Proxy Server Finder v.1 Documentation
- Finding Proxies
- Testing Proxies
- Filtering Proxies
- Interpreting the Results
- Exporting the Proxy List
- Additional Features
Finding Proxies
Downloading the Proxy List From ProxyServerFinder.com
You can download the proxy list from ProxyServerFinder.com by clicking on the button that says "Find Proxies" and then clicking on the menu item that says "Download Proxy List from ProxyServerFinder.com". This is the fastest way to get a list of proxies to test, and a high percentage of the proxies on this list will be good, working proxies.
You can search dozens of websites for proxies by clicking on the button that says "Find Proxies" and then clicking on the menu item that says "Find Proxies from Sites Below". The list of sites that ProxyServerFinder will search are automatically downloaded each time you launch the software. Using this option is recommended for advanced users because it can take more time to find the proxies, and it will result in a much larger list of proxies to test. Although the list is much larger, it generally has a higher percentage of non working proxies. The advantage of using this method is that you can discover fresh proxies that have just recently been added to the websites that are searched. You can also get larger lists of proxies.
To stop finding proxies before it is finished, you can press the "Stop" button. It may take a moment before it comes to a complete stop because it will need to wait for all threads to finish.
You can also download the proxies from a single website on the list by right clicking on the website in the list, and selecting the menu item that says "Find Proxies"
Adding / Removing Sites from List
You can add a website to the list of sites to be searched by typing (or pasting) the URL into the textbox below the list and pressing the "Add Site" button. The unique proxy searching algorithms can extract the proxies out of nearly all proxy websites. If proxies are successfully extracted from the website, the website will be added to the online database of sites that automatically loads when you launch the software. If ProxyServerFinder is unable to automatically extract the proxies from the website, you can still copy/paste the proxies into ProxyServerFinder using the "Import from Clipboard" feature.
You can remove a single site from the site list by right clicking on it, and selecting the "Delete" menu item.
You can clear the entire site list by right clicking on it and selecting the "Clear List" menu item. If you clear the list, and wish to re-download it, you can right click on the cleared list and select the "Download Proxy List" menu item.
Min # to find - You can set the minimum number of proxies to find by changing the value of this text box. ProxyServerFinder will stop searching for proxies if/when this number is reached.
Search in Random Order - If this checkbox is checked, Proxy Server Finder will download proxies from the site list in random order.
You can import proxies from a file by selecting the "Import List" button, and selecting the "Import from File" menu item. ProxyServerFinder is capable of importing proxies from plain text files or html files. The file can contain text /html other than the proxy list and the software will be able to extract just the proxies.
Importing Proxies From the Clipboard
You can import proxies from your clipboard by selecting the "Import List" button, and selecting the "Import from Clipboard" menu item. Your clipboard may contain text / html other than the proxy list and the software will be able to extract just the proxies. This feature is especially useful if you have a list of proxies from another source (a website, another program, etc) that you want to test. Also, if you come across a website that Proxy Server Finder us unable to automatically extract the proxies off of, you can usually copy the text of the website (not the source code) onto the clipboard and use the "Import from Clipboard" feature to extract the proxies.
Adding Additional Proxies to the List
If you wish to add a single proxy to the proxy list to test, you can click on the "Settings" tab, and then enter the IP and Port of the proxy and click the "Add Proxy" button.
Testing Proxies
You can test the proxies in the list by clicking the "Test Proxies" button. Depending on the number of proxies in the list, and the setting you have selected, it can take anywhere from a few seconds to several hours for the test to complete. The speed of the test also depends on the speed of your computer and of your Internet connection.
To stop the test before it is finished, you can press the "Stop" button. The test may take a moment before it comes to a complete stop because it will need to wait for all threads to finish.
These settings are located on the "Settings" tab.
Threads - Proxy Server Finder has a threading feature which allows you to test multiple proxies simultaneously, which greatly decreases the time it takes to test a list of proxies. Faster computers with faster Internet connections can run more threads at a time without having any problems, but if you feel like the program is freezing or making your computer run too slow, decrease the number of threads that are being used.
