Setup Proxies on Linux

In Linux desktops (GNOME, KDE Plasma), global Network Proxy settings (found under Settings → Network) act differently than on other OSs. While you can input a SOCKS IP and Port, there are no fields for a username and password.

Because of this, system GUI proxy settings function only as a "recommendation" for apps. They will not automatically authenticate apps. Most networking tools will simply reject the connection without the credentials.

Firefox remains the most reliable option on Linux as it features full native support for SOCKS5 with authentication.

• Step 1: Go to Settings → General → scroll to Network Settings and click Settings...
• Step 2: Select Manual proxy configuration.
• Step 3: Enter your SOCKS Host and Port, and check SOCKS v5.
• Step 4: Click OK. When you visit your first website, a prompt will appear asking for your proxy login and password. Check "Remember password".

These browsers rely on the inadequate Linux system network stack. To circumvent this, you must use a dedicated proxy extension.

• Step 1: Install the Proxy SwitchyOmega from the extensions web store.
• Step 2: Open the extension options, create a new profile indicating SOCKS5, and input your server details.
• Step 3: Click the lock icon on the right side to enter your proxy authentication limits (Username and Password).
• Step 4: Apply changes and activate the profile via the extension toolbar icon.

cURL: Always use the --socks5-hostname flag so that DNS queries are securely resolved remotely over the proxy.

Wget: Pass the proxy arguments explicitly.

Git: You can apply the proxy configuration globally for all clones and pulls.

The easiest way to make most console apps use a proxy is by setting standard networking Variables. You can set them for a specific session, or append them to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc file for persistence.

Note on Security: Storing passwords within a plain text .bashrc file can be a vulnerability. In production environments, rely on encrypted variables or credential managers like pass.

• Step 1: Get the package

• Step 2: Configure the server
  Edit the configuration file (/etc/proxychains.conf or ~/.proxychains/proxychains.conf). At the end of the file under the [ProxyList] section, input your credentials:

(Tip: Enable quiet_mode at the top of the file to stop proxychains from printing verbose logs on every connection).

• Step 3: Run your apps
  Simply prepend the proxychains command to the application's executable:

• Open Telegram Settings → Advanced → Connection type.
• Select Use custom proxy. Choose the SOCKS5 configuration type.
• Enter your host, port, login, and password, then save.

• Open the Options → Connection tab.
• Select SOCKS5 in the Proxy Server section and apply auth details.
• Critical: Ensure "Use proxy for peer connections" and "Use proxy for hostname lookups" are both checked.

You need to install the SOCKS dependency before sending requests:

import requests
proxies = { "http": "socks5://user:[email protected]:1080", "https": "socks5://user:[email protected]:1080" }
response = requests.get("https://api.ipify.org", proxies=proxies, timeout=10)
print(response.text)

Using the socks-proxy-agent package:

const axios = require('axios');
const { SocksProxyAgent } = require('socks-proxy-agent');
const agent = new SocksProxyAgent('socks5://user:[email protected]:1080');

axios.get('https://api.ipify.org', { httpsAgent: agent, httpAgent: agent })
  .then(res => console.log(res.data));

To pass proxy execution locally through a docker container, inject ENVs at runtime.

To enforce the proxy on the Docker networking daemon scale, modify ~/.docker/daemon.json:

{
  "proxies": {
    "default": {
      "httpsProxy": "socks5://login:[email protected]:1080"
    }
  }
}

If you want absolute, transparent, OS-wide traffic proxying without configuring exceptions per-app, administrators utilize redsocks alongside an iptables firewall.

RedSocks acts as an invisible system daemon. It translates generic TCP connections generated by the machine and feeds them directly into your authorized SOCKS5 endpoint.

Note: This process is complex, requires strict iptables rule chains to avoid network loopbacks, and warrants extensive testing within a Virtual Machine beforehand.

If you control a remote server directly via SSH, you can instantiate a localized passwordless SOCKS5 tunnel dynamically using the SSH client, circumventing explicit configuration passwords inside application settings.

After running this, an unauthenticated local tunnel is opened at 127.0.0.1:1080. You can point proxychains or your terminal utilities to that local host and bypass standard password exposure.