What is a SOCKS5 Proxy, and What is it Best for?

Gateways serve as bridges between local networks and large-scale networks, such as the Internet. Proxy servers intercept connections between senders(clients) and receivers(servers). Receiving the data on an incoming port and forwarding to the rest of the network on an outgoing port.

It is possible to encrypt your data, making it impossible to read in transit and block access to specific web pages based on your IP address if you use a proxy server. A proxy server does more than forward traffic; it also provides security by hiding the IP address of a server via IP rotation. Additionally, using caching mechanisms to improve performance by storing requested resources.

Let’s examine a specific proxy type - SOCKS - and the SOCKS5 version of this proxy type to better understand the basic principle of proxy connections.

What is a SOCKS5 Proxy?

A SOCKS proxy allows clients to communicate with servers behind a firewall by routing requests to the real servers. The SOCKS protocol allows routing the traffic regardless of the protocol or program.

As a proxy server, SOCKS connects to servers behind firewalls on behalf of their clients and exchanges network packets between them. Due to their network limitations causing direct inaccessibility outside servers to interpret network traffic, clients use SOCKS proxy servers behind firewalls. So, it causes delays in TCP and UDP sessions over firewalls between SOCKS proxy servers and their users.

Because SOCKS is a layer 5 protocol, a SOCKS tunnel cannot tunnel protocols below that level. Due to its layer 5 functionality, it can prevent attackers from scanning using tools to scan half-open connections. ARP and ping are two examples of these.

Due to its position between SSL (layer 7) and TCP/UDP (layer 4), it can handle HTTP, HTTPS, POP3, SMTP, and FTP requests. SOCKS can do many tasks, including email, web browsing, file transfers, peer-to-peer sharing, and many more. Besides HTTP proxies, application proxies are often used to interpret and forward HTTP or HTTPS traffic between clients and servers.

Difference Between SOCKS4 & SOCKS5 Proxies

There are only two versions of SOCKS: SOCKS4 and SOCKS5. The main difference between them is that there is no authentication support in SOCKS4, whereas SOCKS5 supports several authentication methods. The SOCKS4 protocol does not support UDP proxy servers, but the SOCKS5 protocol does provide enhanced security.

The use of Secure Shell (SSH) encrypted tunneling method to relay traffic through a SOCKS5 proxy. It establishes a full TCP connection with authentication.

How Does SOCKS Proxy work?

A SOCKS proxy routes web traffic through a designated server to conceal the IP address of the client and encrypt the data. In web scraping and crawling, SOCKS proxies are used to mask the IP address of the scraping machine, bypass geo-restrictions, and avoid IP bans.

How Does a SOCKS5 Proxy Work?

Proxy servers route traffic through arbitrary IP addresses before reaching destination sites. In technical terms, SOCKS5 creates UDP or TCP connections through proxy servers based on arbitrary IP addresses. This protects the users identity by hiding its location.

SOCKS Proxy traffic routed through 1.1.1.1 will appear to the destination server (the website) from 2.2.2.2 if your IP address is 1.1.1.1. Your original IP address will not be visible on the website. While this hides your location, it doesn’t guarantee the security of your traffic. The traffic you send through proxies is not encrypted like VPNs - anyone can watch what you’re doing.

Read More on: Proxies vs VPNs

A SOCKS5 proxy server that is 100% anonymous does not exist because it would be impossible to be anonymous online. Getting close to privacy requires being aware of how you use the Internet, what services you use, and what security tools you use. Despite this, you will not be able to remain anonymous with a proxy provider, VPN, or encrypted messaging app.

Does SOCKS5 Hide Your IP?

Proxy servers route traffic through arbitrary IP addresses before reaching destination sites. In technical terms, SOCKS5 creates UDP or TCP connections through proxy servers based on arbitrary IP addresses. This protects the user’s identity by hiding its location.

