The HProxy Blog
Guides, tool reviews and data studies from the team behind a proxy engine that runs millions of checks a day. Written by hand, backed by our own measurements.
Datacenter vs Residential Proxies: Which to Use
Datacenter vs residential proxies: what separates cheap server IPs from real home IPs, how each gets flagged, what they really cost, and which one to use.
ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED in Chrome: 6 Fixes
ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED means Chrome cannot reach your proxy at all. Six practical fixes, from a wrong port or dead proxy to a firewall or extension clash.
FoxyProxy Setup Guide: HTTP, SOCKS5, and the Rule Engine
Set up FoxyProxy in Chrome or Firefox: install the extension, add an HTTP or SOCKS5 proxy, switch from the toolbar, and route chosen sites with URL patterns.
How to Avoid IP Bans While Web Scraping
A practical checklist to avoid IP bans while web scraping: rotate a proxy pool, pace your requests, send real browser headers, respect robots.txt, and back off.
How to Fix 403 Forbidden Errors When Using a Proxy
A 403 Forbidden through a proxy means the target blocked you, not that the proxy failed. Learn the real causes and how to fix them with clean IPs and headers.
How to Fix 407 Proxy Authentication Required
A 407 Proxy Authentication Required error comes from the proxy, not the site. Here is what causes it and how to fix it fast in curl, with copy-paste tests.
429 Too Many Requests: How to Fix It With Proxy Rotation
429 Too Many Requests means the server is rate-limiting your IP. Here is how proxy rotation, the Retry-After header, and exponential backoff fix it for good.
How to Fix 502 Bad Gateway Errors When Using a Proxy
502 Bad Gateway through a proxy means a gateway got an invalid response from upstream. Learn the five causes, how to tell which gateway failed, and the fix.
How to Fix cURL Proxy Errors (7, 56, and 60)
Three cURL exit codes cover almost every proxy failure: 7, 56 and 60. What each one means, why proxies trigger it, and the real fix, with copy-paste commands.
How to Get Around DataDome With Residential Proxies
DataDome scores your IP reputation, TLS fingerprint, and behavior. Here is what residential proxies actually fix, what they don't, and how to get past it.
How to Scrape Past Cloudflare With Proxies in 2026
Cloudflare checks IP reputation, TLS and HTTP/2 fingerprints, JS challenges, and behavior. Proxies fix one layer. Here is what else you need to scrape past it.
How to Vet a Proxy Provider Before You Buy
How to vet a proxy provider before you buy: run trial IPs through a proxy checker and a fraud-score engine, read the ASN mix, and spot the red flags early.
How Websites Detect Proxies (and How to Not Get Flagged)
How websites detect proxies: the detection stack from the defender's seat, ASN and IP reputation, TLS and HTTP/2 fingerprints, headers, behavior, and leaks.
PIA Proxy Review: Does Private Internet Access Have a SOCKS5 Proxy?
The PIA proxy is a SOCKS5 endpoint bundled with every Private Internet Access VPN plan: what it is, how to switch it on, and where a dedicated pool beats it.
Ad Verification Proxies: See What Real Users See
Ad verification proxies let you load your own campaigns as a real local user, so you see the ads, geos, and landing pages your audience actually gets served.
Proxies for Price Monitoring: A Practical Guide
Proxies for price monitoring: how to collect competitor prices at scale without bans, choose residential vs datacenter, and get geo-accurate, current data.
Sneaker Proxies: What Actually Works for Copping
Sneaker proxies decide whether your tasks cop or get cancelled. Which type works for Nike, Shopify and Footsites, how many you need, and how to pace them.
The Proxy Server Is Refusing Connections: How to Fix It
The proxy server is refusing connections in Firefox or Tor? Here is what the error means and how to fix every cause, from a dead proxy to the wrong protocol.
SwitchyOmega Setup: The Complete Proxy Guide
SwitchyOmega setup for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox: install ZeroOmega, add an HTTP or SOCKS5 proxy, switch from the toolbar, and route sites with auto switch.
