Glossary · Network
Proxy and VPN detection
Identifying that a connection is being relayed, so the visible address is not where the user actually is.
A proxy or VPN puts an intermediary between the user and your server. The address you see belongs to the relay. Geolocation then describes the relay's location, not the person's, which is why geographic rules quietly stop working against anyone using one.
Detection combines several signals: whether the address sits in a hosting range, whether it appears in published anonymiser lists, and whether it is a known exit node.
The right response is contextual. Blocking every VPN blocks a large number of privacy-conscious legitimate users. Scoring it as one factor among several is usually better than treating it as a verdict.