A SOCKS proxy does not establish a full TCP connection and does not require authentication. A SOCKS5 proxy, however, uses an encrypted tunneling method, such as Secure Shell (SSH), to provide a more secure connection.

Benefits of SOCKS5 Proxy

SOCKS5 Proxy has the following benefits that make it a good choice:

1. Firewall-protected backend services access

To lower potential security vulnerabilities, we host clusters in the cloud behind a firewall. Both methods have their limitations when it comes to accessing backend services running in a cluster:

• There is the possibility of exposing backend services to the public (and that has security risks with that);
• To allow traffic to backend services, whitelist the client or user’s IP address (this is not the best solution for changing IP addresses, yet).

A SOCKS5 proxy with dynamic port forwarding would be preferable to the two undesirable options above. It is possible for administrators or developers to access any backend services within a cloud cluster through a public network to debug, check, and administer the cluster without exposing the backend service ports.

By limiting their access to the outside world, bastion hosts allow you to access remote instances within a VPC. For example, suppose you work with a virtual private cloud (VPC). A SOCKS5 proxy can be set up to enable SSH dynamic port forwarding (to access the remote instances in the VPC). The bastion host is accessible via port 22 (SSH).

2. Improved performance on P2P platforms

The SOCKS5 protocol is faster than other proxies because data packets are smaller than those sent by other proxy servers. It allows users to access P2P sharing platforms and websites faster because it provides faster download speeds.

3. Fast and reliable connection

Through SSH tunneling, SOCKS5 proxies route all TCP and UDP traffic to their respective services. There is no need for layer 7 application proxies for each service.

4. No need for a special setup

Providing you have SSH access either to the Edge node or gateway of the cluster, SOCKS5 does not need any special setup. A virtual private network (VPN) is not necessary for administrators and developers to access backend resources behind the firewall.

5. Don’t use public or free proxy servers

Through SSH tunneling, SOCKS5 proxies route all TCP and UDP traffic to their respective services. There is no need for layer 7 application proxies for each service.

6. Error-free performance improvements

SOCKS5 doesn’t rewrite data packets like other application proxies. Traffic relays between devices. Because of this, performance increases naturally, and errors are less likely to occur.

7. Increased reliability and speed

A SOCKS5 proxy server can use UDP protocol, unlike its predecessors, which only use TCP. TCP ensures packets arrive from one end to the other, establishing a connection between a client and a server. Fixing the format of the content is essential to making it easy to transfer.

Unlike TCP, UDP never converts data packets into fixed packets. In contrast, UDP does not pay attention to whether packets from the client or the servers reach the other side in the same order. Thus, SOCKS5 can provide faster speeds and reliability with these UDPs.

How to Setup SOCKS5?

SOCKSification of an IT environment requires an application on the client side that can support the SOCKS5 protocol to be successful.

1. Go to Control Panel > Internet Options.
2. Navigate to the Connections tab.
3. Then click on LAN settings.

4. Then enable Use a proxy server for your LAN.
5. Activate the bypass proxy server for local addresses.
6. Then click Advanced.
7. Disable Use the same proxy server for all protocols.

8. At SOCKS, specify the SOCKS proxy’s server address and port.
9. Delete all data at HTTP, Secure, and FTP.
10. Then click OK > Apply.

If you have Windows 10 installed on your computer, you can configure the SOCKS 5 proxy settings without installing any additional software. Additionally, the setup works with all software applications that use the Internet, so you don’t just need to use your web browser with the setup.

Should You Use SOCKS5 with a VPN?

Whether or not you should use SOCKS5 with a VPN depends on your specific use case and what you are trying to achieve.

You can simultaneously activate SOCKS proxies and VPNs on your computer. Turning them on and off is easy, depending on what you want to do with them. Others use both to add an extra layer of security and anonymity, but this is optional. Adding that extra layer of security to SOCKS proxies or VPNs is optional since they are both secure on their own.

