Hosting A Proxy

Most webmasters who already own a proxy will tell you that finding a reliable proxy host is that hardest thing to do when starting up a proxy or network of proxies. To hit the nail on the head, if you are serious about starting up proxy sites, my advice is to buy either VPS or a Dedicated Server due to the server resources needed. Whats this terminology i hear you ask? Good question:

• VPS - Virtual Private Server, basically virtual private servers bridge the gap between shared web hosting services and dedicated hosting services, giving independence from other customers. VPS servers offered by hosting companies are often totally customizable. This means any form of server can be made, adding Gigs of RAM and bandwidth to help your proxy run smoother and to essentially keep it online.

• Dedicated Servers - Dedicated servers are also provided by many trustworthy hosting companies. They also provide independence from the rest of the customers though server administration can be carried out for you if you required. Seeing as servers come in many sizes it is often common to see people buy two smaller dedicated servers than one large one due to the fact that everything must revovle around efficiency.

So what should you choose?

Ultimately, as a proxy webmaster myself i prefer to use VPS servers. I don’t feel the need at the moment to have to move onto a larger scale when my proxies are not demanding it. Realistically, it all depends on your own specific needs. If you want to start up the worlds biggest proxy network, you will need the worlds best servers, if you want to start up one or two proxies, you will need your average proxy server. If you feel your not that knowledgeable in the technical side of proxies its advised you go for something where support and maintenance is offered. Therefore, its always best to ask your chosen host about the diffrent services they offer, don’t be shy as your the one paying.

Typical server specifcations

Starter VPS - Source

	256MB RAM		100 GB Bandwidth		10 GB Hard Drive:
	Burstable Ram 512mb		100mbit PREMIUM		$24.99 USD

What not to choose.

A point that most successful proxy builders will tell you to take note of is not to use what you think maybe a great offer for just 2$. Companies proving such a service are well known to die within a month or two and site up time is never know to be 99.9%. These offers are often found around forums where desperate companies are dying to get customers. Most of these are unexperienced and the specs are not even true. These are obvious scams because due to the fact that proxies are huge server resource users its not economically possible to provide quality hosting at such a cheap price and stay in business.

Some preferred hosts

http://cmodz-hosting.com
http://ApolloHosting.com
http://Infinityhost.com
http://HostMonster.com
http://wdservers.com
http://VPSland.com

Reliability
After all, it is most important that your host is reliable. If your server goes down for one day you will loose 99% of your traffic and thats one thing you really don’t want to happen. Therefore is essential to take time when looking at diffrent hosts. Check out reviews from other customers ask around on forums and email webmasters. At the end of it all, you will find out ‘ You get what you pay for’.

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to express your own opinions on what hosting you like to use including the good and bad experiences you may of had. Thank you for reading.