

It was developed by a Chinese developer in 2012 to bypass the Great Wall of China. It combines the fast speeds of a proxy server with the system-wide traffic handling of a VPN. It’s able to handle the traffic operating outside the web browser. Proxies only work with HTTP traffic, but the SOCKS5 protocol covers all kinds of traffic. Moreover, proxies don’t provide a number of useful features that have become a norm in the VPN space. Although HTTPS provides encryption, it’s not guaranteed considering not every website today has adopted HTTPS, or the HTTPS certificate may be expired. For starters, the lack of encryption means that data will be unprotected against third-party, such as your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or a hacker. If a particular website can be accessed only from specific locations, then a proxy will bypass that filter and let you access instantly.īut a proxy is not as robust as a VPN.

So if you visit any website, it will read the proxy server’s IP address instead of yours, thus allowing you to bypass restrictions online. Think of it as a forwarding company that takes the package from you and delivers it to the destination. To understand Shadowsocks, you need to know what SOCKS5 proxy is and how it overcomes the regular proxies.Ī proxy server serves as a middleman for your data. As you’ll continue to read, the reason why Shadowsocks exist will become clear. Although the netizens of China have adopted the alternatives, a large number of people want to access the greater internet. Inplace of Google Search, China has Baidu, and instead of Google Pay, China has AliPay. The strict environment in the country has spawned homegrown apps and services. The services that do operate have to abide by the government’s policies. You cannot access YouTube, Wikipedia, Bloomberg, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram in the country. Too many mainstream platforms have been banned in China. The Chinese government exercises strict regulations and censorship in the interest of national security.įreedom of speech is controlled through strict policies, and the digital space is heavily monitored. So, what is the main difference? Which one is more secure? This guide will teach you all about it! Let’s get started! It’s no secret that China has one of the most draconian surveillance on the planet. Shadowsocks vs VPN is one of the more popular discussions of today.
