they work properly and how fast they are. A lot of users consider it the most trusted proxy tester as it offers direct and accurate ping times to any site through any type of proxy server.
It allows you to test rotating and sticky proxies, test countless proxies at once, and export working proxies to a txt file. The proxy tester offers support for IP and domain proxies, IP authenticated proxies, and user:pass proxies.
FOGLDN Proxy Tester
You can use this free tool to check if your proxy works with particular sites. It will tell you how long it takes to connect which is basically the speed of the proxy. FOGLDN works with Mac and Windows devices.
All you need to do is download it, add the proxy list, paste an URL to taste, and click on “TEXT PROXIES.” However, the tool doesn’t reveal the location, anonymity, and type of the proxy.
Angry IP Scanner
This free, open-source tool is used by millions of people that want to check their proxy’s location, uptime status, ports, etc. It works on Windows, Mac, and Linux platform and lets you export the results in various formats.
There’s no need for software installation. You should just download it and run it.
Online IP Checker
There are many websites that work as online IP checkers. Although it’s the most basic thing you can do to check your proxy as it only reveals your IP address and location, sometimes it’s all you need. Just google online IP checkers and you’ll find plenty of them.
Also Read: Why Should You Start Using a Reliable VPN?
To Sum Up
Testing your proxies before using them is always a good idea as it helps you find out if a particular proxy offers the things you need. You can test them in terms of speed, uptime, location, and other features.
You can get all the proxy information you need by using a proxy tester tool. With a solid proxy tester, you can be sure that the proxy you choose has a high uptime percentage, a location of your choice, and fast speed.