HTTP proxy

How it works

For a plain http:// page, the browser sends the whole request to the proxy, which fetches it and returns the answer; the proxy can read and change it. For an https:// page, which is nearly all of the web, the browser sends CONNECT example.com:443, the proxy opens a TCP connection to the site, and from then on it relays encrypted bytes it can’t read. Either way, the proxy resolves the site’s hostname, so DNS goes through it too. “HTTPS proxy” usually means an HTTP proxy that tunnels HTTPS like this.

Some HTTP proxies add headers such as X-Forwarded-For or Via that pass your real address on to the site. Those are called transparent proxies.

Why it matters when you run several accounts

For a browser, an HTTP proxy and a SOCKS5 proxy end in the same place: the site sees the proxy’s address. What you need to watch with HTTP proxies is that they don’t forward your address in headers, and that their login works in every tab, not only the first one.

How SoftGlaze Browser handles it

HTTP is one of the two proxy types every profile can use; an HTTPS proxy is saved as HTTP. Accepted formats include host:port, host:port:username:password, http://username:password@host:port, socks5://username:password@host:port. For proxies with a login, the app runs a local relay that adds the login itself, because a login answered page by page can leave a new tab stalled on its first request. When the app collects free proxies from public lists, it rejects any HTTP proxy that passes on your real IP or forwarding headers.