However, if your main goal is to access geo-restricted content, using a VPN alone may be sufficient. And note that using a SOCKS5 proxy with a VPN can cause a slowdown in your internet connection, so it’s better not to use them together.

It is always a good idea to evaluate your specific needs and preferences before making a decision.

Is SOCKS5 the Same as VPN?

SOCKS5 proxies and VPNs provide anonymous web browsing, but VPNs do this differently than SOCKS proxies. Using a VPN, you can form direct connections with the server of the other website you are trying to reach instead of simply making a connection between yourself and the network you’re trying to access.

A VPN encrypts your traffic, whereas proxies do not. There is a greater chance of a VPN connection remaining stable, while proxy connections tend to drop more frequently, resulting in slower speed.

As VPNs encrypt and scramble all data sent over WiFi networks, tracking your data when you use them is almost impossible. You can also use a VPN to bypass firewalls and geolocation restrictions, just like you can do with a SOCKS proxy. There are several differences between the two options, and a simple discussion can help you decide which is best for you.

A SOCKS5 proxy is useful if: you’re interested in increasing your online anonymity simultaneously as you’d like to benefit from fast browsing speeds.

You should use a VPN if: When it comes to protecting your online privacy, encryption is the best way.

Check out the following comparison table if you want to learn more about SOCKS5 proxies and VPNs.

SOCKS5 Proxy vs HTTP Proxy

SOCKS5 Proxy and HTTP Proxy server are two different types of proxy servers. The main difference between them is that SOCKS5 supports more protocols and provides more security, whereas HTTP proxy works well with web browsers and HTTP-based applications.

SOCKS5 is generally faster and can be used to bypass geo-restrictions, while HTTP proxy security is for web browsing and accessing blocked websites.

Please note that this table is a brief comparison, and there might be some other features and functionalities that are not covered by this table.

SOCKS5 Proxy and HTTP Proxy are two different types of proxy servers that route network traffic between a client and a server. The main difference between them is that SOCKS5 supports more protocols and provides more security than HTTP proxy.

SOCKS5 supports SOCKS4, SOCKS5, and HTTP protocols, whereas HTTP proxy only supports HTTP. SOCKS5 also allows for optional authentication, whereas HTTP proxy requires authentication.

Additionally, SOCKS5 uses an encrypted tunneling method, such as Secure Shell (SSH), to provide a more secure connection. In terms of speed, SOCKS5 is generally faster than HTTP proxy.

Read More on: Are HTTP proxies encrypted?

To determine if it is a SOCKS vs HTTP proxy, you can check the proxy’s IP and port number. A SOCKS proxy typically uses a port number between 1080 and 1085, whereas an HTTP proxy uses a port number between 80 and 8080. Additionally, you can use online tools or software to check if a proxy is SOCKS or HTTP.

In summary, the SOCKS5 proxy is more versatile and secure than the HTTP proxy, and it is used for anonymous browsing, bypassing geo-restrictions, and securing sensitive data.

Concluding Remarks

The SOCKS5 proxy is a lightweight, general-purpose proxy that sits at layer 4 (transport layer) of the OSI model and tunnels out network traffic with an in-between method. The product supports various types of traffic generated by different protocols, including HTTP, SMTP, FTP, etc, apart from its ability to work with any IP-based protocol. Compared to a VPN, SOCKS5 is much faster and easier to use than a VPN. Through SOCKS5, public cloud users can opt to access resources behind the firewall through a secured tunnel such as SSH, as the proxy uses a tunneling method.

Smart Proxy is a highly advanced proxy service that offers a unique combination of features to give users a truly unparalleled experience. Its use of various anti-blocking techniques and anti-captcha solutions makes it one of the market’s most robust and reliable proxies. Additionally, its unlimited bandwidth, custom geolocalization, and integration of artificial intelligence provide users with unparalleled speed, control, and intelligence. Smart Proxy is a must-have for anyone in need of a premium proxy solution that too with a cloud proxy solution.