Choosing HTTP, HTTPS or SOCKS5
Updated 2 min read
A new proxy is delivered on HTTP. Where its Connection card offers Change protocol, you can switch it to SOCKS5, or to HTTPS where that proxy offers it. Each proxy's page shows the protocol it is set to and a port; copy both from there.
Which to use
| Protocol | Use it when |
|---|---|
HTTP |
Your client speaks HTTP proxy. It also carries HTTPS sites, through a CONNECT tunnel. This is the usual choice for scrapers and HTTP libraries. |
HTTPS |
Your client must reach the proxy itself over TLS. Not every proxy offers it; Change protocol lists what yours supports. |
SOCKS5 |
The traffic is not HTTP, or the tool supports only SOCKS. |
An HTTP proxy does not see the content of HTTPS pages. The tunnel is encrypted end to end between your client and the site.
Check or change the protocol
- Open the proxy's page. The Connection card shows the protocol and its port.
- To switch, select Change protocol and pick from the protocols offered for that proxy. If there is no Change protocol button, or HTTPS is not listed and you need it, write to support@proxyforge.io with the proxy ID.
- Update the scheme in every client, and the port if the Connection card now shows a different one.
SOCKS5 with remote DNS
Let the proxy resolve host names, so the lookup does not leak from your network and the answer suits the exit location. With curl, use the socks5h:// scheme:
curl -sS -x "socks5h://USERNAME:PASSWORD@HOST:PORT" https://api.ipify.org; echo
In Python Requests, install requests[socks] and use socks5h:// in the proxy URL.
If it fails
- A connection that closes immediately often means the scheme in the client does not match the protocol on the proxy page.
- Some browsers do not accept a username and password for a SOCKS proxy. Use the IP allowlist for those, where the proxy offers it. See Authenticating by IP allowlist.