HTTPS connections over proxy servers – Stack Overflow
The short answer is: It is possible, and can be done with either a special HTTP proxy or a SOCKS proxy.
First and foremost, HTTPS uses SSL/TLS which by design ensures end-to-end security by establishing a secure communication channel over an insecure one. If the HTTP proxy is able to see the contents, then it’s a man-in-the-middle eavesdropper and this defeats the goal of SSL/TLS. So there must be some tricks being played if we want to proxy through a plain HTTP proxy.
The trick is, we turn an HTTP proxy into a TCP proxy with a special command named CONNECT. Not all HTTP proxies support this feature but many do now. The TCP proxy cannot see the HTTP content being transferred in clear text, but that doesn’t affect its ability to forward packets back and forth. In this way, client and server can communicate with each other with help of the proxy. This is the secure way of proxying HTTPS data.
There is also an insecure way of doing so, in which the HTTP proxy becomes a man-in-the-middle. It receives the client-initiated connection, and then initiate another connection to the real server. In a well implemented SSL/TLS, the client will be notified that the proxy is not the real server. So the client has to trust the proxy by ignoring the warning for things to work. After that, the proxy simply decrypts data from one connection, reencrypts and feeds it into the other.
Finally, we can certainly proxy HTTPS through a SOCKS proxy, because the SOCKS proxy works at a lower level. You may think a SOCKS proxy as both a TCP and a UDP proxy.
HTTPS connections over proxy servers – Stack Overflow
The short answer is: It is possible, and can be done with either a special HTTP proxy or a SOCKS proxy.
First and foremost, HTTPS uses SSL/TLS which by design ensures end-to-end security by establishing a secure communication channel over an insecure one. If the HTTP proxy is able to see the contents, then it’s a man-in-the-middle eavesdropper and this defeats the goal of SSL/TLS. So there must be some tricks being played if we want to proxy through a plain HTTP proxy.
The trick is, we turn an HTTP proxy into a TCP proxy with a special command named CONNECT. Not all HTTP proxies support this feature but many do now. The TCP proxy cannot see the HTTP content being transferred in clear text, but that doesn’t affect its ability to forward packets back and forth. In this way, client and server can communicate with each other with help of the proxy. This is the secure way of proxying HTTPS data.
There is also an insecure way of doing so, in which the HTTP proxy becomes a man-in-the-middle. It receives the client-initiated connection, and then initiate another connection to the real server. In a well implemented SSL/TLS, the client will be notified that the proxy is not the real server. So the client has to trust the proxy by ignoring the warning for things to work. After that, the proxy simply decrypts data from one connection, reencrypts and feeds it into the other.
Finally, we can certainly proxy HTTPS through a SOCKS proxy, because the SOCKS proxy works at a lower level. You may think a SOCKS proxy as both a TCP and a UDP proxy.
What is an SSL Proxy and How Does it Work? – Blog | Oxylabs
It is very likely that you already know a thing or two about proxies. You may even know the difference between datacenter proxies and residential proxies. But what kind of a beast is an SSL proxy? What differentiates it from other proxy types? In this article, we will explore what makes SSL proxies the unique proxy type that it is.
First of all, the SSL / HTTPS proxy type belongs to a group of proxies denoted by the protocol that is used to connect online. Another example of such a proxy would be the SOCKS5 proxy type. Now that we have classification out of the way, let’s get to the matter at hand.
What is an SSL proxy?
SSL proxy is any proxy server that uses the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol, also known as SSL proxy server. SSL proxy performs encryption and decryption between the client and the server, without either of them being able to detect the proxy’s presence.
SSL proxy is also called an HTTPS proxy, the abbreviation meaning Hypertext Transfer Protocol over SSL. To put it briefly, an HTTPS proxy is a proxy that uses the HTTP protocol over SSL.
The HTTPS protocol has today become the standard for most websites and online services. The reason for this is simple – it ensures a much higher degree of privacy and security. How is this achieved? Let’s take a look.
How does SSL proxy work?
The keyword is encryption. As already mentioned, an HTTPS proxy utilizes SSL to encrypt all information going between an endpoint and any outside server you might want to access. Technically, the process is the same as connecting to a regular SSL-certified website. SSL encryption means that your connection cannot be intercepted and all modern browsers will give a warning if you try to connect to a website without an SSL certificate.
What benefits does an SSL proxy server offer?
SSL proxies offer two huge advantages, both stemming from encryption. They are safer overall and they are also more anonymous.
