How to set up a proxy: manual and software methods. Setting up a connection through a proxy server

Internet users often have a desire to hide their IP address. This raises the question: “proxy?” This can be done “manually”, i.e. you can set up a proxy server in your browser yourself or use special Proxy programs that can independently find a working proxy server and integrate it into your browser.

If you choose the first method, you are likely to encounter a number of problems that complicate your work when searching for proxy lists and checking their performance, because many proxies are not working.

The second way to solve the problem “how to set up a proxy” is much simpler for a beginner, but it should be taken into account that some programs are paid and they, most often, English language.

Setting up a proxy manually

To configure a proxy manually, you need to go through three steps:

find proxy lists (lists of proxy servers on websites);

integrate them into a proxy on your browser);

check the proxy for functionality (using special sites).

To the network open access proxy lists are posted, which can be easily found by a search engine by requesting a search for free proxy lists or “free proxy”.

The proposed list does not always contain only working proxy servers, so the site with the found list always offers a function for checking them, which helps to weed out the “dead” ones, but this is also not a 100% guarantee.

Checking such servers on the site ends with the formation of a table with the results of the check.

Analyzing it allows you to choose a suitable proxy server. When viewing the table, you should pay attention to whether the proxy is also hiding the IP. If not, then we discard this option.

Now we need to install a proxy server in our browser. There are differences in setting up proxy servers for different browsers.

Setting up proxy servers in Internet Explorer

We select the first working proxy from the list.

1. Having opened Internet Explorer, through the “Tools” panel (at the top) go to “Internet Options”.

2. Going to the “Connections” tab and selecting our (in in this case“internet”), go to “Settings”.

3. In the new window, select “Use a proxy server for this connection” by checking the box. After this, the “Port” and “Address” fields are activated. From the selected proxy, insert the last 4 digits into the “Port”, and all the rest, respectively, into the “Address”.

Setting up proxy servers in Mozilla FireFox

1. Open Mozilla FireFox and go to “Tools” ( top panel), select the “Settings...” tab.

2. Then select the “Network” tab and click “Configure...”.

3. After the “Connection Parameters” window opens, check the “ Manual setting Proxy service". Clicking activates the “HTTP Proxy” field and the “Port” field. We enter “HTTP and Port” from the selected proxy.

All changes have been completed, including leaving the “Do not use proxy for:” column as default.

After clicking “Ok”, the proxy setup will be completed.

Setting up proxy servers in Opera

1. Open Opera, go through the “Tools” panel to “Settings...”.

2. Then go to “Advanced”, after which a menu will appear on the left, where you need to select the “Network” section and click “Proxy servers…” in it.

3. In the new “Proxy Servers” window, check the box next to “HTTP” and enter “HTTP” and “Port”.

Checking the functionality of the selected proxy server

After the proxy setup in the selected browser is completed, save the change and go to any site for checking the location and IP address.

If the page does not load, it means the proxy is not working. We configure the next proxy from the proxy list.

If the page displays your city, it means something was done wrong or the proxy is “dead”.

If the page does not display your city, it means that you did an excellent job with the task of setting up a proxy.

To disable the proxy, you need to uncheck the box in the settings of the selected browser about choosing a proxy server.

Programs for accessing a proxy server

Programs have been developed for anonymous surfing. The most popular programs to solve the problem “How to set up a proxy” - these are Mask Surf, Proxyassistant, ProxySwitcherStandard. Their use greatly facilitates the search for a list of proxy lists, reduces the time spent on checking and integrating the found proxy into the browser.

Lifehacker has already talked about how to buy virtual server(VPS) and to bypass Internet blocks. But VPN works for all programs that have Internet access. If you want traffic to be redirected to another server in the browser only, create your own .

Considering the ban on anonymizers and VPNs, which may begin to be applied in practice at any time, having your own proxy server will guarantee your freedom on the Internet.

How to create a proxy

How to choose and buy a VPS is described in detail in the material on raising a VPN. Let's not repeat ourselves and move straight to setting up a proxy server.

How to run a proxy on individual sites

To use the proxy server only on certain sites, install the FoxyProxy extension in your browser.

Open the extension settings and click Add New Proxy. On the Proxy Details tab, enter the IP address and port number that you previously specified in Putty. Check the SOCKS Proxy option.

Go to the URL Patterns tab and add masks for the sites where proxies should be used. To add a site mask, click Add New Patterns, enter its address with asterisks on both sides: for example, *site.com*.

When the proxy extension is enabled, only those sites whose masks you included in the list will be displayed. The remaining addresses will open without a proxy.

You can not create a list in FoxyProxy, but use the “ ” extension. It contains a list of “Anti-censorship”, which covers most of the sites blocked in Russia.

