Check your proxy IP

After you set up a proxy, check that requests really leave through it. A few public services return the IP address your request comes from, and some add the location and the network.

The quickest check#

Run the same request with and without the proxy and compare:

curl https://api.ipify.org
curl -x http://USERNAME:[email protected]:8080 https://api.ipify.org

The first command prints your own IP. The second prints the exit IP of the proxy. If both print the same address, the request did not go through the proxy.

Services that show the exit IP#

ipinfo.io/json is the most useful for targeting, because it shows the country, the city and the network (org) in one answer:

curl -x http://USERNAME-country-de:[email protected]:8080 https://ipinfo.io/json

Check rotation#

Run the same rotating line a few times. Each run opens a new connection, so you will usually see a different IP each time:

for i in 1 2 3 4 5; do
  curl -s -x http://USERNAME:[email protected]:8080 https://api.ipify.org; echo
done

1..5 | ForEach-Object {
  curl.exe -s -x http://USERNAME:[email protected]:8080 https://api.ipify.org; ""
}

In code, rotation only shows if each request opens a new connection. A client that reuses one connection keeps the same IP for every request on it, see Connections and tunnels.

Check a sticky session#

Use a line with a session ID. Every run should print the same IP until the session ends:

for i in 1 2 3; do
  curl -s -x http://USERNAME-session-test1234-time-10:[email protected]:8080 https://api.ipify.org; echo
done

Change test1234 to any other ID and you get a different IP.

Test in the dashboard#

The proxy generator has a Test a proxy panel. It is prefilled with the first generated line, or you can paste any proxy. Run test sends one request through it and reports the status, the latency, the exit IP, the location and the network. Use it to tell a credentials problem from a problem in your own setup.

Free online tools#

These need no account:

• The proxy checker tests up to 10 proxies at once from our server and shows the protocol, the response time, the exit IP and its location.
• The IP lookup shows the country, city and network of any IP address.
• The proxy converter rewrites a list between host:port:user:pass, user:pass@host:port and URL formats, in your browser.

In a browser#

Open What is my IP, or one of the services above, in the browser or profile that uses the proxy. It should show the proxy IP, not yours.

Browsers can leak your real IP through WebRTC even when the proxy works. Antidetect browsers have a WebRTC setting for this. In a regular browser, run the WebRTC leak test while the proxy is on.

When the location looks wrong#

IP geolocation comes from databases, and they do not always agree. One service may place an IP in a neighbouring city or region. If a site shows a location that differs from your targeting:

• Check the same exit with two services to see whether they agree.
• Make sure the username carries the parameters you expect. A typo in a state or city name is the most common cause.
• Remember that sites can also read the browser time zone and language, which do not change with the IP.

More fixes are in Troubleshooting.