Configuring a SOCKS proxy server in Chrome – The …
To configure chrome to proxy traffic through the SOCKS v5 proxy server myproxy:8080, launch chrome with these two command-line flags:–proxy-server=”socks5myproxy:8080″–host-resolver-rules=”MAP * ~NOTFOUND, EXCLUDE myproxy”ExplanationThe –proxy-server=”socks5myproxy:8080″ flag tells Chrome to send all and URL requests through the SOCKS proxy server “myproxy:8080”, using version 5 of the SOCKS protocol. The hostname for these URLs will be resolved by the proxy server, and not locally by proxying of ftp URLs through a SOCKS proxy is not yet –proxy-server flag applies to URL loads only. There are other components of Chrome which may issue DNS resolves directly and hence bypass this proxy server. The most notable such component is the “DNS prefetcher” if DNS prefetching is not disabled in Chrome then you will still see local DNS requests being issued by Chrome despite having specified a SOCKS v5 proxy server. Disabling DNS prefetching would solve this problem, however it is a fragile solution since once needs to be aware of all the areas in Chrome which issue raw DNS requests. To address this, the next flag, –host-resolver-rules=”MAP * ~NOTFOUND, EXCLUDE myproxy”, is a catch-all to prevent Chrome from sending any DNS requests over the network. It says that all DNS resolves are to be simply mapped to the (invalid) address 0. 0. The “EXCLUDE” clause make an exception for “myproxy”, because otherwise Chrome would be unable to resolve the address of the SOCKS proxy server itself, and all requests would necessarily fail with buggingThere are a lot of intricacies to configuring proxy settings as you intend:Different profiles can use different proxy settingsExtensions can modify the proxy settingsIf using the system setting, other applications can change them, and there can be per-connection proxy settings might include fallbacks to other proxies, or direct connectionsPlugins (for instance Flash and Java applets) can bypass the Chrome proxy settings alltogetherOther third-party components in Chrome might issue DNS resolves directly, or bypass Chrome’s proxy first thing to check when debugging is look at the Proxy tab on about:net-internals, and verify what the effective proxy settings are: chromenet-internals/#proxyNext, take a look at the DNS tab of about:net-internals to make sure Chrome isn’t issuing local DNS resolves: chromenet-internals/#dnsNext, to trace the proxy logic for individual requests in Chrome take a look at the Events tab of about:net-internals: chromenet-internals/#events
Browsing on a Chromebook using a SOCKS proxy – Ted Piotrowski
July 5, 2016
How to watch HBOGO abroad on your Chromebook?
Turn on developer mode on your Chromebook
Press Ctrl+Alt+T to open a shell window and type shell at the prompt
Start a SOCKS proxy server on your laptop that forwards traffic through a server in the USA you can access via SSHssh -D 20001 user@serverintheusa
Configure your Chromebook connection to use the local proxy.
4a. Click on your active Wifi connection to bring up the proxy configuration. Fill in the appropriate SOCKS host and port.
4b. You should now be able to access HBOGO
What is a proxy?
A proxy acts as a middle-man for your internet traffic. If you want to read, instead of issuing a request for that page directly from your browser, you would first issue this request to a proxy server. The proxy would then request the contents of and once it received the response, it would return the requested data back to you. To, the request originates from the proxy server. This allows users to use proxy servers to circumvent blocked content. For example, if your school network allows all connections except to, you can connect to a proxy server and use it to request a page from on your behalf.
Another example of blocking internet traffic is for licensed content. HBOGO is not licensed for distribution in Norway. Much like a telephone number country code, Norwegian internet addresses start with specific prefixes. This allows HBOGO to recognize and block requests coming from Norway. However, if you can connect to a proxy server in the USA, you can use it to request a video stream and forward it onto your computer in Norway.
What is a transparent proxy?
A proxy implemented at the network layer and invisible to the end user. The proxy acts like a router or gateway on the network. It can return cached content instead of accessing live content from the internet or can be used to block certain websites inside an organizational network.
