What is a proxy and how it is used in the internet?

Can anybody tell me something about proxy. I heard that, using proxy we can mask our original IP address. But i dont know a deep about it.


Also is it legal to use proxy?

What is a VPN?

VPN is (Virtual Private Network) were first used by companies to enable their employees to securely access internal systems such as email remotely (e.g. from home or while on business trips). Today they are increasingly being used for personal use by individuals to protect their privacy while online in public places (e.g. when using the wi-fi connection in a cafe) or in a country where the internet is censored / blocked (e.g. China, Saudi Arabia��).