What Are UDP Proxies? How They Work and When to Use Them

If you want to learn more about UDP proxies, this guide is for you. In this guide, we will discuss how UDP proxies work, when it is best to use them, and more. Without wasting any more of your time, let’s jump right in!

Key Takeaways

• UDP proxies handle UDP traffic, focusing on speed and low latency rather than perfect data delivery.
• These proxies work by forwarding UDP data packets through a UDP proxy, hiding the client’s real IP address in the process. Proxies with residential IPs are the most reliable.
• UDP is faster than TCP, but it does not guarantee delivery, order, or reliability.
• UDP proxies are best for real-time use cases like gaming, VoIP, streaming, DNS, and IoT systems.
• For web browsing, scraping, APIs, and downloads, HTTP, HTTPS, or TCP proxies are the better choice.

What Is a UDP Proxy?

Simple definition and real-world examples

A UDP proxy is an intermediary server that sits between a client and a target server and forwards UDP (User Datagram Protocol) traffic between them. When using a UDP proxy, the client sends packets (traffic) to the proxy server first, which then forwards it to the target servers. In the process, the IP address of the forwarding client is replaced with a different IP ( proxy server’s IP), making the connection more anonymous. 

UDP proxies are mainly designed to handle UDP traffic, which is fast, connectionless, and does not require delivery confirmation. The main focus of UDP proxies is speed and low latency, not reliability. This makes them ideal for tasks that require the highest data transfer speed over any other factors. 

Some of the real world use cases for UDP proxies include: 

• Online gaming.
• Voice and video calls (VoIP).
• Live streaming for streaming services.
• DNS queries.
• Real-time apps that send frequent small packets.

UDP vs. TCP in plain language

UDP is like sending a message without waiting for a reply, providing fast speeds, but some data could be lost along the way. On the other hand, TCP is like sending a message and waiting for confirmation before sending the next. It’s slower, but reliable and ordered.

UDP is a protocol designed to handle tasks where speed matters more than perfect data delivery. TCP is a great option when perfect data delivery is the priority. Ultimately, the choice between the two depends on the user’s needs. 

How a UDP Proxy Server Works

As earlier discussed, a UDP proxy server acts as an intermediary between a client and a destination server. The proxy server receives UDP packets from the client, forwards them to the target server, and then sends the response back to the client. Because UDP is connectionless, this process is fast and lightweight, allowing for faster speeds than TCP. 

Step-by-step flow of how the UDP traffic moves: 

• Step 1: The client sends a UDP packet to the proxy’s IP address and port.
• Step 2: The UDP proxy server receives the packet.
• Step 3: The UDP proxy server forwards the packet to the target server.
• Step 4: The target server sends a UDP response back to the proxy.
• Step 5: The UDP proxy relays the response to the client.

Packet forwarding and port translation

When a UDP packet reaches the proxy, it arrives on one IP address and port. The UDP proxy server then forwards packets to the target server’s IP and port. In the process, the proxy rewrites the source or destination IP and port. That means the client only sees the proxy’s IP. And likewise the target server will only see the proxy’s IP, making your connection more private and anonymous. 

Stateless operation and connection handling

Unlike TCP proxies that rely on TCP connections, UDP proxies do not maintain full connections. They instead handle packets independently and only keep minimal, temporary state (such as recent IP/port mappings). With UDP proxies, there is no handshake, keep-alive, or session teardown. Using this stateless approach is what makes UDP proxies fast and efficient, enabling users to do tasks that require real-time connections.

Logging, filtering, and extra features

Some of the core features you will get with UDP proxies include: 

• Traffic logging: This includes logging the IP addresses, ports, and packet counts.
• Basic filtering rules: They can can be designed to allow or block certain IPs, ports, or protocols.
• Rate limiting: Used to prevent abuse or flooding.
• Access control: These proxies can use IP allowlists or authentication.

Benefits of UDP Proxies

Low latency for real-time connections

UDP does not wait for confirmations or retries, which is why UDP proxies work very well in situations where every millisecond matters. When the clients send requests, responses are received faster compared to TCP. So, using proxies relying on the UDP protocol matters in applications such as online gaming and streaming where a small delay is noticeable and significantly impacts the experience than a small amount of lost data.

Reduced overhead and higher throughput

Unlike TCP, UDP proxies do not include the extra steps such as connection handshakes, packet acknowledgements, and retransmissions. Not having these extra steps, allows UDP proxies to push more data, making them the ideal choice for use cases that need the fastest data transfer speeds. 

Scalability and simplicity

UDP proxies are stateless or lightly stateful, which means they don’t need to maintain long-lived connections. These two capabilities make UDP proxies easier to scale horizontally and better suited for load balancing. It also makes them simpler to operate under heavy traffic and less memory-intensive per client. So, as the requests go up, more UDP proxy server instances can be added to meet the demand. 

Flexibility for custom protocols

There are several real-time and proprietary protocols that are built on top of UDP to take advantage of its benefits, especially speed. UDP proxies allow these protocols to work through firewalls and NAT devices, route UDP traffic through controlled infrastructure, and function in restricted or segmented networks. So, when dealing with non-web traffic requests, UDP proxies are the most ideal choice. 

UDP Proxy Use Cases

Let’s explore some of the most popular real world applications of proxies for UDP traffic:

Online gaming and VoIP

Online games and voice calls rely heavily on UDP because delays directly affect the experience. When making voice/video calls and gaming online, users will likely care about the data transfer speed over having the perfect data sent. By using UDP proxies, they will experience significantly lower latency and faster speeds, making their experience with these tasks much better. 

