What is a proxy? How to use one in your browser (types, formats, setup)

What is a proxy and what does proxy software do?

When you connect to a website, the site sees the IP address the connection comes from. With a proxy, your connection goes to the proxy server first, and the site sees the proxy's exit IP instead of yours. "Proxy software" usually means one of two things: tools that apply a proxy to the whole computer, or browsers that manage proxies per profile. If you work with several accounts you need the second kind, because every account should have its own IP.

Proxy types by protocol

• HTTP / HTTPS proxy: carries web traffic and is the most common type; most providers hand them out in this format.
• SOCKS5 proxy: a more general tunnel. Some providers also support UDP, which lets connections that use it, such as HTTP/3 (QUIC), go through the proxy too.
• SOCKS4: an older type without username/password support; avoid it for new setups.

Not sure which one you bought? A good browser can open a short test connection and work out which protocol the proxy speaks. Kalkan's "detect automatically" option classifies every line you add this way.

Proxy types by where the IP comes from

• Datacenter: fast and cheap; the IP belongs to a hosting company, and sites recognise such addresses as servers easily.
• Residential: the IP belongs to a home subscriber of a real internet provider, so it looks like a regular user; usually billed per traffic.
• Mobile: the IP belongs to a mobile carrier. Many users share each address, which makes it the most "natural" looking type, and the most expensive.
• ISP (static residential): residential-looking addresses that stay fixed; a good choice when one account is used for a long time.

A rotating proxy changes IP on every request or at intervals; a sticky session keeps the same IP for a while. For profiles that sign in to accounts, use sticky sessions or fixed IPs: an IP that changes in the middle of a session raises suspicion.

What to check before you buy

1. Country and city targeting: it should match where the account "lives".
2. Session length: how many minutes does a sticky session last?
3. Protocol: HTTP or SOCKS5, and if SOCKS5, is UDP supported?
4. IP quality: addresses that are not blacklisted and not shared with others at the same time.
5. Authentication: username/password or IP allow-list?

Proxy formats

Providers deliver proxies in different shapes. The most common ones:

• host:port
• host:port:user:password
• user:password@host:port
• socks5://user:password@host:port
• Lines copied from a spreadsheet: host port user password or comma-separated

Kalkan's proxy pool reads all of these. Lines from the same provider with a different username or password are kept as separate proxies; only exact duplicates are skipped.

Giving every browser profile its own proxy

1. Paste your proxy list into Proxies in Kalkan and leave the type on "detect automatically".
2. Use Check to see that each proxy works, with its exit IP, country and speed; remove the dead ones with one click.
3. When you create a profile, choose "From the pool": every profile gets a free proxy, and one proxy is never given to two profiles.
4. The profile's time zone, language and location follow the proxy's country, so the IP and the browser settings agree.

Common mistakes

• Using one proxy for several accounts: accounts that come from the same IP can be linked.
• Not matching time zone to IP: a German IP with an Istanbul clock looks inconsistent.
• Forgetting WebRTC and DNS: even with a proxy set, a browser can reveal the real IP in other ways. See the proxy leaks guide for details.
• Using free proxies: addresses from free lists are usually slow, blacklisted and unsafe.

Summary

A proxy gives each profile its own network identity, but it is not enough on its own. The right protocol, the right IP type, one address per account and browser settings that match the IP have to work together. Kalkan brings all of this into one place: try it free for 3 days.