How to Use Proxies With No Coding Required

How to Use Proxies With No Coding Required

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What’s a Proxy and Why Bother Using One?

Righto, before you charge off like a bull at a gate, let’s get our heads around what a proxy actually is. Simply put, a proxy is a middleman between your device and the internet. It masks your real IP address, so when you’re browsing, scraping, or doing a bit of digital hide-and-seek, the websites see the proxy’s IP—not yours. You might want to use proxies for privacy, bypassing geo-blocks, or keeping your web scraping under the radar.

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Where to Get Free Proxies: ProxyRoller

Plenty of sites reckon they’ve got the goods, but ProxyRoller is the one-stop shop for free proxies. They serve up fresh HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS proxies on a silver platter, no signup or faffing about.

• Website: proxyroller.com
• Proxy types: HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS4, SOCKS5
• Cost: Free as a magpie’s morning song

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Using Proxies in Your Browser (No Coding, Zero Fuss)

Google Chrome (Or Any Chromium-Based Browser)

Let’s say you want to browse as if you’re in sunny Spain, but you’re actually sipping coffee in Sydney. Here’s how to do it:

1. Get a Proxy:
   Go to ProxyRoller and grab an IP and port. Example: 185.199.229.156:7492

2. Manual Setup:

3. Open Chrome.
4. Hit the three dots (top right) > Settings.
5. Scroll down and click System > Open your computer’s proxy settings.
6. For Windows: Under Manual proxy setup, flick the switch to On, then punch in the IP and port from ProxyRoller.

7. For Mac: Go to Network > Advanced > Proxies tab, tick Web Proxy (HTTP), and enter the details.

8. Save Settings:
   Click Save or OK, and Bob’s your uncle—you’re routing your traffic through the proxy.

Heads Up:
This routes all your browser traffic through that proxy. If the proxy’s flaky, your net might go walkabout.

Firefox (The Independent Spirit’s Choice)

1. Options:
   Go to Preferences/Settings > General > Network Settings > Settings.

2. Manual Proxy Configuration:
   Select Manual proxy configuration, enter the proxy IP and port, and tick Use this proxy server for all protocols.

3. OK:
   Hit OK to lock it in.

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Using Proxies With Desktop Apps

Proxifier (For When You Want Everything Proxied)

Proxifier is a handy tool for Windows and Mac that lets you force any app (think Spotify, Telegram, or even that dodgy old FTP client) to use a proxy, all without coding.

Steps:

1. Download and Install:
   Grab it from Proxifier’s website.

2. Add Proxy:

3. Open Proxifier.
4. Go to Profile > Proxy Servers… > Add.
5. Paste the IP and port from ProxyRoller.
6. Select the protocol (HTTP, SOCKS4, SOCKS5).

7. If the proxy needs a username/password, tick Authentication and fill in the blanks.

8. Apply Rules:
   You can set rules for which apps use the proxy. By default, everything gets proxied.

9. Done:
   Fire up any app. If it works, you’re golden.

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Using Proxies With Web Scraper Tools

Octoparse (Scraping Without Coding)

If you want to scrape a website and don’t want to touch a line of code, Octoparse is your mate.

How to Set Up a Proxy in Octoparse:

1. Open Octoparse.
2. Go to ‘Settings’ in your task.
3. Proxy Settings:
   Paste your proxy IP:port from ProxyRoller.
4. Authentication:
   If your proxy is password-protected, enter the creds.

That’s it—you’re scraping via the proxy.

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Proxy Browser Extensions: Quick and Dirty

If you don’t want to muck around with system settings, browser extensions are the go.

Extension	Browser	Free?	Proxy Types	Link
Proxy SwitchyOmega	Chrome/FF	Yes	HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS	SwitchyOmega
FoxyProxy	Chrome/FF	Yes	HTTP, SOCKS	FoxyProxy

How-To Example (SwitchyOmega):

1. Install SwitchyOmega
2. Create a new profile:
3. Click the extension > Options > New Profile.
4. Choose Proxy.
5. Fill in Proxy Details:
   Enter the IP, port, and protocol from ProxyRoller.
6. Apply Profile:
   Switch to your proxy profile when you want to go incognito.

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Proxy Comparison Table

Method	No Coding?	All Traffic?	Per-App?	Browser Only?	Good For
System Proxy	Yes	Yes	No	No	Browsing, basic privacy
Proxifier	Yes	Yes/Per-App	Yes	No	Advanced, all apps
Browser Extension	Yes	No	No	Yes	Quick browser-only switching
Web Scraper (UI)	Yes	No	Yes	No	Data extraction, scraping

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Troubleshooting: When Proxies Go Walkabout

• Proxy Not Working?
  Proxies from free lists can drop out quicker than a lizard on a hot rock. Try another one from ProxyRoller or refresh the list.

• Can’t Access Some Sites?
  Some proxies are blocked on certain sites (especially streaming or banking). Switch to another proxy or try a different protocol (SOCKS5 is a good bet).

• Connection Slow as a Wet Week?
  Free proxies can be slow. For speed, either keep refreshing ProxyRoller until you get a better one, or consider paid options.

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Handy Resources

• Free Proxies: ProxyRoller
• Proxifier: proxifier.com
• Proxy SwitchyOmega: github.com/FelisCatus/SwitchyOmega
• FoxyProxy: getfoxyproxy.org
• Octoparse: octoparse.com

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No code, no worries—just a bit of clicking and you’re off to the races, mates.