What is a reverse proxy?
A reverse proxy routes requests onto an internal network. Certain web applications contain several web servers for load balancing. A reverse proxy would sit in front of these servers. When a client requests the web application it sends the request to the proxy and the proxy routes the request to the appropriate web server on its internal network. The internal network is invisible to the client.
What is the SOCKS protocol?
SOCKS is used to send packets of data via a proxy server onto the final destination. It is not application protocol specific, so it can be used to proxy web traffic, file transfers, email and media streaming. SOCKS is implemented in the OpenSSH suite which is available on Linux/Unix computers. If you have SSH access to a server, you can run a SOCKS proxy locally and forward traffic through your server over SSH. Simply connect using -D argument: ssh -D [localhost:port number] user@hostname. Any TCP packets sent to the corresponding port will be routed through your SOCKS proxy and forwarded through your remote server via SSH.
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How to use Windows 10 SOCKS5 proxy settings
Elena started writing professionally in 2010 and hasn’t stopped exploring the tech world since. With a firm grasp of software reviewing and content editing, she is always trying new things to improve her skill… Read more
SOCKS5 is a proxy server that can hide your IP address and make you anonymous online. You can use it to circumvent Internet blocks and access restricted can use Windows 10 proxy settings by configuring the built-in system options. Alternatively, you can download and install third-party software like Shadowsocks or a VPN with SOCKS5 our Proxy Server section to find out more about this our VPN Troubleshooting Hub to fix more VPN-related issues.
Windows 10 has built-in SOCKS5 proxy settings, but you can also set it up on your PC through other means. Find out how.
What is SOCKS proxy?
SOCKS is an Internet protocol that sends and receives data packets through a proxy server, which assigns a different IP address before the information reaches its destination.
Unlike a VPN, a proxy server doesn’t encrypt the network traffic, so you can take advantage of data protection against man-in-the-middle attacks.
What is SOCKS5 and why should you use it?
SOCKS5 is the latest SOCKS version. Compared to its predecessors like SOCKS4, SOCKS5 brings more security and authentication methods.
Here’s what you can do with a SOCKS5 proxy server:
Circumvent Internet blocks to access sites restricted to your true IP address
Use web-enabled applications that run under various request types: HTTP and HTTPS (web browsing), POP3 and SMTP (email), FTP (torrent and other peer-to-peer clients).
Make your Internet connection faster and more reliable by using not only TCP but also UDP.
Improve your performance by reducing errors caused by rewritten data packet headers.
Speed up downloads in torrenting and other P2P clients by transferring smaller data packets.
How do I use SOCKS5 proxy settings on Windows 10?
Internet Options
Go to Control Panel > Internet Options.
Switch to the Connections tab.
Click LAN settings.
Enable Use a proxy server for your LAN.
Activate Bypass proxy server for local addresses.
Click Advanced.
Disable Use the same proxy server for all protocols.
At Socks, specify the server address and port of the SOCKS5 proxy.
Delete everything at HTTP, Secure, and FTP.
Click OK > Apply.
You can configure SOCKS5 proxy settings in Windows 10 without having to install any additional software. Plus, the setup applies to all software applications with Internet access, not just your web browser.
Mozilla Firefox
Download Firefox and install it on Windows 10.
Click the ≡ button and go to Options.
In the General tab, scroll down to Network Settings.
Click Settings.
Select Manual proxy configuration.
Set SOCKS5 Host and Port to the server address and port of the SOCKS5 proxy.
Select SOCKS5 v5.
Click OK.
If you prefer using a web browser with SOCKS5 proxy instead of the entire computer, Firefox is your best bet. While using Firefox for SOCKS5, you can use any other browser for direct Internet connections.
Firefox is one of the few web browsers that have individual proxy settings, unlike Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, or Opera.
If you wish to regularly switch SOCKS5 proxy servers, you can install a Firefox extension like FoxyProxy.
