Protocol

SOCKS5 proxies

A transport-level proxy that forwards any TCP connection, rather than only understanding HTTP requests.

Pick this when

Your client speaks SOCKS, or the traffic is not HTTP.

Layer: A TCP tunnel — bytes are forwarded, not parsed
Carries: Any TCP protocol, not only web traffic
UDP: Optional per connection, on residential and mobile
Your headers: Not read and not rewritten in transit

How it works

An HTTP proxy parses your request and forwards it. SOCKS5 does not: it opens a tunnel and moves bytes. That means it carries protocols an HTTP proxy cannot.

It also means SOCKS5 does not read or modify your traffic. There are no headers rewritten in transit and nothing inspecting the payload.

UDP is available over SOCKS5 on residential and mobile — something HTTP proxying cannot express at all. Datacenter connections stay TCP only.

How it differs

Against its nearest neighbours, by name. If one of these describes your situation better, the row is a link.

Where it fits

Use it for

Non-HTTP protocols — anything that speaks raw TCP
Tools that expect a SOCKS endpoint rather than an HTTP proxy
Cases where you want the proxy to move bytes without touching headers
Traffic needing UDP, on a residential or mobile connection

Do not use it for

Plain web scraping where an HTTP proxy is simpler to configure and equally effective
Clients with no SOCKS support, where you would be adding a wrapper for no benefit
UDP on a datacenter connection — the network does not offer that combination

If your client speaks HTTP and your target is a website, use the HTTP endpoint. Reach for SOCKS5 when the protocol demands it, not by default.

A real connection

One credential pair covers everything. Type, country, rotation and session all travel inside the username, so you never provision a second proxy user to change one of them.

SOCKS5 with UDP over residential

socks5://user-USERNAME-type-residential-country-fr-udp-1:PASSWORD@HOST:PORT

A standard proxy URL, so most clients accept it directly with no adapter. Note the type: udp-1 is accepted on residential and mobile, and rejected on datacenter.

Questions

What can SOCKS5 do that an HTTP proxy cannot?: Carry non-HTTP protocols, and carry UDP. An HTTP proxy understands HTTP requests; SOCKS5 opens a tunnel and forwards bytes, so the protocol inside it is not its concern.
Is SOCKS5 more private?: It touches your traffic less — no headers are rewritten in transit. That is not the same as encryption: use HTTPS inside the tunnel if the payload needs protecting.
Does SOCKS5 cost more?: No. Protocol choice does not change the rate. You are billed by the gigabyte regardless of how the bytes are carried.
Can I use SOCKS5 with any proxy type?: Yes — residential, datacenter and mobile all accept SOCKS5. The one asymmetry is UDP, which is supported on residential and mobile but not on datacenter.

The same on every type

These four do not vary by proxy type, so they are worth stating once rather than six times. One balance covers all of it.

See pricing

Protocols: HTTP, HTTPS and SOCKS5
Targeting: Country, then state or city; ASN by number
Rotation: Per request, sticky, or 5 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 60 minutes
Rate: $2/GB, sent plus received

The other half of the same username

Where the address comes from

Pick exactly one.

All proxy types