Proxy server A technique used to temporarily save (‘cache’) recently used Internet data on a server in the proximity of the user. Using a proxy server means that the requested data does not have to be fetched from the Internet again and again. A proxy server intercepts requests in order to check if it can recognise and fulfil them itself. Only if it is unable to fulfil a request do the proxy server pass it on to the server on the Internet. This reduces the need for bandwidth and results in faster response times, especially if the link to the Internet is otherwise rather slow. Basically, the technique acts as a quickly accessed stand-in for another system, hence the name ’proxy’.
