Using Proxies with cURL

cURL is one of the most widely used command-line tools for making HTTP requests. It has built-in proxy support for both HTTPS and SOCKS5 proxies.

Basic Proxy Usage

Use the -x (or --proxy) flag to route requests through a proxy:

curl -x http://proxy-host:port https://api.ipify.org

With Authentication

If your proxy requires username and password:

curl -x http://username:password@proxy-host:port https://api.ipify.org

Or use the -U flag separately:

curl -x http://proxy-host:port -U username:password https://api.ipify.org

SOCKS5 Proxy

For SOCKS5 proxies, specify the protocol:

curl -x socks5://username:password@proxy-host:port https://api.ipify.org

To also resolve DNS through the SOCKS5 proxy (recommended for privacy):

curl -x socks5h://username:password@proxy-host:port https://api.ipify.org

Environment Variables

Instead of passing the proxy flag each time, set environment variables:

export http_proxy=http://username:password@proxy-host:port
export https_proxy=http://username:password@proxy-host:port

Then simply run:

curl https://api.ipify.org

cURL will automatically use the proxy from the environment variables.

Ignoring Proxy for Specific Requests

To bypass the proxy for a single request:

curl --noproxy '*' https://api.ipify.org

Common Examples

Check your proxy's external IP

curl -x http://username:password@proxy-host:port https://api.ipify.org

Make an authenticated API call through a proxy

curl -x http://username:password@proxy-host:port \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN' \
  https://api.hypeproxy.io/Utils/GetInformations

Download a file through a proxy

curl -x http://username:password@proxy-host:port \
  -o output.html \
  https://example.com

Troubleshooting

• Connection refused: Verify the proxy host and port are correct.
• 407 Proxy Authentication Required: Your credentials are wrong or missing. Double-check your username and password.
• Timeout: The proxy may be down or unreachable. Try a different proxy or check your network connection.
• SSL errors: If you get certificate errors, ensure you're using https_proxy for HTTPS destinations, not http_proxy.