DIY Proxy server vs VPN

[schoump]

Hello everyone,

 

I want to hide my IP address from outsiders. I thought about using a VPN. As far as I know, they're perfect for this, but I really want to avoid paying a subscription. After doing a little research, I found out about proxy servers. With an old computer, my favorite Linux distrib on a usb, and a little patience, I'd be able to hide my IP for free. I decided to learn more about proxy servers before spending a whole afternoon trying to set one up. But here I am, an afternoon later, even more confused than when I first started looking into this.

 

Is a proxy server the way to go? I'm starting to think that they aren't exactly what I'm looking for, but I'm honestly not to sure...

[Spotty]

1 hour ago, schoump said:

I want to hide my IP address from outsiders.

Why?

 

1 hour ago, schoump said:

After doing a little research, I found out about proxy servers. With an old computer, my favorite Linux distrib on a usb, and a little patience, I'd be able to hide my IP for free.

That wouldn't work. If that computer is in your home on the same network it's just going to show the same public IP address. You would need the proxy computer to be on a different network for it to hide your IP, but then it's just going to show that other network IP address and whoever that is associated to will be responsible.