Shadowsocks
Go to the Shadowsocks page.
Download the latest version for Windows 10.
Unzip the archive and run the executable file.
Set the IP address, port, and password of the SOCKS5 proxy.
Right-click the Shadowsocks systray icon.
Select System Proxy > Global.
Shadowsocks is a SOCKS5 proxy client that can be easily installed on Windows 10 to use SOCKS5 proxy settings. It runs in the systray and can be quickly configured, enabled, and disabled.
Furthermore, Shadowsocks features several encryption methods to make up for the fact that SOCKS5 doesn’t have one, including 256-bit AES military-grade encryption.
In addition to security, a huge benefit of using Shadowsocks is that it applies the SOCKS5 proxy settings globally to Windows 10. As such, all Internet-enabled programs will use it.
uTorrent
Download uTorrent on your Windows PC.
Install the torrent client and launch it.
Open the Options menu and select Preferences.
Go to Connection.
Set Proxy Server Type to Socks5.
Set Proxy and Port to the server address and port of the SOCKS5 proxy.
Click Apply.
On Windows 10 and other operating systems, you can configure SOCKS5 proxy settings directly in a torrent client to make your IP address anonymous and protect your true identity in the torrent swarm.
Private Internet Access
Sign up for a PIA subscription plan.
Download and install PIA for Windows 10.
Right-click PIA’s systray icon and go to Settings.
Switch to the Proxy tab.
Select Shadowsocks, click Configure, and choose a location.
Or, choose SOCKS5 Proxy, click Configure, and set the SOCKS5 proxy details.
Left-click PIA’s systray icon.
Press the big power button to connect to a VPN server.
If you want to not only spoof your IP address but also encrypt your traffic, use a VPN like PIA with a SOCKS5 proxy at the same time.
In Shadowsocks mode, you can connect the VPN server to a second location for increased privacy and security. It’s similar to using a double VPN to stay connected to two VPN servers at once.
In SOCKS5 proxy mode, you simply specify the connection details of a SOCKS5 proxy server. It’s the custom alternative to Shadowsocks mode, but it’s a bit more complicated.
Check out how to correctly use PIA SOCKS5 proxy.
Use PIA to stay connected to a VPN and a SOCKS5 proxy server at the same time.
To summarize, you can easily set up SOCKS5 proxy settings on Windows 10 using the built-in system options.
However, it’s also possible to resort to other methods, like configuring Firefox, uTorrent or Shadowsocks settings.
But the best solution is to use VPN and SOCKS5 at the same time with the help of Private Internet Access.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you use SOCKS5?
You can use SOCKS5 on Windows 10 by configuring system settings or by turning to alternative methods that require additional software.
Is SOCKS5 a VPN?
No, SOCKS5 is a proxy server. Unlike a VPN, a proxy server can’t encrypt your data traffic. However, you can use a VPN and proxy together.
Frequently Asked Questions about google chrome socks
How do I put socks on Google Chrome?
Browsing on a Chromebook using a SOCKS proxyTurn on developer mode on your Chromebook.Press Ctrl+Alt+T to open a shell window and type shell at the prompt.Start a SOCKS proxy server on your laptop that forwards traffic through a server in the USA you can access via SSH.More items…•Jul 5, 2016
How do I get SOCKS5 on my Chromebook?
uTorrentDownload uTorrent on your Windows PC.Install the torrent client and launch it.Open the Options menu and select Preferences.Go to Connection.Set Proxy Server Type to Socks5.Set Proxy and Port to the server address and port of the SOCKS5 proxy.Click Apply.Aug 18, 2020
How do I use SOCKS5 on PC?
How to configure socks5 proxy on Android / iOS devices ?Open Firefox on your mobile device.Type “about:config” in the address bar and search for the following parameters: – network.proxy.socks. Enter IP-address of your socks5 proxy server. … Close settings tab or open new tab. Check your IP using ipleak.com.