Connecting
Testing a proxy
One request tells you whether the proxy works, which IP the target sees and which country it is in. Run it before a real job, and again whenever something looks wrong.
Updated 16 October 2026
One request#
Send a request through the proxy to a service that returns the caller's address. The answer must be the proxy's IP.
HTTP
curl -x http://USER:PASS@HOST:PORT https://api.ipify.orgSOCKS5
curl -x socks5h://USER:PASS@HOST:PORT https://api.ipify.orgCountry and network#
ipinfo.io/json returns the city, the country and the network that owns the address, which is how a website sees your proxy.
# exit IP
curl -x http://USER:PASS@HOST:PORT https://api.ipify.org
# exit IP with country and network
curl -x http://USER:PASS@HOST:PORT https://ipinfo.io/jsonReading the result#
| You see | It means |
|---|---|
| The proxy's IP | Everything works |
| Your own IP | The request did not go through the proxy. Check the client's proxy settings |
407 Proxy Authentication Required | The username or password is wrong, or you rely on the whitelist from an address that is not in it |
400 Bad Request on a SOCKS5 client | SOCKS5 sent to an HTTP port. On ISP and datacenter use the port plus one |
402 Payment Required | Residential traffic has run out. Top up gigabytes |
| The command hangs, then times out | Wrong port, a closed target port, or a firewall on your side |
Every code is explained on the error codes page.
Seeing the whole exchange#
-v makes curl print the conversation with the proxy. For an HTTPS site through an HTTP proxy a working tunnel starts with HTTP/1.1 200 Connection established. A 407 right after the CONNECT line is a credentials problem, not a target problem.
curl -v -x http://USER:PASS@HOST:PORT https://api.ipify.orgWithout a command line#
- Proxy checker connects to a proxy string and reports what it sees. It separates "the proxy is down" from "the app is configured wrong".
- IP checker shows the address and location that websites see from your current browser, which is worth running before you register accounts.
About speed#
ISP and datacenter proxies sit on a port of up to 1 Gbps with unlimited traffic. That is the ceiling: the target site, its distance from the proxy and its own rate limits decide what you actually get. Residential and mobile run over real home and carrier connections, so their speed is whatever the device has.
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