What is SOCKS5? How to use SOCKS5 Proxy

If you do some browsing on the SOCKS server, you'll see the term SOCKS5 appear. The number 5 at the end is simply the version number for the SOCKS protocol, like the versions of Windows 7, 8 and 10.

What is SOCKS5?

At the time of writing, SOCKS5 is the latest version of the SOCKS protocol. It is improved based on SOCKS4, by supporting UDP as well as TCP and provides more authentication methods. SOCKS5 is also faster than SOCKS4. SOCKS5 could one day be replaced by the same technologies as the Shadowsocks used by Mullvad VPN.

How to use SOCKS5 proxy

If all of this sounds like something you want to test, the good news is that setting up a SOCKS5 proxy is not that difficult.

To get started, you need a server that acts as a proxy. You can set up or find a free SOCKS5 proxy to use instead. If you're stuck with using a server, why not try the following list of Spys One SOCKS5 proxies for some ideas?

 http://spys.one/en/socks-proxy-list/

Once you have a free or paid SOCKS proxy, you'll need to provide details into a program to use it. Today, most modern browsers allow you to enter the details of the proxy server to use. On top of that, operating systems like Windows 10 accept proxy addresses and reroute all data sent to it.

After you set up the server, test it by loading the website. Not all proxy servers will work, so if your server is not connected, try another server or check proxy settings. If a website loads, visit WhatIsMyIPAddress , then see if the IP and country match the proxy server you're connecting to. If the results match, then you are surfing on SOCKS5 already!

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Free Proxy SOCKS5: FoxyProxy Add-on

A good place to start with a free SOCKS proxy is to use the FoxyProxy Add-on for Firefox. FoxyProxy 100% free. On top of that, you can also configure SOCKS5 proxy if you sign up for a VPN service that includes a proxy, as part of a free trial subscription.

Free SOCKS5 VPN provider

Another way is to use a VPN service that provides proxies as an option. To get a free proxy, just sign up for a free trial. For example, CactusVPN and Windscribe VPN both offer free trial versions of their VPN service.