The Latest Open Source Proxy Servers: A Practical Guide
Overview of Newly Open Sourced Proxy Servers
Proxy servers are the backbone of anonymity, load balancing, and content filtering on today’s internet. Several powerful proxy servers have recently been open-sourced, offering admins, developers, and hobbyists unprecedented flexibility. This guide analyzes the most notable projects, their core features, and how to employ them effectively.
Key Open Source Proxy Servers Comparison
Proxy Server | Language | HTTP/HTTPS Support | SOCKS Support | Authentication | Caching | Notable Features | GitHub Link |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ProxyRoller | Python | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | API, free rotating proxies | https://github.com/proxyroller/proxyroller |
Squid | C++ | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Advanced caching, ACLs | http://www.squid-cache.org/ |
3proxy | C | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Lightweight, IPv6 | https://github.com/z3APA3A/3proxy |
TinyProxy | C | Yes | No | Yes | No | Lightweight, minimal config | https://github.com/tinyproxy/tinyproxy |
GoProxy | Go | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Pluggable, cloud native | https://github.com/snail007/goproxy |
Mitmproxy | Python | Yes | No | Yes | No | Intercept, modify HTTP traffic | https://github.com/mitmproxy/mitmproxy |
COW (Cow Proxy) | Go | Yes | Yes | No | No | Shadowsocks, GFW circumvention | https://github.com/cyfdecyf/cow |
ProxyRoller: Free, Open Source Rotating Proxy Server
Core Features
- Free proxy lists: Aggregates and verifies thousands of proxies.
- API access: Simple RESTful API for fetching proxies.
- Rotating proxies: Automated rotation for scraping and anonymity.
- SOCKS and HTTP/HTTPS proxies: Supports both protocols.
- Docker support: Rapid deployment with containers.
Installation and Usage
Docker Deployment
docker run -d -p 8000:8000 proxyroller/proxyroller
Fetching Proxies via API
Retrieve a fresh proxy with:
curl http://localhost:8000/api/v1/proxies?protocol=http
Integrating with Python Requests
import requests
proxy = requests.get('http://localhost:8000/api/v1/proxies?protocol=http').json()['proxy']
proxies = {"http": proxy, "https": proxy}
response = requests.get('https://httpbin.org/ip', proxies=proxies)
print(response.json())
Use Case: Web Scraping
ProxyRoller is ideal for large-scale scraping, rotating proxies automatically to avoid IP bans. Example using Scrapy:
import requests
def get_proxy():
r = requests.get('http://localhost:8000/api/v1/proxies?protocol=http')
return r.json()['proxy']
DOWNLOADER_MIDDLEWARES = {
'scrapy.downloadermiddlewares.httpproxy.HttpProxyMiddleware': 110,
'myproject.middlewares.RandomProxy': 100,
}
class RandomProxy:
def process_request(self, request, spider):
proxy = get_proxy()
request.meta['proxy'] = proxy
Resource
Squid: Advanced Caching and Access Control
Core Features
- HTTP/HTTPS caching for bandwidth savings.
- Fine-grained ACLs for access control.
- Authentication (Basic, Digest, NTLM).
- SSL bumping for HTTPS inspection.
Squid Installation Example (Ubuntu)
sudo apt update
sudo apt install squid
Basic Configuration
Edit /etc/squid/squid.conf
:
http_port 3128
acl localnet src 192.168.1.0/24
http_access allow localnet
http_access deny all
Restart Squid:
sudo systemctl restart squid
Resource
3proxy: Lightweight, All-in-One
Features
- Supports HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS, FTP.
- Authentication and access control.
- IPv6 support.
- Minimal resource usage.
Installation (Linux)
sudo apt-get install 3proxy
Sample Config (3proxy.cfg
)
auth strong
users admin:CL:password
proxy -p3128
socks -p1080
flush
Start 3proxy:
3proxy /etc/3proxy/3proxy.cfg
Resource
TinyProxy: Lightweight HTTP Proxy
Features
- Minimalistic, fast, low memory footprint.
- Suitable for embedded devices or simple use cases.
Installation (Debian/Ubuntu)
sudo apt-get install tinyproxy
Basic Configuration
Edit /etc/tinyproxy/tinyproxy.conf
:
Port 8888
Allow 192.168.1.0/24
Restart TinyProxy:
sudo systemctl restart tinyproxy
Resource
GoProxy: Scalable, Pluggable Proxy
Features
- Written in Go, high performance.
- HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5 proxy.
- Plug-ins architecture.
- Cross-platform.
Installation
wget https://github.com/snail007/goproxy/releases/download/v10.7/proxy-linux-amd64.tar.gz
tar -zxvf proxy-linux-amd64.tar.gz
cd proxy
./proxy http -t tcp -p 8080
Resource
Mitmproxy: Intercept and Inspect HTTP/S Traffic
Features
- Real-time interception and modification.
- Web UI for viewing/editing flows.
- Scripting with Python.
Installation (pip)
pip install mitmproxy
Start Interactive Proxy
mitmproxy
Resource
Practical Tips for Deploying Open Source Proxies
- Security: Always enable authentication and restrict allowed IPs.
- Logging: Monitor logs for abuse or malfunction.
- Performance: For high-load scenarios, prefer Go or C-based proxies.
- Automation: Use Docker or systemd to manage proxy lifecycles.
- Proxy Sources: Leverage ProxyRoller for up-to-date, verified free proxies via API.
Actionable Workflow: Building a Rotating Proxy Pool
1. Deploy ProxyRoller:
Use Docker or run from source to host your local proxy API.
2. Integrate with Scraper:
Fetch proxy addresses dynamically for each request.
3. Monitor Health:
Track response times and failures to automatically filter out dead proxies.
4. Automate Updates:
Schedule regular updates from ProxyRoller’s API to keep your proxy list fresh.
Comments (0)
There are no comments here yet, you can be the first!