Four steps: connection, visible address, WebRTC, DNS and time zone leaks, speed. And what to do if something's wrong.
Step 1. Make sure the proxy connects
The quickest check is the command line. Fill in your details from the order:
curl -x "http://USERNAME:PASSWORD@HOST:PORT" https://api.ipify.org/
If the response is the proxy's IP address, the connection works. If you get error 407, check the username and password. If the connection hangs or drops, check the host, port and protocol.
Even easier: the "Proxy Checker" in the "Services" section. Paste the proxy string, and it will show whether the address works, which protocol it supports and which IP it exits from.
Step 2. Check that websites see the proxy, not you
Open the "My IP" service in the browser or profile that uses the proxy. It should show the proxy's address, country and city — not your real ones.
Step 3. Check for leaks
Even with a proxy, your browser can give away your real address.
- WebRTC. The technology behind video calls can reveal local and public addresses to websites, bypassing the proxy. Check it with the "WebRTC Check" service; if the address leaks, turn off WebRTC or use an anti-detect browser.
- Time zone. If the address is in Germany but the browser clock is on Moscow time, the site will notice the mismatch. The "Anonymity Check" service shows such mismatches.
- DNS. If site names are resolved outside the proxy, your internet provider sees which sites you open. With an HTTP proxy, the site name is usually passed to the proxy itself. With SOCKS5, turn on remote DNS in your app (in curl, use the
socks5h://scheme).
Step 4. Measure the speed
The "Ping IP" service shows the latency to an address. For most tasks, a latency of up to 200–300 ms is good. The farther the proxy's country is from the site you're accessing, the higher it gets.
If something's wrong
- Copy the credentials from the order again — an extra space is a common cause of errors.
- Check that the protocol in your app matches the port's protocol.
- Check the remaining traffic for rotating proxies.
- Write to support chat: include the order number and the error text.