Timeout - Setting a timeout makes it so that Proxy Server Finder will only attempt to connect to a proxy for a set number of seconds before giving up. This speeds up the testing process, and also prevents you from getting a list of good proxies that are really slow. If you have a slow Internet connection, or a slow computer, we suggest you increase the timeout.
Auto Scroll Proxy List While Testing - If you have this checkbox checked, the proxy list automatically scrolls to the proxies that are currently being tested. This makes it so you can watch as the test progresses, but it can make it difficult if you want to scroll up/down yourself.
You can test individual proxies in the proxy list by right clicking on them and selecting the "Test" menu item. This can also be used if you wish to re-test a proxy that has already been tested.
Filtering Proxies
Once you are finished testing the proxy list, you will probably want to filter out the bad proxies, so you can export only the good proxies. You can access the filtering options by clicking on the "Filter" tab. After setting the filter options, press the "Apply" button. Be careful, applying a filter cannot be undone.
Delete Status - If checked, proxies with the selected status will be deleted from the list.
Delete Type - If checked, proxies with the selected type will be deleted from the list.
Delete Speed - If checked, proxies with the a speed slower than the selected speed will be deleted from the list. The Speed is measured in milliseconds.
Delete Country - If checked, proxies with the country initials in the textbox will be deleted from the list. You must also enter country initials into the textbox
Delete Govt - If checked, proxies with government status will be deleted from the list.
Delete Timeout - If checked, proxies that timed out will be deleted from the list.
Interpreting the Results
The results of the proxy test are displayed directly in the proxy list. A summary of the results are displayed in the "Statistics" tab.
Status = Good - The proxy test did not timeout, and that the proxy type is known.
Status = Bad - The proxy test timed out.
Status = Unknown - The proxy test did not timeout, but the proxy type could not be determined. It may be a private proxy, or a proxy that requires you to agree to terms before using it.
Status = Untested - The proxy has not yet been tested
Type = Elite - This proxy is anonymous (hides your IP address) and does not use any headers that identify it as a proxy server
Type = Anonymous - This proxy hides your IP address, but it may pass headers (HTTP_VIA) that identify it as a proxy server
Type = Transparent - This proxy uses the HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR header which shows that the request was made by the proxy IP for your IP address. This type of server does not provide anonymity, but it can still be used on many services that only check for the REMOTE_ADDR and to access blocked websites.
Type = CoDeeN - CoDeeN is a proxy server system created at Princeton University and deployed for general use on PlanetLab. These servers can generally be used to access blocked websites, and used in many programs, but they sometimes will limit the rate that you can make requests.
Government Status - ProxyServerFinder provides a best effort test to see if a proxy is on a known government IP address. This includes many foreign governments. However, if the government status shows up as negative, we cannot guarantee that it is not a government IP address or government affiliated.
Exporting the Proxy List
Save List - You can save the proxy list to a file by selecting the "Save List" button. This is a good idea to do once you have tested a proxy list, and filtered out the bad proxies. Only the proxies will be saved, not the type, status, etc. They are saved in plain text format to make it easy to import into other programs.
Copy List - You can copy the proxy list to your clipboard by selecting the "Copy List" button. This is good to use when you have another program that you can paste the proxies into. Only the proxies will be saved, not the type, status, etc.
Copy - You can copy an individual proxy from the proxy list to your clipboard by right clicking on the proxy and selecting "Copy" from the menu.
Additional Features
Clear List - If you wish to clear the proxy list and start over, click on the "Clear List" button.
Proxy IP Info - You can get additional information about the location and network of a proxy by right clicking on it and selecting the "IP Info" menu item. This will take you to a webpage with additional information, including a map with a rough estimate of the network location.
View Response - You can view the response to the proxy test by right clicking on a proxy that has been tested and selecting the "View Response" menu item. This will show you the headers and/or other response that the proxy server gave. This is especially useful for determining whether "Unknown" servers can be used, or if they are private, etc.
My IP - Your external IP address is displayed on the "Statistics" tab. If you click on this link, it will take you to a webpage with additional information about your IP network location, browser settings, etc. If your browser is setup to connect to the Internet using a proxy, a different IP address this webpage will display information about the proxy's network, rather than your own.