How to set up a proxy: what you need, and where it goes
Setting up a proxy takes four things from your provider’s dashboard: the gateway’s address, its port, the protocol (HTTP or SOCKS5) and how it checks it is you (a username and password, or your own IP address on an allowed list). Where you put them depends on what should use the proxy: one tool, one browser, or the whole computer or phone. Put it in the one tool your job runs on whenever you can. A proxy set for the whole device also carries its updates, backups and streaming, and on a plan billed by the GB you pay for all of it.
Setup guide · Last revised Oct 20, 2026
On this page
The four things to copy
- Address and port, such as
proxy.example.com:8000. Many providers give one gateway address and change the exit IP behind it; the country, city or session is often chosen in the username. - Protocol. HTTP proxies work almost everywhere; SOCKS5 carries more kinds of traffic but fewer system settings take it (HTTP vs SOCKS5).
- Login method. A username and password works from anywhere; IP allowlisting needs no password, but only from the addresses you have added (username and password vs IP whitelist). Some places have nowhere to type a password (Android’s Wi-Fi proxy screen, Selenium’s proxy option, Chrome with SOCKS5), and there allowlisting is the way.
- Your plan’s limits: traffic left, connections at once, and the countries it covers. A plan that runs out can look like a wrong login (407).
Where it goes
| What should use the proxy | Where to set it | Takes a password | SOCKS5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| A command or script | curl, wget, Python Requests | Yes | curl and Requests; not wget |
| A browser you automate | Puppeteer, Selenium | Puppeteer yes; Selenium with allowlisting | Without a password only |
| One browser by hand | Chrome with --proxy-server, Firefox |
Yes, in a sign-in box | Without a password only |
| The whole computer | Windows, Mac | Mac in the setting; Windows when a page asks | Mac yes; Windows’ manual setting is HTTP |
| A phone on Wi-Fi | iPhone, Android | iPhone yes; Android often no | No |
Each guide gives the exact steps, from the tool’s or the platform’s own documentation, and the commands were run once on Oct 19, 2026 where a tool can be run from a script.
Then test it
Before a long job, run the five checks: that traffic goes through the proxy, from the right country, rotating as sold, fast enough, and accepted by the site you need. Each takes one command and a few KB of traffic. If something fails, the code tells you who refused: proxy errors, by who sends them.
Keep the login safe
The proxy login is a key to traffic you pay for. Keep it in an environment variable or a password manager, not in a script you share or commit, and never paste it into a website that offers to “check” your proxy. If it leaks, change the proxy password in the provider’s dashboard.
Next
Not bought a plan yet? Compare what one costs for your amount: residential, datacenter, ISP, mobile.
Price it for your amount
Today's checkout totals, every billing type competing. Change the amount to recalculate.
Geonode
$34.65Residential monthly subscription · Monthly
Checked Oct 24, 2026 · $0.69 per GB used
Buy at Geonode →GB and IP packages use separate amounts and billing units.