SOCKS5 works one level below the web. It does not look at what is inside a connection; it simply carries it. That makes it suitable for programs that are not browsers, and it can resolve site names on the proxy side, so your own network never learns which sites were looked up.
Not every program handles SOCKS5 with a login. Chrome, for example, accepts a SOCKS5 proxy only without a username and password. When SOCKS5 gives trouble, the HTTP port reaches the same addresses. On BooProxies the residential SOCKS5 port is 1080, with the same username and password as HTTP.
Questions about SOCKS5 proxy
Is SOCKS5 faster than HTTP?
Not in any way you would notice for web pages. Both add one hop. Choose by what your program supports, not by speed.
What is the difference between socks5 and socks5h?
With socks5h the proxy looks up the site's name. With socks5 your own computer does, and sends the proxy a numeric address. socks5h keeps the lookup off your own network and is the safer default.
Related terms
- HTTP proxy
- An HTTP proxy is a proxy that speaks the web's own protocol. Almost every program supports it, and it carries both http and https sites.
- 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.
- DNS leak
- A DNS leak is when a program looks up site names through your own network instead of through the proxy, revealing which sites you visit.
Read next: HTTP vs SOCKS5 proxies: which port to use