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advancedProtocols

SOCKS5

A proxy protocol that forwards any kind of TCP or UDP traffic, not just HTTP.

SOCKS5 operates below the application layer, so it relays traffic without interpreting it. That makes it more flexible than an HTTP proxy — it can carry email, torrents, game traffic and DNS as easily as web requests — and it supports authentication and UDP. It performs no caching or header rewriting, so it neither helps nor hinders anonymity by itself.

In practice

  • Routing a desktop application's traffic through a proxy
  • Tunnelling UDP where an HTTP proxy cannot

Common use cases

Non-HTTP application trafficTorrentingGaming

Related terms