Click on the extension icon on the taskbar and open the “Custom proxies” tab. Check the “Use YOUR OWN proxy” option, enter the IP address and port number.

How to save a session

In order for the proxy to work, you must always have a Putty session running. You can save your settings so that all you have to do to connect is enter your password.

Launch Putty. Set up the connection as shown above and go to the Data tab in the Connection section. Enter a name for automatic authorization: usually it is root, but the hoster can assign something else in the letter.

Go to the Session tab, enter any name in the Saved Sessions field and click Save.

Your connection will be saved in the list of sessions.

The next time you start Putty, select it, click Load, then Open to establish a connection and enter the password from the server that the hoster sent in the letter.

Before, how to use a proxy server, you need to understand that the Internet is a huge mountain of data. Google and others search engines try to collect data about users in order to filter their advertising, products, services and offers to people who may want to buy or use them. This is mostly great because people don't mind getting products or services that suit their desires. Most of the data sent by cookies is your location:

But some people may feel that providing real data to these supercomputers and collection systems makes them vulnerable. This is where using a proxy server will help hide this information.

Why do we need proxy servers?

While some people may use proxies for less than legal activities, there are many good reasons why Internet users want to take advantage of the benefits of proxies.

Leaving personal data and personal security aside, it cannot be ignored that there are many companies that choose to limit Internet access to their colleagues or clients. For example, some banking institutions do not even allow Internet access due to security issues, but employees can use the intranet, which may contain detailed description company news, updates and other information about the organization. Schools generally allow limited access to the Internet and block unwanted sites or games that do not correspond to school ideology.

Why is a proxy used on the Internet?

Any Internet access restrictions facing the user can only be seen by proxies. The same rule applies to any data collection system - they simply see a fake connection. Since the proxy is a representation of the user, any restrictions or rules cannot be imposed on the proxy itself.

Some people use a proxy server for local connections and illegal activities or think they might not get caught. But this is not entirely true, since the provider has the ability to see what they are doing. You are not completely invisible behind the proxy, only some data is hidden. Internet service providers are required to report to authorities if any illegal activity is taking place and a proxy server is being used.

Some people simply prefer not to advertise their data so openly. This is why the proxy server industry is so popular. Online sellers often use proxies to be able to create new Accounts on sites to get reviews and make it look like they are leaving reviews different people. This means that every link from these sites gives additional growth to the resource it links to.

How to buy a proxy server

Which proxy server is better to use? There are hundreds, if not thousands, of proxy providers. But there are pitfalls with "companies" that suddenly appear and resell other companies' proxies, and the whole point of a proxy is devalued and destroyed by overselling.

Buy from companies that care about proxy server speed, availability time, quick substitutions. If proxies are sold as private, then they should not be shared.

Let's take children at school as an example. Let's imagine that they want to play their favorite game, but are limited by school firewall. They can access the proxy server and play their game to their heart's content. However, the school will only see what specific computer connected to a proxy server. This may serve as an indirect warning because the school department information technologies may immediately block this proxy because it looks like a security breach.

Configuring a proxy to work with your internet settings on the router rather than just a proxy is a great way to use it. To date, the most popular browsers such as Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome, allow proxy connections.

Before that, how to use a proxy server in Chrome, it is important to find a company that sells proxies in order to hide your online activities or circumvent certain rules. Most of them are free, but to get the full functionality of the proxy server usually requires payment.

What to focus on

There are benefits to accessing the Internet without compromising security or sharing personal data, but there is one significant drawback is the connection speed.

Since there is a buffer between you and the Internet, there will definitely be a decrease in speed. Whatever server you access, the connection point becomes blurred, accessed twice, and ultimately the connection speed slows down. For most it is little problem, but some people need fast private proxies. If the proxy connection is too slow, users' personal data may leak through the connection stream.

To get around this issue, it is important to find a proxy company that is transparent and shows how the information stored is used or how user data may flow through the connection and what impact this will have on their privacy.
Setting up a proxy server

Next we'll talk about setting up your browser to use a proxy for local servers, beginning with Microsoft Edge, a new browser for Windows 10, as well as Internet Explorer.

Microsoft Edge

Open Microsoft Edge. Click on the “More” button ( More), which is located on the right top corner window. Select "Settings" ( Settings), which is located in the drop-down menu at the bottom of the list. Here select " Extra options » ( Advanced Settings).

In the pop-up menu, use the option “ Automatic and manual proxy settings» ( Automatic and Manual Proxy Setup). Enter information about the proxy server you are using in the appropriate fields.

Internet Explorer

Open Internet Explorer. Go to the “Settings” section, located in the upper right corner of the page. Scroll to " Internet Options» ( Internet Options). Click on the "Connections" tab ( Connections). Add the parameters of the proxy server you are using in the appropriate fields.

