An HTTP proxy understands web requests. For a plain http address it fetches the page for you. For an https address it opens a tunnel to the site and passes the encrypted traffic through untouched, so it cannot read what you send.
Because browsers, scrapers and command-line tools all support it, the HTTP port is the safe default. On BooProxies every plan has an HTTP port and a SOCKS5 port that reach the same addresses. For the residential plan the HTTP address is http://USERNAME:PASSWORD@resi.proxies.boo:8080.
Questions about HTTP proxy
HTTP proxy or SOCKS5?
Use HTTP unless you have a reason not to: every tool supports it, and it handles http and https sites. Use SOCKS5 for programs that are not web clients, or when a tool asks for it.
Can an HTTP proxy see what I send?
For https sites, no: the traffic stays encrypted between you and the site, and the proxy only relays it. For plain http sites nothing is encrypted, with or without a proxy.
Related terms
- HTTPS through a proxy
- Yes. An HTTP proxy opens https sites through a tunnel, using a request called CONNECT. The traffic inside stays encrypted end to end.
- SOCKS5 proxy
- A SOCKS5 proxy passes any kind of network connection, not only web pages, and can sign you in with a username and password.
- Proxy port
- A proxy port is the number after the host that tells your program which service to connect to: one port for HTTP and another for SOCKS5.
Read next: HTTP vs SOCKS5 proxies: which port to use