Databay field notes
Proxy guides, experiments & operator notes
Engineering guides and first-party measurements for people operating proxy-backed data systems.
- 01Guides19
- 02Tutorials12
- 03Comparisons4
- 04Research5
Newest update Aug 04, 2026 · methodology-open research
All articles
40 entries
How Residential Proxies Work: Architecture and Routing
A network-layer explanation of ISP-origin proxy routing, gateway selection, session continuity, consent, and the signals a destination...
6 min readRead
What Is a Proxy Server? Trace Every Connection Step
A proxy server accepts one connection and creates or relays another. Trace HTTP, CONNECT, SOCKS5, DNS, TLS, and reverse-proxy paths in a...
12 min readRead
Proxy vs VPN: A Practical Routing, Encryption & Trust Test
Choose between a proxy and VPN by tracing which apps, DNS requests, and IP routes each one changes. Includes a route map and a...
10 min readRead
Residential vs Datacenter Proxies: Evidence-Based Comparison
Compare ISP-origin and hosting-network proxy routes by measurable origin, location controls, session behavior, latency, sourcing, and cost.
4 min readRead
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