Mozilla Firefox

Open Firefox browser. In the upper right corner, click on the menu button. Then to “Additional” ( Advanced). Select "Network" ( Network). Click on "Settings" ( Settings) in the “Connection” tab ( Connections), « Manually setting up a proxy service" Use proxy settings for settings. Add a proxy.

Google Chrome

Before using a proxy server in Chrome, open the program. Click on the menu button in the upper right corner, select "Settings" ( Settings). Scroll to " Show additional settings » ( Show Advanced Settings). Select "Network" ( Network), « Change proxy settings» ( Change Proxy Settings).

Click "Settings" ( Settings), « Settings local network » ( LAN settings). Select " Use a proxy server for local connections" Enter your proxy server settings.

Important notes

Speaking about proxies, you need to pay attention to several points that relate to security when using a proxy connection. The provider whose services you use will have some different forms the protection they place on the proxy. In addition, it provides clients with all necessary information to set up computers, phones or other devices.

Here is a breakdown of the main terms that are useful when using a proxy server for local connections:

• SOCKS is a connection between a proxy server that has a virtual connection confirmation format. This protocol can use TCP and UDP traffic and works in either direction. There are two most common operations called SOCK4(a) and SOCK5. The latter offers high-level authentication such as UDP and IPv6;
• HTTP – This protocol sends requests to the appropriate servers. Exact request sent from the device to the server in exactly the same way as it was calculated and delivered in the same format;
• P2P – Most proxy providers indicate whether they support P2P, the common name for peer-to-peer networking ( Peer to Peer). This type of proxy connection is used for sharing content and downloading torrents.

A few more points to note

To resolve problems with installing and configuring a proxy server, you should always check the provider's documentation regarding the parameters they use, as they may vary.

Before using a proxy server in Opera, you need to know that there are many proxy providers, and almost all of them use own way proxy settings settings. There are many factors to take into account such as browser, operating system, proxy type and so on.

The same is true for virtual private networks ( VPN). There are also many ways to customize them for specific applications and browsers.

If you want to find out whether information is being sent correctly from a proxy server, there is great amount services with which you can check your IP address. They will scan and check your connection as it is displayed or visible to those applications that collect and can scan data. If you know your real IP address, then if you check it while using a proxy server, you will see a different set of numbers. This proves that the proxy server is alive and working. There are even connection speed testing sites and apps that can quickly test and scan your IP address for data transfer speed.

Everyone has heard about a proxy server, but only advanced users know what it is. Meanwhile this useful thing, which is worth familiarizing yourself with, because a proxy provides many advantages, you just need to configure it correctly in Windows 7.

What is it and why is it needed

A proxy north is a link between your computer and the web resource with which a connection is established. The request from your computer goes first to the proxy server ( remote computer), and then to the network. Feedback also occurs with the help of an “intermediary”.

Connection diagram using a proxy server

A proxy server allows you to be anonymous on the Internet. It has its own IP address, and since communication with the network is carried out through it, your IP address remains undetected. This is the main advantage, from which there are several reasons why you should install a proxy on your computer.

For our experiments, we bought several private proxies on, choosing Russian IPv4 proxies.

Connecting to a proxy server - how to install it on your computer

How to configure work in different browsers

Perhaps you have several browsers on your computer, but only want to use a proxy server on one of them. Then configuration in the Toolbar is not required; we will do it in the browser. The first step is similar for all browsers: clear history, cache and cookies. After the action, they differ slightly from each other.

Setting up in Chrome, Yandex, Opera and Amigo

In these browsers, the instructions look identical.

How to set connection settings in Firefox

1. “Tools” - “Settings” - “Advanced” - “Network” - “Customize” - “Manual configuration”.
2. Enter the address and port of the selected server in the line corresponding to the proxy type.

Setting up a proxy server in Mozilla Firefox

How to enable in other popular browsers

The settings are similar for different browsers and require similar actions. The only difference is where the network settings are located in your browser. So read the above methods and review your settings.

How to find out the IP address and port

There are two easiest ways.

1. If you connected a proxy on your computer, you can check the address by going through the chain. “Control Panel” - “Network and Sharing Center”. Click right key mice on active connection and select “Properties”. The address will be written in the TCP/IP item.
2. Another easy way is to check the address online. The most popular services:
   • https://2ip.ru
   • https://whoer.net/ru
   • http://myip.ru
   • http://pr-cy.ru/browser-details
   • http://xseo.in/ipinfo

How to disable proxy?

If you installed the proxy server yourself, disabling it will not be difficult, and you won’t need instructions. Where during setup it was necessary to allow the use of a proxy server, uncheck the box.