The Proxy That Works in China, Iran, and Russia

The Proxy That Works in China, Iran, and Russia

The Digital Silk Road: Navigating Censorship with Proxies

Picture the world’s internet as an unruly wildwood: some paths clear, others choked with brambles and watchful eyes. In China, Iran, and Russia, firewalls rise like ancient city walls, casting long shadows over free passage. To slip past these sentinels, one must wield a proxy both subtle and cunning—a cloak that fits so well, it is mistaken for ordinary garb.

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Key Technical Requirements

Feature	China (GFW)	Iran	Russia	Notes
TLS fingerprinting	Yes	Yes	Yes	Must mimic popular browsers/services
Deep Packet Inspection (DPI)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Obfuscation mandatory
SNI filtering	Yes	Yes	Yes	ESNI/ECH support ideal
IP blacklisting	Yes	Yes	Yes	Rotating IPs and domain fronting helpful
Protocol whitelisting	Yes	Yes	Yes	HTTP/HTTPS most trusted
Active probing	Yes	Yes	Yes	Must resist detection and interrogation

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Proxy Technologies: The Tale of Three Cloaks

1. Shadowsocks (with Obfuscation)

The workhorse of the Chinese underground, Shadowsocks is simple, fast, and—when paired with plugins—remarkably stealthy. Yet, by itself, it’s as obvious as a fox in a henhouse.

Best Use: China, Iran
Weakness: Susceptible to active probing without plugins.

Typical Setup:

# Server (install Shadowsocks + v2ray-plugin)
sudo apt-get install shadowsocks-libev
sudo apt-get install v2ray-plugin

# Run server
ss-server -s 0.0.0.0 -p 8388 -k <password> -m aes-256-gcm --plugin v2ray-plugin --plugin-opts="server;tls;host=www.bing.com"

Key Plugin Options:
– v2ray-plugin (WebSocket+TLS): Camouflages as regular HTTPS.
– obfs-plugin: Simpler, wraps traffic in HTTP or TLS-like layer.

Feature	Shadowsocks	With v2ray-plugin
DPI Evasion	Moderate	High
TLS Fingerprint	None	Yes
Domain Fronting	No	Yes

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2. V2Ray (VMess/Reality/XTLS)

The craftsman’s tool, V2Ray, is a modular proxy platform. VMess protocol, dressed in XTLS or Reality, dances past censors like a bard at a masquerade.

Best Use: China, Iran, Russia
Strengths:
– Reality: Mimics genuine TLS sessions (no need for real certificate).
– XTLS: Efficient, resists DPI.

Example: Reality Setup Snippet

1. Obtain the public key of a popular service (e.g., Cloudflare).
2. Configure V2Ray server:

{
  "inbounds": [{
    "port": 443,
    "protocol": "vless",
    "settings": {
      "clients": [{"id": "<uuid>"}],
      "decryption": "none",
      "fallbacks": []
    },
    "streamSettings": {
      "network": "tcp",
      "security": "reality",
      "realitySettings": {
        "show": false,
        "dest": "www.cloudflare.com:443",
        "xver": 0,
        "serverNames": ["www.cloudflare.com"],
        "privateKey": "<private key>",
        "shortIds": ["<shortid>"]
      }
    }
  }]
}

Why It Works:
Reality/XTLS makes your traffic indistinguishable from legitimate HTTPS, frustrating the censors’ hounds.

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3. Trojan

Trojan is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, wrapping itself in genuine TLS, blending with the herd of innocuous HTTPS traffic.

Best Use: China, Russia
Strength:
– Uses legitimate TLS certificates (e.g., from Let’s Encrypt)
– Looks identical to standard HTTPS

Quick Server Install:

sudo apt install trojan
sudo certbot certonly --standalone -d mydomain.com

Server Config Skeleton:

{
  "run_type": "server",
  "local_addr": "0.0.0.0",
  "local_port": 443,
  "password": ["<password>"],
  "ssl": {
    "cert": "/etc/letsencrypt/live/mydomain.com/fullchain.pem",
    "key": "/etc/letsencrypt/live/mydomain.com/privkey.pem"
  }
}

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4. Meek (Domain Fronting via CDN)

When the walls seem insurmountable, Meek tunnels through the foundations, hiding inside requests to high-profile domains.

Best Use: Iran, Russia
Strength:
– Domain fronting via major CDNs (e.g., Azure, Cloudfront)

How It Works:
– Client connects to fronted.domain.com (e.g., ajax.aspnetcdn.com)
– CDN forwards hidden request to your backend via an unblocked domain.

Limitations:
– Slower and less reliable; domain fronting is being actively blocked by some CDNs.

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Comparative Table: Proxy Effectiveness

Proxy/Protocol	GFW (China)	Iran	Russia	DPI Evasion	TLS Camouflage	Active Probing Resistance	Notes
Shadowsocks (obfs)	✓	✓	✓	Medium	Weak	Weak	Use v2ray-plugin for best results
V2Ray (Reality)	✓✓	✓✓	✓✓	Strong	Strong	Strong	Most resilient in 2024
Trojan	✓✓	✓	✓✓	Strong	Strong	Strong	Requires valid TLS cert
Meek/Fronting	✓	✓✓	✓	Very Strong	Very Strong	Strong	Limited by CDN policy

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Practical Steps for Unblocking

Choosing the Right Tool

• For China: Use V2Ray (Reality or XTLS), or Trojan with custom domain and valid certificate.
• For Iran: V2Ray with Reality, or Meek (if domain fronting is still available).
• For Russia: Trojan and V2Ray; also consider using a combination with obfuscation plugins.

Server Location

• Host servers outside the target country.
• Choose IPs and domains not previously associated with circumvention.

TLS Fingerprint Mimicry

TLS fingerprinting is the modern censor’s bloodhound. V2Ray (Reality/XTLS) and Trojan excel because they mimic the gait and scent of legitimate connections, making detection perilous for censors.

Example: V2Ray Client Config

{
  "outbounds": [{
    "protocol": "vless",
    "settings": {
      "vnext": [{
        "address": "your.server.com",
        "port": 443,
        "users": [{
          "id": "<uuid>",
          "encryption": "none",
          "flow": "xtls-rprx-vision"
        }]
      }]
    },
    "streamSettings": {
      "network": "tcp",
      "security": "reality",
      "realitySettings": {
        "publicKey": "<server public key>",
        "shortId": "<shortid>",
        "serverName": "www.cloudflare.com"
      }
    }
  }]
}

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Obfuscation Plugins and Layering

The art of subterfuge:
– Pair Shadowsocks with v2ray-plugin (WebSocket+TLS).
– Use multiple layers: e.g., V2Ray over WebSocket over TLS.
– Rotate server IPs and domains periodically.

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Final Tips: Staying Invisible

• Use CDN-backed domains for fronting where possible.
• Regularly monitor blocklists for your IP/domain.
• Avoid using popular public proxies, as they are quickly blocked.

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In this digital tale, the hero is not the strongest, but the most adaptable. Each proxy here is a clever mask—choose the one that best fits the masquerade ball you must attend.