如果您想更改您的IP 地址(IP address)——要么是因为你想在工作或学校通过防火墙，要么只是为了访问另一个国家的Netflix图书馆——有两种好方法可以做到这一点，即通过VPN或代理.
然而，尽管他们的目标相同，但这两种服务的工作方式却大不相同。因此，根据您需要做什么，使用代理而不是VPN可能最终不会产生任何结果，或者在某些情况下，甚至最终会给您带来麻烦。
为什么要使用 VPN 或代理
代理和VPN(VPNs)的主要目的是更改 IP 地址，也称为“欺骗”。” 简单地(” Simply)说，当连接到互联网时，您从您的设备（无论是笔记本电脑、智能手机还是其他任何设备）向您的互联网服务提供商 ( ISP ) 的服务器发送连接请求。然后，您的ISP会从其服务器连接到您正在访问的站点，并且它会出现在您的屏幕上。
当您连接到某个站点时，它会向您请求某些信息。一个更重要的数据点是您的 IP 地址，它是一组确定您的大致物理位置的数字。此信息用于确定应以何种语言显示网站、向您提供哪些产品以及为您量身定制广告。
欺骗您的 IP 地址(Spoofing Your IP Address)
如果您不想让网站知道您的位置，或者因为您希望该网站为您提供不同的产品，或者因为您想避免有针对性的广告，您可以使用代理或VPN来欺骗您的 IP 。您无需从 ISP 的服务器连接到网站，而是绕道前往VPN或代理拥有的服务器。这为您提供了另一个 IP，使其在站点上看起来好像您是从那里浏览的，而不是您自己的位置。
它非常方便，并且对于绕过已放置的块也很有用。例如，出于版权原因， Netflix并未在所有国家/地区显示所有内容。通过使用VPN——代理不起作用，我们稍后会讨论——你可以获得另一个国家的假 IP 地址，并观看与你自己国家不同的节目。
绕过内容块(Bypassing Content Blocks)
VPN(VPNs)和代理还可以让你越过另一端设置的任何障碍，无论是你的ISP、你的学校、你的工作，甚至是你的政府。大多数这些块通过禁止您连接到站点来工作。如果您通过VPN或代理提供的不同 IP 地址重新路由连接，则可以绕过阻止。
VPN 与代理：差异
要重新路由您的连接，代理只需将自己插入您的ISP和站点之间，为您提供一个新的 IP 地址。它们可以免费使用，并且通常不需要注册即可使用：只需访问一个站点，单击一个按钮，您就可以开始使用了。
但是，由于它所做的只是重新路由流量，因此很容易追踪连接的来源和去向。因此，任何想要确保他们了解流量如何流动的既得利益者（即与版权相关的政府和服务）都可以通过使用一些非常基本的工具非常容易地了解您的真实 IP 是什么。
代理的缺点(Downsides to Proxies)
这意味着除了最基本的 IP 欺骗之外，代理并不是那么好。例如，YouTube只有非常基本的版权过滤器，所以如果视频在您所在的国家/地区被屏蔽，很可能使用像HideMyAss这样的基本代理来解除屏蔽。许多学校、大学和工作场所也是如此：在许多这样的地方，任何互联网封锁主要是为了形式，代理应该能让你通过它们。
何时使用 VPN
但是，如果您遇到更困难的问题，例如当系统管理员了解学生和同事在做什么时，或者因为您想了解Netflix在其他国家/地区提供的服务，您将需要一个VPN。
VPN 具有多个代理功能，不仅使它们更擅长欺骗IP(IPs)，而且使它们使用起来更加安全。它们的主要优势来自所谓的VPN 隧道(VPN tunnel)，它是 VPN 服务器和您正在访问的网站之间的加密连接。
VPN 隧道的作用(What the VPN Tunnel Does)
如果您的ISP或网站试图查看您连接的位置，他们看到的只是服务器的 IP 和一大堆加密文本。除非他们能破解加密——而且由于它通常是像AES-256这样的非常高级的密码，他们不能——他们不知道你在做什么。
因为您正在连接到一个原本无害的 IP 地址，并且无法看到之后或之前发生了什么，所以大多数块都允许您通过，这意味着您现在可以在工作时收听YouTube 播放列表。(YouTube playlists)
击败区域限制和审查制度(Beating Regional Restrictions and Censorship)
隧道还有很多其他好处，其中之一是它可以让您在没有获得版权通知的情况下下载电影。(torrent movies)它还有助于通过伊朗(Iran)或中国(China)设置的政府封锁，方便前往这些国家的旅行者以及其中的持不同政见者。它们也很棒，因为它们在公共WiFi网络上增加了额外的安全层。
然而， VPN(VPNs)最常见的用途是绕过 Hulu(Hulu)、Amazon Prime Video和Netflix等流媒体服务(streaming services)设置的障碍。由于不同国家/地区的版权主张，这些服务的图书馆因地而异（Hulu甚至仅限美国）。如果您想观看某个特定节目但它不在您所在的国家/地区，您将需要使用VPN来欺骗拥有该节目的国家/地区的 IP 地址。
虽然它可能看起来有点轻浮，但它是充分利用您的流媒体订阅的好方法。
VPN 与代理：最终决定
简而言之，代理是不安全的VPN(VPNs)，或者VPN(VPNs)是加密的代理。虽然代理在通过基本块或简单欺骗时绝对是有用的小工具，但它们无法与VPN 相提并论(VPNs)。VPN(VPNs)更加通用、有用和安全，因此对于大多数人来说，大多数时候，它们是比代理更好的解决方案。
Proxy vs VPN: Which Is Better for Security and Privacy?