Streaming and real-time media

Live video, audio streams, and interactive media on platforms like Netflix and Spotify often use UDP proxies for fast delivery. With streaming, it is more crucial to have data sent as fast as possible and using UDP proxies is the most effective way to achieve the lowest latency required. 

DNS and infrastructure services

DNS queries commonly use UDP because they are small and need quick responses. When using UDP, a client sends a DNS request over UDP, and the DNS server replies the same way. If a packet is lost in the process, the client simply retries the request, making the whole process much faster than using TCP, which involves the handshake step. 

IoT and monitoring systems

Many IoT devices and monitoring agents send small, frequent packets of data (in form of updates) using UDP. They use this protocol since speed is more important than perfect data, especially if data from IoT devices is supposed to be sent or streamed in real time.  

UDP Proxies vs. HTTP and TCP Proxies

These are three of the most used protocols for proxies. There are several differences between these proxy protocols that you need to know to determine which one makes the most sense for your use case. We will discuss these differences using three core factors:

Functionality and supported traffic

• HTTP / HTTPS proxies: These proxies are primarily designed to handle web traffic. So, they can’t handle UDP traffic. They’re the most common since most people use proxies to access web content. HTTP proxies understand HTTP requests and responses, making them a great choice for tasks like browsing, web scraping, and API access.
• TCP proxies (including proxies using the SOCKS5 protocols): These proxies can be used for more applications than just web traffic. Such applications include email, file transfers, and many apps that need reliable connections. However, it is important to note that standard TCP proxies do not handle UDP traffic. 
• UDP proxies: Like we shared earlier, UDP proxies are built to handle UDP traffic. UDP proxies work at the packet level, so they can forward UDP data without caring about application protocols.

Security and reliability trade-offs

• HTTP and TCP proxies: These proxies usually offer more reliable delivery, packet ordering, deep traffic inspection, and content filtering and authentication. This makes HTTP/TCP proxies a great choice where reliability of the data being sent is more important than speed. 
• UDP proxies: The pursuit for speeds usually comes at the expense of reliability. UDP proxies don’t include delivery guaranteed, deep inspection, or advanced filtering. 

Performance and latency comparison

UDP proxies perform better for use cases like gaming and streaming since they offer lower latency and faster data transfer speeds. So, for applications such as online gaming and streaming where minor buffers can affect the experience, using UDP proxies is the ideal choice. 

For tasks like web browsing or downloading files where the accuracy of the data is highly important, TCP/HTTP proxies are the perfect choice. This is because they ensure complete and ordered data delivery. Using UDP here would cause broken pages or corrupted files, which is not ideal. 

Should You Use UDP Proxies?

The decision of whether to use UDP or something like HTTP/TCP proxies largely depends on your use case and priorities. 

When UDP proxies are a good fit

Use UDP proxies for tasks where low latency and data transfer speeds matter more than perfect delivery. Examples of use cases where using UDP proxies makes sense include online gaming, voice or video calls, live streaming, and IoT or real-time monitoring systems.

When other proxy types are better

You should stick with HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, or SOCKS proxy solutions for scenarios where perfect data delivery matters more than latency and speed. The TCP protocol also ensures more secure connections. Some of the tasks where using UDP proxies is not ideal include web browsing or web scraping, API requests, and file downloads or uploads.

How to Choose a UDP Proxy Provider

Regardless of the proxy protocol, your experience will significantly depend on the proxy provider you choose. Some of the key factors you must consider when making this choice include: 

• Global coverage: You need to choose a provider that offers IP addresses in several regions around the world. The supported IP locations preferably include the countries you would like to connect through. 
• Latency and stability: The UDP proxy provider should also have reliable infrastructure, capable of offering high bandwidth and uptime of at least 99%. 
• Traffic limits and rate control: Your UDP proxy server provider should offer high packet rates and sensible rate limiting to prevent connection drops.
• Security and access control: Your UDP proxy provider should offer basic protections such as IP allowlists, authentication, and traffic filtering. 
• Clear UDP support: It is common for some users to assume that all providers offer UDP proxies. But that’s not the case. Make sure to confirm that your provider supports UDP proxies. 

If you’re looking for reliable, low-latency UDP proxies built for real-time use cases, ProxyWing UDP proxies are a perfect choice. Plans start at $1.05/month only. ProxyWing also offers different proxy types, including ISP, datacenter and residential proxy solutions. However, at this time, UDP protocol support on the service is only available for data center proxies.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is a UDP proxy faster than a TCP or HTTP proxy?

In almost every real-time scenario, UDP proxies offer faster speeds than TCP or HTTP proxy solutions. This is because they skip handshakes, acknowledgements, and retransmissions steps, which significantly reduces latency. 

Can I use a UDP proxy for normal web browsing?

No. UDP proxies are mainly designed for UDP traffic (non-web traffic). If you need a proxy for web traffic, choose HTTP or SOCKS5 proxy solutions.

Are UDP proxies safe and legal to use?

Yes, these proxies are legal when used responsibly. Ensure you only use them for ethical activities. Also follow all the terms of the platforms you intend to access when using these proxies.

Do UDP proxies work for web scraping or APIs?

They usually don’t. Most API and web scraping tools rely on transferring data using HTTP or HTTPS over TCP. For such use cases, it is best to use HTTP/HTTPS proxies.