Glossary · Proxies
Anonymous proxy
An anonymous proxy is a proxy that forwards your requests without adding headers that reveal your own IP address, so the destination sees only the proxy's address; the familiar levels of transparent, anonymous and elite are an informal industry classification, not a standard.
Reviewed 30 Oct 2026
The anonymity levels and what they test
| Level | Your IP passed on? | Proxy use visible? |
|---|---|---|
| Transparent | Yes, typically in X-Forwarded-For or Forwarded | Yes |
| Anonymous | No | Yes, for example through a Via header |
| Elite (high anonymity) | No | Not from headers |
These levels only describe headers the proxy adds to plain-HTTP requests. RFC 9110 says a proxy must send a Via header in each message it forwards, and RFC 7239 defines Forwarded to carry the client's address — so an elite proxy, by definition, departs from the standard for plain HTTP.
Why the levels matter less over HTTPS
For HTTPS the client opens a tunnel with HTTP CONNECT and runs TLS straight to the site. The proxy relays encrypted bytes and cannot insert Via or X-Forwarded-For into requests it cannot read. What the site receives is exactly what your client sent, from the proxy's address. Since most of the web is HTTPS, the anonymity level of a proxy is mostly a question about plain-HTTP targets.
What anonymity does not cover
- Cookies, logins and account identifiers your client sends.
- The browser's characteristics and the User-Agent string — RFC 9110 itself notes that detailed User-Agent values aid fingerprinting.
- DNS lookups made outside the proxy; see DNS leak.
- The proxy operator, who sees your address and the destinations you reach.
A proxy changes the network address and nothing more. It is a location and load tool, not a disguise, and the acceptable use rules apply either way.
How to check a proxy yourself
Send a request through the proxy to a header-echo endpoint you control, once over http:// and once over https://, and look for Via, X-Forwarded-For and Forwarded in what arrives. Then confirm the address the endpoint saw is the exit, not your own, using the method in test proxy location.
FAQ
Questions
Something not covered? Write to contact@arcproxies.io.
Are ARC proxies elite proxies?
ARC does not publish an anonymity-level rating. HTTPS through the gateway runs in a CONNECT tunnel, which no proxy can add headers to, so the site sees only what your client sends. For plain-HTTP targets, check the received headers with an echo endpoint rather than relying on any provider's label.
Does an anonymous proxy make me untraceable?
No. It keeps your IP address from the destination, but the proxy operator knows it, and cookies, logins and browser characteristics can still identify you. Treat it as a change of network address, not of identity.
What is the difference between an anonymous and a transparent proxy?
In the anonymity-level sense, a transparent proxy forwards your real IP address in a header such as X-Forwarded-For, while an anonymous proxy does not. In network engineering, transparent proxy usually means something else: an interception proxy the client never configured.
Is an elite proxy better for web scraping?
For HTTPS sites the distinction mostly disappears, because the proxy cannot add headers inside the tunnel. What matters more is the exit's location and network type and a request rate the site can accept.
Sources & review
Last reviewed by the ARC Proxies team. Prices are read from the live catalog at build time.
- [1]IETF: RFC 9110: HTTP Semantics
- [2]IETF: RFC 7239: Forwarded HTTP Extension
In practice