If yoυ want to сhange your IP address — either because you want to get past a firewall at work or at school, or simply to access another country’s Netflix library — there are two good ways to do so, namely through either a VPN or a proxy.
However, though their goal is the same, these two types of service are very different in the way they work. As a result, depending on what you need to do, using a proxy instead of a VPN could end up yielding no result or, in some cases, even end up getting you into trouble.
Why You’d Use a VPN or Proxy
The main purpose of both proxies and VPNs is to change IP addresses, also called “spoofing.” Simply put, when connecting to the internet, you send a connection request from your device — be it a laptop or smartphone or anything else — to the server of your internet service provider (ISP). Your ISP then makes the connection from its server to the site you’re visiting and it appears on your screen.
When you connect to a site, it requests certain information from you. One of the more important data points is your IP address, which is a set of numbers that determines your approximate physical location. This information is used to determine what language the site should be displayed in, what products are offered to you, as well as tailoring ads to you.
Spoofing Your IP Address
If you want to avoid websites knowing your location, either because you want the site to offer you different products or because you want to avoid targeted ads, you can spoof your IP by using either a proxy or a VPN. Instead of connecting from your ISP’s server to the website, you make a little detour to a server owned by the VPN or the proxy. This gives you another IP, making it appear to the site as if you were browsing from there rather than your own location.
It’s pretty handy, and also is useful for getting around blocks that have been put up. For example, Netflix doesn’t show all content in all countries for copyright reasons. By using a VPN — proxies won’t work, as we’ll discuss later — you can get a fake IP address for another country and watch different shows than you can in your own country.
Bypassing Content Blocks
VPNs and proxies also get you past any blocks put up on the other end, by either your ISP, your school, your work, or even your government. Most of these blocks work by disallowing your connection to a site. If you reroute your connection through a different IP address supplied by a VPN or proxy, you can circumvent the block.
VPN vs Proxy: The Differences
To reroute your connection, a proxy simply slots itself between your ISP and the site, giving you a fresh IP address. They’re free to use and usually require no signup to use: just go to a site, click a button, and you’re good to go.
However, because all it does is reroute traffic, it’s very easy to track down where the connection came from as well as where it’s going. As such, anybody with a vested interest in making sure they know how traffic flows — governments and services concerned with copyright spring to mind — can very easily see what your real IP is by using some very basic tools.
Downsides to Proxies
This means that proxies aren’t really that great except for the most basic kinds of IP spoofing. For example, YouTube has only very basic copyright filters in place, so if a video is blocked in your country, chances are using a basic proxy like that of HideMyAss will unblock it. The same goes for many schools, universities, and workplaces: In many of these places, any internet blocks are there mainly for form’s sake, and a proxy should get you past them.
When to Use a VPN
However, if you’re up against a tougher block, like when a system administrator gets wise to what pupils and colleagues are doing, or because you’re trying to see what Netflix has on offer in other countries, you’re going to need a VPN.
VPNs have several features proxies that not only make them better at spoofing IPs, but also make them a lot safer to use. Their main advantage comes from the so-called VPN tunnel, which is an encrypted connection between the VPN’s server and the website you’re visiting.
What the VPN Tunnel Does
If your ISP or the site tries to look where you’re connecting to, all they see is the server’s IP, and a whole bunch of encrypted text. Unless they can crack the encryption — and since it’s usually a really advanced cipher like AES-256, they can’t — they have no idea what you’re up to.
Because you’re connecting to an otherwise innocuous IP address and there’s no way to see what comes after or before, most blocks will allow you to pass, meaning you can now listen to YouTube playlists while at work.
Beating Regional Restrictions and Censorship
The tunnel also has plenty of other benefits, for one, it makes it so you can torrent movies without getting copyright notices. It’s also good for getting past governmental blocks like those put up by Iran or China, handy for both travelers to those countries, as well as dissidents within them. They’re also great as they add an extra layer of security when on public WiFi networks.
However, the most common use for VPNs is to get past the blocks put up by streaming services like Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Netflix. Because of copyright claims in different countries, the libraries of these services differ from place to place (Hulu is even U.S.-only). If you want to watch a specific show and it’s not in your country, you’re going to need to use a VPN to spoof the IP address in a country that does have it.
Though it may seem a little frivolous, it’s a great way to make the most of your streaming subscriptions.
VPN vs Proxy: The Final Word
In short, proxies are unsecured VPNs, or VPNs are encrypted proxies. While proxies are definitely useful little tools when it comes to getting past basic blocks or for simple spoofing, they can’t hold a candle to VPNs. VPNs are a lot more versatile, useful, and secure, so for most people, most of the time, they’re a much better solution than a proxy.
