What is a SOCKS5 proxy?
A SOCKS5 proxy relays any TCP connection between your app and the server it talks to. It does not read or rewrite the traffic, so it works for websites, APIs and non-web apps alike, and every proxy has its own login and password.
SOCKS5 is the fifth version of the SOCKS protocol (RFC 1928). Your client connects to the proxy, signs in, and asks it to open a connection to a host and port. From then on the proxy passes the data through in both directions, and the destination sees the proxy's IP address instead of yours.
Because SOCKS5 sits below HTTP, it does not care what runs on top: HTTPS pages, a JSON API, a mail client or your own TCP protocol. It can also look up host names for you, so DNS queries come from the proxy's side too.
SOCKS5 vs HTTP proxy: what is the difference?
| SOCKS5 proxy | HTTP(S) proxy | |
|---|---|---|
| Works at | Session level: passes any TCP connection | Application level: understands web requests |
| Traffic | Websites, APIs and non-web apps | HTTP, and HTTPS through a CONNECT tunnel |
| Reads requests | No, it passes the data through | Reads plain HTTP; HTTPS stays encrypted |
| Host name look-ups | On the proxy with socks5h:// | On the proxy |
| Login in Chrome and Edge | Not supported by the browsers | Supported |
| Best for | Scripts, libraries and non-web clients | Browsers, scrapers and most web tools |
On T7Proxy you rarely have to choose. Datacenter IPv4, static ISP, mobile and residential proxies serve both protocols with one login, so you can use SOCKS5 in your scripts and HTTP in a browser at the same time. IPv6 is the exception: each IPv6 order uses one protocol, SOCKS5 or HTTPS, picked when you buy.
Which proxy types support SOCKS5?
Datacenter IPv4 SOCKS5 proxies
Each dedicated IPv4 address has a SOCKS5 port and an HTTP port that share one login. You buy per IP, by country, from 1 to 100 IPs per order, and renew to keep the same addresses.
Static ISP SOCKS5 proxies
A dedicated IP that stays the same for your whole term, with SOCKS5 and HTTP ports on one login. It suits long sessions on your own accounts and monitoring from one steady location.
Mobile 4G/5G SOCKS5 proxies
Carrier IPs by country and carrier, with SOCKS5 and HTTP ports on one login. Plans are dedicated or shared, and each one is labelled before you buy.
Residential SOCKS5 proxies
One gateway host and port serves SOCKS5 and HTTP(S). Rotate the IP on every request or on a timer, or keep a sticky IP, target a country, region, city or ISP, and pay per GB.
IPv6 SOCKS5 proxies
Choose SOCKS5 or HTTPS at checkout; each order uses one of the two. Orders start at 10 dedicated IPs, for sites and services that support IPv6.
What SOCKS5 proxies are used for
- Scripts and libraries that open their own TCP connections
- Price and stock monitoring in the countries you sell in
- SEO and SERP rank tracking by country
- QA and localisation testing of your own apps and sites
- Ad verification on desktop and mobile networks
- Collecting public data for research and AI
Is a SOCKS5 proxy secure?
SOCKS5 does not add encryption of its own. What travels through it keeps the encryption it already has: HTTPS pages, TLS APIs and SSH sessions stay encrypted from your app to the destination, and the proxy only sees the host and port you connect to.
Access is protected by the login and password on every proxy. On per-IP plans you can also allow one public IPv4 address of yours to connect without a password. Keep the details private: anyone who has them can use your proxy.
How to use a SOCKS5 proxy
- Copy the SOCKS5 details. Open My proxies and copy the IP, SOCKS5 port, login and password, or download the order as a .txt list in ip:port:login:password format.
- Use socks5h:// in your tool. Write the proxy as socks5h://login:password@ip:port. The "h" tells the proxy to look up host names, so DNS goes through it too.
- Check the exit IP. Request https://t7proxy.com/ip through the proxy, or paste it into the free proxy checker. It should show the proxy's IP, not yours.
curl -x socks5h://LOGIN:PASSWORD@IP:SOCKS_PORT https://t7proxy.com/ip
# pip install "requests[socks]"
import requests
proxy = "socks5h://LOGIN:PASSWORD@IP:SOCKS_PORT"
r = requests.get("https://t7proxy.com/ip", proxies={"http": proxy, "https": proxy})
print(r.text)// npm install socks-proxy-agent
import https from "node:https";
import { SocksProxyAgent } from "socks-proxy-agent";
const agent = new SocksProxyAgent("socks5h://LOGIN:PASSWORD@IP:SOCKS_PORT");
https.get("https://t7proxy.com/ip", { agent }, (res) => res.pipe(process.stdout)); 
