Proxy guides
Short, practical guides on working with proxies, grouped by the job you're trying to get done.
Basics
- How to check if a proxy works — What a checker validates, how to read Good vs Bad, and which fields matter before you reuse a proxy.
- HTTP vs HTTPS vs SOCKS5 proxies — A plain-language comparison of request-aware HTTP proxies, CONNECT tunnels and protocol-agnostic SOCKS5 gateways.
- Proxy anonymity: transparent, anonymous, elite — What each anonymity tier leaks, how forwarding headers expose a proxy, and why CONNECT/SOCKS tunnels behave differently.
Commercial
- Residential vs datacenter proxies — A buying-oriented comparison of residential vs datacenter IPs, when each wins, and how to validate a provider before rollout.
- Free vs paid proxies — A practical decision guide for when public proxy lists stop being a prototype tool and start becoming an operational liability.
- What is a rotating proxy? — A grounded explainer on rotating gateways, sticky sessions, exit diversity and how to test whether the advertised rotation is real.
- How to scrape without getting blocked — A concrete anti-blocking checklist that emphasizes pacing, session discipline and verification before you spend money on more proxy volume.
Setup
- How to set up a proxy in Chrome — Chrome-specific proxy setup guidance plus the exact verification loop to confirm the browser is using the proxy you configured.
- How to set up a proxy in Windows 11 — Windows 11 proxy setup steps, where to put manual host/port values, and how to verify the OS really routed traffic through the proxy.
- How to set up a proxy in Firefox — Firefox-specific manual proxy configuration for HTTP/SOCKS endpoints plus verification steps for exit IP and anonymity.
- How to set up a proxy on Android — Android Wi-Fi proxy setup, what it affects, and how to confirm mobile traffic is leaving through the configured proxy.