Generally, when the user visits a web site, the IP address of the machines from which user accessed the web site will be transferred to the web servers from where we are accessing the web site and the IP Address will be stored in the log files on those web servers. This information can be used for both advantages of the consumers as well as for the disadvantage of the consumers. Generally, when dealing with highly confidential information and in transmission of this information, it will be preferred to hide the IP Address to the web servers, which we are accessing in order to maintain some security of our information. There are numbers of software available today that will help us to hide the IP Address from others. Because of this reason, only the topic “How to hide your IP” became very famous and is acquiring more recognition. Even some companies made their path of revenue by developing software, which helps to hide the IP Address.

Looking through the technical details of how to hide your Ip, one common solution is to use the proxy servers. These proxy servers are those machines that help to create indirect connections to network services by hiding the original IP Address. Here the hiding of IP Address is achieved such that when we are trying to access a web site, first it passes through the proxy server before reaching the web server. This proxy server then masks the original IP Address, creates a proxy IP Address and using that address, tries to access the web server. This is how we can achieve the hiding of IP Address. Even for some security reasons, the proxy server can alter the client's request or server's response on order to protect the computer, which is accessing the external machines.

There are various types of proxy servers available to achieve this IP Address Hiding. This includes website based proxy servers as well as it includes browser configured proxy servers. A website proxy server is the one, which generally provides a form to the user to specify which site the user wants to visit. Once the user provides the site, the form will submit the URL to the proxy server, which is maintained separately, verifies the URL, and does the proxy things there. Here while submitting the URL, the IP Address of the machine will not be submitted to the server, which is acting as proxy.

The browser configured proxy servers allows the users to set the proxy settings in their browsers itself so that when they try to visit a site. First, the browser itself tries to verify the URL from the internal configured proxy server verifies it and then specify how to hide your Ip and then changes the IP, which then can be used to transfer to the machine on the remote. This security features allows a strong security against virus intrusions and some other malicious applications.

Even between these two types of proxy servers, again there are different types of proxy servers such as transparent proxy and Anonymous server, distorting proxy, high anonymity proxy.

One other way to hide your ip is to use Virtual private networks (VPN) where various protocols are used to encrypt the data being transferred over the network. Generally, a firewall protects the data on the computer while the VPN protects the data on the internet.