What are the advantages of SOCKS5 proxies?

SOCKS5 is a network proxy. This proxy only transmits packets, so it is faster than HTTP proxy and supports a variety of network applications. SOCKS5 proxy can make network traffic anonymous, but the traffic is not encrypted, so security cannot be guaranteed. In China, Shadowsocks or SSR are generally used as SOCKS5 proxy servers to bypass the firewall. Please read this article to learn about the advantages of SOCKS5 proxy.

What are SOCKS and SOCKS5 proxies?

SOCKS is an Internet protocol, short for SOCKetS, that uses a proxy server to transfer traffic between a client and a server that communicates via TCP/IP. The client is behind a firewall, so the proxy server is used to pass through the firewall. Technically, SOCKS uses a proxy server to allow users to access websites through a firewall. In addition, network traffic is routed through the proxy server, thereby hiding the user's real IP address.

If your real IP address is A, your network traffic is routed through a SOCKS proxy server with IP B. The target website will think the request is coming from the proxy server with IP B and cannot see your real IP address, which provides anonymity, but does not guarantee that the transmitted traffic is secure. Proxy servers do not encrypt traffic like virtual private networks (VPNs), so anyone can snoop on your network traffic.

SOCKS5 is the latest version of the SOCKS protocol, which enhances security and provides three authentication methods:

• No Authentication: No authentication is required to connect to the proxy server.
• Account and password authentication: You need to provide detailed login information to connect to the proxy server.
• GSSAPI authentication: Both the client and the proxy server authenticate each other via GSSAPI (Generic Security Services Application Program Interface).

How to manually set up a SOCKS5 proxy on Windows 10 and 11

1. Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Proxy .
2. Under Manual Proxy Settings , toggle the On button.
3. Fill in the details about the proxy server.
4. Press Save .

How to manually set up a SOCKS5 proxy on macOS

1. Go to System Preferences > Network > Advanced > Proxy .
2. Select the "SOCKS Proxy Server" protocol in the menu.
3. Enter your proxy server address.
4. Press OK .

Are SOCKS5 proxies better than VPNs?

SOCKS5 is not as secure or fast as a VPN. It's easy to confuse a SOCKS5 proxy with a VPN, but there are key differences between the two. Like most proxies, SOCKS5 does not encrypt your data, which can reduce Internet speed and stability.

Additionally, SOCKS is easily detectable, so it will most likely not allow you to bypass national firewalls. Due to this fact, you will need to use a VPN for added security.

On the other hand, a good VPN encrypts your data as it travels from your device to the VPN server, ensuring that no one can view it while it's in transit. With a service like NordVPN, you can still access content from anywhere and protect your IP address, but you'll get true privacy and lightning-fast speeds.

Advantages of SOCKS5 Proxy Server

There are many benefits to using a SOCKS5 proxy server:

#1 Bypass Internet Blockades

Proxy servers are used as an intermediate between the client and the Internet, and can easily bypass network blocking. For example, your IP is blocked by a website, or you use a VPN and the IP of the VPN server is blocked. You can route your traffic through a SOCKS5 proxy server to bypass network blocking. However, this method usually cannot bypass the "Great Firewall" (GFW) in China, because some Internet service providers (ISPs) in China use "full packet detection" firewall technology, which means that your traffic will be blocked by the ISP before reaching the website.

#2 Faster and more reliable connections

The old version of SOCKS can only handle TCP protocol and does not support authentication. The new version of SOCKS5 protocol can handle UDP protocol and supports multiple authentications, providing reliable and high-speed connections.

The TCP protocol forms a connection between the client and the server to ensure that all data packets arrive correctly. It needs to send the content in a fixed format to transmit the data correctly. UDP focuses on fast transmission. Therefore, after SOCKS5 supports the UDP protocol, it can provide fast and reliable connections.

#3 Reduce errors and improve overall performance

Many proxy servers rewrite packet headers. As a result, data may be misrouted. SOCKS5 proxy servers do not rewrite packet headers and only pass the packets through, so there is less chance of errors. With fewer errors, performance is improved. However, this may sacrifice privacy and security, as packet headers contain your personal information and can be easily identified.

#4 Better performance on P2P platforms

SOCKS5 is faster than other types of proxies because it only transmits smaller data packets, providing faster download speeds. Therefore, many users use SOCKS5 proxies to connect to P2P platforms to download files.