Fraudsters use detect proxy usage via API s to hide their real connection details, which can be used for a range of reasons, including accessing restricted content, bypassing geo-blocking, hiding a malicious code, or even committing fraud. Detecting proxy usage via API can help businesses reduce risk and improve compliance, by flagging high-risk transactions, blocking fraudulent users, and enabling other security measures.

There are a few ways to detect proxy usage, but the most reliable is using an IP intelligence provider with a continuously updated database of known proxies and VPNs. A simple REST API query returns results in milliseconds, allowing systems to apply rules or friction dynamically, such as denying access, asking for verification, flagging for review, and more.

Real-Time Proxy Detection API: Stop Threats Before They Reach Your System

This method looks for specific HTTP headers (such as Forwarded or X-Forwarded-For) to indicate the user is behind a proxy server. However, these headers can also be added by other intermediaries like load balancers or content delivery networks, so they are not always reliable.

Another way to detect proxy usage is by testing browser latency. Proxies tend to slow down the communication between a web server and a browser by adding an extra round-trip between the client and the proxy server.

Using an IP geolocation API in combination with this proxy detection can provide more accurate user data to prevent click fraud, improve targeting accuracy, and ensure that ad content is relevant to the users’ location. Our API can also help e-commerce and fintech companies enforce geo-blocking, while preventing fake account creation and mass logins by detecting proxies.