Proxy, VPN, node, "airport"
A proxy is a middleman that visits websites for you; a node is your tunnel to the proxy server; an "airport" (机场) is a shared proxy service used by many people; a VPN is a related technology that joins your whole device to another network.
Think of it like this
A proxy is like a personal shopper: you say what to buy, they buy it and the shop only sees them. An airport is a team of shoppers serving many customers; your own server is a personal shopper serving only your family.
In this setup
The server you rent is the proxy server. It has two nodes: name-Reality (main, port 443) and name-TLS (backup, port 2443). The "auto switch" group in the app moves to the backup if the main one fails.
Common misconceptions
- "More nodes is better": nodes are for switching. For personal use, two (main + backup) are enough.
- "A proxy slows down every site": with routing rules, Chinese sites skip the proxy and stay fast.
Related: Rule-based routing, Xray, VLESS, Reality, Subscription