1. SSL proxies are safer
The SSL certificate protection layer encrypts the connection between your device and the target, which means that even if traffic is intercepted, there is virtually no chance for the attacker to read the information. This is especially important for sensitive communications, such as connecting to your bank account online.
2. SSL proxies are more anonymous
Thanks to encryption, SSL proxies also ensure a higher degree of anonymity. Although regular HTTP proxies provide reasonable anonymity, SSL proxies add an extra layer because they remove the risk of identification from intercepted data.
Contrary to HTTPS protocol, the older HTTP has no traffic encryption. This makes the transferred data readable, thus making it vulnerable to interception by a third party in transit. This attack vector is rather common and it is known as a man-in-the-middle (MitM) attack. MitM attacks are no joke as according to IBM’s X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2018, more than one-third of the exploitation of inadvertent weaknesses involved MitM attacks.
What can SSL proxies be used for?
Although this proxy type offers more security and anonymity, SSL proxy use cases are more or less the same as those of other proxy types. Just as a refresher, they include:
Web data scraping
The internet offers an endless supply of public information that is incredibly valuable for various stakeholders. However, collecting it on a large scale is a lot more difficult than it may seem at first. Most popular scraping targets automatically prevent large scale data gathering by blocking IP addresses that make a much larger number of requests than the average. Scraping the web with rotating SSL proxies allows to bypass these restrictions placed on the freedom of data.
Managing social media accounts
Many social media management platforms utilize proxies to aid marketers and social media managers in account creation and/or management. Registering and consequently using multiple accounts from the same IP (or, alternatively, the same person) is indiscriminately forbidden by the largest social media platforms, which can be a burden for legitimate marketers.
Ad verification
Hackers and fraudsters use sophisticated methods to fake ad traffic. This means that a huge number of ads are never actually seen by real people and it also brings big losses for businesses. Due to this, an increasing number of companies use proxies for ad verification in order to detect fraud, improve ad performance, and check advertisers’ landing pages anonymously.
Brand protection
Cyber attacks and intellectual property theft can result in severe damage to a business, including financial costs, loss of clients and a hit to a brand’s reputation. SSL proxies can help protect a brand by increasing network security, filtering malicious emails, helping monitor internal internet usage and more.
Wrapping up
It is obvious that SSL proxies are the go-to choice for businesses conscious about privacy and security and with their many use cases, they are a great tool to get things done. Here at Oxylabs, you can use our residential proxy network to communicate with websites via HTTPS so you can be sure to get the highest level of privacy and security while performing your operations.
Register at or book a call with our sales team to discuss how Oxylabs’ SSL proxies can be integrated into your proxy infrastructure today!
About Vytautas Kirjazovas
Vytautas Kirjazovas is Head of PR at Oxylabs, and he places a strong personal interest in technology due to its magnifying potential to make everyday business processes easier and more efficient. Vytautas is fascinated by new digital tools and approaches, in particular, for web data harvesting purposes, so feel free to drop him a message if you have any questions on this topic. He appreciates a tasty meal, enjoys traveling and writing about himself in the third person.
All information on Oxylabs Blog is provided on an “as is” basis and for informational purposes only. We make no representation and disclaim all liability with respect to your use of any information contained on Oxylabs Blog or any third-party websites that may be linked therein. Before engaging in scraping activities of any kind you should consult your legal advisors and carefully read the particular website’s terms of service or receive a scraping license.
Frequently Asked Questions about proxy to https
Can you use proxy for HTTPS?
The short answer is: It is possible, and can be done with either a special HTTP proxy or a SOCKS proxy. First and foremost, HTTPS uses SSL/TLS which by design ensures end-to-end security by establishing a secure communication channel over an insecure one.Nov 30, 2016
What is a proxy HTTPS?
SSL proxy is also called an HTTPS proxy, the abbreviation meaning Hypertext Transfer Protocol over SSL. To put it briefly, an HTTPS proxy is a proxy that uses the HTTP protocol over SSL. The HTTPS protocol has today become the standard for most websites and online services.Apr 16, 2020
How do I make my proxy HTTPS?
Five steps to set up an HTTPS proxy serverSet up a subdomain with SSL. Set up a subdomain, and make sure your SSL certificate is up and running for that particular URL.Download your proxy script. … Upload files to subdomain’s folder. … Tweak subdomain admin settings. … Check for security signals.Aug 21, 2017