How to Set Up a Proxy: Step-by-Step Guide
Setting up a proxy can seem intimidating if you have never done it before, but the process is straightforward once you understand the basics. This guide walks you through configuring proxies in the most popular tools and programming languages, from a simple curl command to full Python and Node.js implementations. We also cover advanced features like country targeting and sticky sessions.
What You Need Before Starting
- Proxy host:
proxy.globedata.io - Port:
8080(HTTP/HTTPS) - Username: Your proxy username from the GlobeData dashboard
- Password: Your proxy password from the GlobeData dashboard
If you do not have an account yet, create one here and purchase a bandwidth package to get your credentials.
Step 1: Basic HTTP Proxy with curl
The fastest way to test your proxy is with curl. This single command routes your request through the proxy and returns the IP address the target website sees.
# Basic proxy request curl -x "http://YOUR_USER:YOUR_PASS@proxy.globedata.io:8080" \ https://httpbin.org/ip # With country targeting (US) curl -x "http://YOUR_USER-country-US:YOUR_PASS@proxy.globedata.io:8080" \ https://httpbin.org/ip # With sticky session (same IP for 5 minutes) curl -x "http://YOUR_USER-session-test1-ttl-300:YOUR_PASS@proxy.globedata.io:8080" \ https://httpbin.org/ip
If the response shows a different IP than your own, the proxy is working. The -x flag tells curl to use the specified proxy for the request.
Step 2: Python Setup with Requests
Python's requests library is the most popular choice for web scraping and API calls. Here is how to configure it with a proxy.
import requests
# Define your proxy
proxy = {
"http": "http://YOUR_USER:YOUR_PASS@proxy.globedata.io:8080",
"https": "http://YOUR_USER:YOUR_PASS@proxy.globedata.io:8080"
}
# Make a request through the proxy
response = requests.get("https://httpbin.org/ip", proxies=proxy, timeout=30)
print(response.json())
# With country targeting
proxy_us = {
"http": "http://YOUR_USER-country-US:YOUR_PASS@proxy.globedata.io:8080",
"https": "http://YOUR_USER-country-US:YOUR_PASS@proxy.globedata.io:8080"
}
response = requests.get("https://httpbin.org/ip", proxies=proxy_us)
print(f"US IP: {response.json()['origin']}")
# Using a session for multiple requests with sticky IP
session = requests.Session()
session.proxies = {
"http": "http://YOUR_USER-session-s1-ttl-600:YOUR_PASS@proxy.globedata.io:8080",
"https": "http://YOUR_USER-session-s1-ttl-600:YOUR_PASS@proxy.globedata.io:8080"
}
# Both requests use the same IP
page1 = session.get("https://example.com/page/1")
page2 = session.get("https://example.com/page/2")Step 3: Node.js Setup with Axios
For Node.js projects, you can use axios with the https-proxy-agent package, or use the built-in proxy support.
const axios = require('axios');
const HttpsProxyAgent = require('https-proxy-agent');
const proxyUrl = 'http://YOUR_USER:YOUR_PASS@proxy.globedata.io:8080';
const agent = new HttpsProxyAgent(proxyUrl);
// Make a request through the proxy
const response = await axios.get('https://httpbin.org/ip', {
httpsAgent: agent,
timeout: 30000
});
console.log(response.data);
// With country targeting
const usAgent = new HttpsProxyAgent(
'http://YOUR_USER-country-US:YOUR_PASS@proxy.globedata.io:8080'
);
const usResponse = await axios.get('https://httpbin.org/ip', {
httpsAgent: usAgent
});
console.log('US IP:', usResponse.data.origin);Step 4: SOCKS5 Proxy Setup
SOCKS5 proxies operate at a lower network level than HTTP proxies, supporting any protocol including TCP and UDP. This makes them useful for non-HTTP applications. GlobeData supports SOCKS5 on the same endpoint.
# Install: pip install requests[socks]
import requests
proxy = {
"http": "socks5://YOUR_USER:YOUR_PASS@proxy.globedata.io:8080",
"https": "socks5://YOUR_USER:YOUR_PASS@proxy.globedata.io:8080"
}
response = requests.get("https://httpbin.org/ip", proxies=proxy)
print(response.json())Step 5: Country Targeting
GlobeData supports geo-targeting by appending a country code to your username. Use standard ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes. Here are the most commonly used codes:
US - United StatesGB - United KingdomDE - GermanyFR - FranceJP - JapanBR - BrazilAU - AustraliaCA - CanadaFormat: YOUR_USER-country-US
Step 6: Sticky Sessions
Sticky sessions let you maintain the same IP address across multiple requests for a defined duration. This is essential for multi-step workflows like logging into a website, navigating through pages, or completing a checkout process.
Append -session-IDENTIFIER-ttl-SECONDS to your username:
USER-session-checkout1-ttl-300- Same IP for 5 minutesUSER-session-browse99-ttl-900- Same IP for 15 minutesUSER-country-US-session-us1-ttl-600- US IP, sticky for 10 minutes
The session identifier can be any string. Use unique identifiers for parallel tasks so each task gets its own sticky IP.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
407 Proxy Authentication Required
Your username or password is incorrect. Double-check your credentials in the GlobeData dashboard. Make sure there are no extra spaces or special characters being URL-encoded incorrectly.
Connection Timeout
Ensure you are connecting to proxy.globedata.io:8080. If you are behind a corporate firewall, port 8080 may be blocked. Try increasing your timeout to 30 seconds for the initial connection.
403 Forbidden from Target Site
The proxy is working but the target website is blocking the request. Try adding realistic User-Agent and Accept headers. If using datacenter proxies, switch to residential. Enable country targeting to match the site's expected geography.
SSL Certificate Errors
When using HTTPS through an HTTP proxy, the proxy creates a CONNECT tunnel. If you see SSL errors, make sure you are using http:// (not https://) in your proxy URL itself. The proxy URL uses HTTP; the target URL can be HTTPS.
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