How to Start a Proxy
Proxy sites are popping up everywhere these days. Hundreds and thousands of Web/HTTP proxies have started in the last year and some of you might be asking just how to do the same.
Starting your own Web proxy is easy if you have a Web host supporting PHP or Perl/CGI and a little bit of knowledge with FTP, Web servers, and editing/saving files on your host.
Most of the proxy sites on the Internet use one of two popular scripts: PHProxy for a PHP based proxy, and CGIProxy for the CGI script version.
You will need the following to run a proxy using one of these scripts:
- PHP enabled server for PHProxy, or a Perl/CGI enabled server for CGIProxy.
- Code editor/text editor (Notepad is fine).
- A VPS or dedicated server, most shared servers are not capable of running a proxy server<./li>
Download and installation details are available on each site, and I won't waste time repeating them here or debating over the effectiveness of one proxy vs. the other. I will only mention that CGIProxy has been in development longer and has traditionally shown more compatability with a wider range of Web sites. In my personal experience CGIProxy and PHProxy eat a lot of resources.
The general installation process is generally the same.
- Download the script
- Extract the files
- Edit the configuration for your host
- Save and upload to your Web server
Once your server is set up you can use the default installation to test your script, then start exploring the documentation to customize and tweak your proxy to your own taste!
WARNING: Many Web hosts strictly forbid you from installing a proxy on their server. Check with your Web hosting TOS before installation. Proxies are capable of generating large amounts of load that can crash or disable a server.
