Free Proxy Tools That Run on Raspberry Pi and ARM Devices

Free Proxy Tools for Raspberry Pi and ARM Devices

Table of Contents

• Overview of Proxy Types
• Key Considerations for ARM Devices
• HTTP/HTTPS Proxies
• Squid Proxy
• Privoxy
• SOCKS Proxies
• Shadowsocks
• Dante
• Transparent Proxies
• Reverse Proxies
• Nginx
• Caddy
• Comparison Table
• Practical Configuration Examples
• Resource Links

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Overview of Proxy Types

In the labyrinth of network traffic, a proxy is both a sentinel and a chameleon: it forwards, filters, and sometimes transforms data packets, facilitating privacy, caching, or load balancing. For the Raspberry Pi and other ARM-based devices, lightweightness and efficiency are paramount. Proxies can be classified as:

• HTTP/HTTPS Proxy: Handles web traffic.
• SOCKS Proxy: Works at a lower level, forwarding any kind of TCP traffic.
• Transparent Proxy: Intercepts traffic without client-side configuration.
• Reverse Proxy: Forwards requests to backend servers.

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Key Considerations for ARM Devices

• Resource Efficiency: ARM CPUs, like those in the Raspberry Pi, are modest by nature. Choose proxy software with minimal memory and CPU footprints.
• ARM Compatibility: Ensure the proxy tool has ARM binaries or is easily compiled from source.
• Security: Lightweight does not mean vulnerable; always update and harden your configuration.
• Network Throughput: Test performance, as some tools may not saturate gigabit links on a Pi.

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HTTP/HTTPS Proxies

Squid Proxy

Ah, Squid: venerable, robust, and surprisingly nimble when trimmed for the Pi. It excels at caching and access control.

Installation:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install squid

Basic Configuration: Edit /etc/squid/squid.conf.

http_port 3128
acl localnet src 192.168.1.0/24
http_access allow localnet

• Caching: Out-of-the-box, Squid caches web content, easing bandwidth burdens.
• Authentication & ACLs: Fine-grained control over who may pass.

Official site: https://www.squid-cache.org/

Privoxy

Where Squid is an industrialist, Privoxy is an artisan, specializing in filtering and privacy.

Installation:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install privoxy

Configuration: Edit /etc/privoxy/config.

listen-address  0.0.0.0:8118

• Ad-blocking: Built-in filters for privacy.
• Chaining: Can be combined with Tor for anonymization.

Official site: https://www.privoxy.org/

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SOCKS Proxies

Shadowsocks

A ciphered whisper in the tumult of the web, Shadowsocks is a lightweight, encrypted SOCKS5 proxy.

Installation:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install shadowsocks-libev

Sample Configuration: Create /etc/shadowsocks-libev/config.json.

{
    "server":"0.0.0.0",
    "server_port":8388,
    "password":"your_password",
    "timeout":300,
    "method":"aes-256-gcm"
}

Start Service:

sudo systemctl enable shadowsocks-libev
sudo systemctl start shadowsocks-libev

Official site: https://shadowsocks.org/

Dante (danted)

Dante tiptoes through the network as a performant SOCKS server, lean yet featureful.

Installation:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install dante-server

Sample Configuration: /etc/danted.conf

logoutput: syslog
internal: eth0 port = 1080
external: eth0
method: none
user.notprivileged: nobody

client pass {
    from: 192.168.1.0/24 to: 0.0.0.0/0
    log: connect disconnect error
}
pass {
    from: 0.0.0.0/0 to: 0.0.0.0/0
    protocol: tcp udp
}

Official site: https://www.inet.no/dante/

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Transparent Proxies

To redirect traffic without explicit client configuration, iptables and a proxy daemon coalesce into a seamless veil.

Example: Transparent Squid Proxy

1. Edit /etc/squid/squid.conf:

conf
http_port 3128 intercept

1. Add iptables redirect:

bash
sudo iptables -t nat -A PREROUTING -i eth0 -p tcp --dport 80 -j REDIRECT --to-port 3128

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Reverse Proxies

Nginx

Not just a web server, Nginx flourishes as a reverse proxy, facilitating SSL offloading and load balancing.

Installation:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx

Minimal Reverse Proxy Config:

server {
    listen 80;
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8080;
    }
}

Official site: https://nginx.org/

Caddy

Caddy is the poet’s choice: automatic HTTPS, single-file configuration.

Installation:

curl -fsSL https://get.caddyserver.com | bash -s personal

Simple Reverse Proxy:

:80 {
    reverse_proxy 127.0.0.1:8080
}

Official site: https://caddyserver.com/

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Comparison Table

Proxy Tool	Type	ARM Support	Key Features	Resource Footprint	Config Complexity
Squid	HTTP/HTTPS	Yes	Caching, ACLs, SSL bumping	Medium	High
Privoxy	HTTP	Yes	Filtering, privacy	Low	Low
Shadowsocks-libev	SOCKS5	Yes	Encryption, speed	Low	Low
Dante	SOCKS4/5	Yes	Auth, logging	Low	Medium
Nginx	Reverse	Yes	Load balancing, SSL offload	Low	Medium
Caddy	Reverse	Yes	Auto HTTPS, simple config	Low	Low

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Practical Configuration Examples

Chaining Proxies (Privoxy + Tor)

Combine Privoxy with Tor to grant your traffic the incognito cloak.

Install Tor:

sudo apt install tor

Configure Privoxy: /etc/privoxy/config

forward-socks5 / 127.0.0.1:9050 .

Restart Services:

sudo systemctl restart privoxy
sudo systemctl restart tor

Access Privoxy via port 8118; your traffic now dances through the Tor network.

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Resource Links

• Squid Documentation
• Privoxy User Manual
• Shadowsocks-libev GitHub
• Dante Server Documentation
• Nginx Documentation
• Caddy Documentation
• Tor Project