Why You Keep Hitting reCAPTCHA When Scraping (and How to Reduce It)
reCAPTCHA interrupts your scraping when your IP reputation or behavior looks automated. Here is what triggers the challenge and how to see it far less often.
Are Free Proxies Safe? The Risks Nobody Puts on the List
Are free proxies safe? An honest guide from a team that runs a free proxy list: what a free proxy can read, inject or steal, and when free is genuinely safe.
CroxyProxy Review 2026: Is It Safe, and What Are the Alternatives?
An honest CroxyProxy review: what the free web proxy is good at, where it quietly fails (logins, scraping, speed), whether it's safe, and better alternatives.
We Ran 47 Million Checks on Free Proxies. Here's What We Found
A data study from our verification engine: across 537,000 free proxies and 47M checks, how many actually work, how fast they die, and where they live.
The Free Proxy List Graveyard: GatherProxy, Samair, and the Sites That Died
A tour of the free proxy list sites that died or went quiet, from GatherProxy to Samair, why they keep dying, and where to find a live list that still works.
Free Residential Proxies: What's Real and What's a Trap
Genuine free residential proxies are mostly a myth. Our data on 537,000+ free proxies shows they're overwhelmingly datacenter, plus how to spot the real traps.
Free Web Proxy vs Free Proxy List: Which One Do You Actually Need?
A free web proxy loads one site in your browser with no setup. A free proxy list gives you ip:port entries you control in any tool. Here's which one you need.
HideMyAss Free Proxy Review: The Anonymity Myth
HideMyAss's free proxy hides your IP from websites, not from HMA. Here is the documented record, from the 2011 LulzSec case to what the proxy still logs.
Hidester Review: Does the Free Web Proxy Actually Hide You?
An honest Hidester review of the free web proxy: what it hides, the metadata its policy logs, its Hong Kong base, and when a dedicated proxy is smarter.
How to Check If a Proxy Is Working (Free Online Checker)
Learn how to check if a proxy is working: test if it's alive, fast, and anonymous with curl, or paste it into our free online proxy checker. No signup.
How to Fix 504 Gateway Timeout Errors When Using a Proxy
A 504 Gateway Timeout through a proxy has a handful of specific causes. Here's how to diagnose which one you have and fix it, with copy-paste checks.
How to Set Up a Proxy in Chrome (Every Method That Actually Works)
Chrome has no built-in proxy panel. The four ways to route Chrome through a proxy: system settings, an extension, command-line flags, or a separate profile.
How to Use Proxies With cURL: Flags, Gotchas and Copy-Paste Recipes
Every way to route curl through a proxy: -x syntax, SOCKS5 vs socks5h, proxy auth, env vars, timing flags, plus scripts to test whole proxy lists in parallel.
HProxy vs Bright Data: An Honest Comparison (2026)
HProxy vs Bright Data on price, network and ownership: a cheaper Bright Data alternative for residential proxies, and when the enterprise machine is worth 5x.
Proxies for Web Scraping: The Complete, No-Nonsense Guide
How to choose and use proxies for web scraping: proxy types ranked by job, rotation strategy, avoiding blocks, request hygiene, and code you can run today.
Rotating vs Static Residential Proxies: Which One Your Job Actually Needs
The real difference between rotating and static residential proxies, how rotation works mechanically, where each one fails, and a decision guide by use case.
What Is a SOCKS5 Proxy? A Plain-English Guide With the Details Kept In
What is a SOCKS5 proxy? How the protocol works, what it does that HTTP proxies can't, remote DNS, UDP support, and when a SOCKS5 proxy is the right choice.
When Free Proxies Are Fine (and When They'll Burn You)
An honest guide from a team that runs a free proxy list: which jobs free proxies handle safely, which ones burn you, and how to tell in 30 seconds.
Proxies that don't die in minutes
Residential, ISP, datacenter and mobile. From $0.99/GB, pay as you go, balance never expires.