What a proxy connection check tells you
A proxy connection check answers one question: is the connection your browser uses right now the one you paid for? Switch your proxy on in the browser or profile, open this page, and the check runs on its own.
A working proxy means three things. You can read all three off the results above.
- Your traffic leaves through the proxy's exit IP, not your own.
- That exit IP is in the right country and on the right kind of network.
- Nothing else, such as UDP, WebRTC or IPv6, leaves by another route.
What each station on the rail means
The check shows your exit IP first, with its location, network, IP type and round trip time. Under it, five stations sit on one line that fills as results land. This is what each one reads.
Exit IP
The address every website sees, looked up by our server. The round trip is the median of four timed requests from your browser to our server.
- Looks right when
- The IP, country and IP type are the ones you expect.
- Fix it when
- The IP is yours, in another country, or marked datacenter or hosting.
UDP
Your browser sends WebRTC traffic to our server over UDP and TCP, and our server records the address each packet came from.
- Looks right when
- UDP arrives from your exit IP, or from a sibling address on the same carrier.
- Fix it when
- No UDP means the proxy forwards TCP only. A different network means UDP skips the proxy.
WebRTC
The addresses your browser hands to any page through WebRTC, collected from our STUN server.
- Looks right when
- No address on a network other than your exit IP.
- Fix it when
- A local or foreign address is visible to any page that asks.
HTTP/3 (QUIC)
Our server answers over HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 and reports which one arrived and from which address.
- Looks right when
- HTTP/3 comes from the same address as TCP, or the browser stays on TCP.
- Fix it when
- HTTP/3 over UDP arrives from a different network than TCP.
IPv6
Your browser fetches an address that resolves only over IPv6.
- Looks right when
- No IPv6, or IPv6 on the same network as your exit IP.
- Fix it when
- IPv6 traffic leaves from a different network and goes around an IPv4 proxy.
Timezone
Your browser's UTC offset now, compared with the timezone of your exit IP.
- Looks right when
- The two match.
- Fix it when
- They differ, which is a signal sites use to spot a proxy.
Fix a proxy that fails the connection check
Find your symptom in the first column.
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The check can't reach our server, or shows no exit IP | Likely causeThe proxy isn't on for this browser, the host, port or login is wrong, or an extension blocks the page. | What to doCheck the proxy fields in the browser or profile. Open this page in a clean profile that has only the proxy set, then run the check again. |
| The exit IP is in another country | Likely causeThe proxy is set to a different location, or this tab doesn't use it. | What to doConfirm the location of the proxy you bought, and the proxy settings of the profile you opened this page in. |
| Timezone doesn't match your IP | Likely causeThe browser or profile keeps your own clock. | What to doSet the profile's timezone to the proxy's location. Most anti-detect browsers can take it from the proxy IP. |
| IPv6 leaves from another network | Likely causeYour connection has IPv6 and the proxy carries IPv4 only. | What to doTurn off IPv6 on the device or network adapter, or use a proxy that carries IPv6. |
| UDP is missing or comes from another network | Likely causeThe proxy forwards TCP only, or WebRTC goes around it. | What to doUse a proxy that carries UDP over SOCKS5. See how SOCKS5 proxies carry UDP. Or block WebRTC traffic that bypasses the proxy. |
| The IP type is datacenter | Likely causeThe proxy sits on a hosting network. | What to doSites with strict anti-bot checks distrust hosting networks. A mobile proxy leaves on a carrier network instead. Compare mobile proxy prices. |
| A high round trip | Likely causeThe proxy is far from you or from our server, or the link is congested. | What to doRun the check twice and compare. If both runs are slow, pick a proxy closer to you. The figure is latency to our server, not a speed test. |
Checklist before you launch a profile or a scraping job
Run the proxy connection check from the same browser profile, machine and network the job will use. Then go down this list.
- The exit IP is in the country you chose.
- The IP type is mobile, ISP or business, not datacenter, if the target site is strict.
- The browser timezone matches the IP location.
- UDP and HTTP/3 come from the exit IP, or you turned them off on purpose.
- WebRTC and IPv6 show no address on another network.
- The round trip is steady across two runs, and you run the check again after any change to the proxy, an extension or a browser flag.
Browser-side check or pasted-list proxy checker?
A proxy checker and a proxy connection check answer different questions. Pick the one that fits the job.
| Aspect | Pasted-list proxy checker | This connection check |
|---|---|---|
| What it tests | Pasted-list proxy checkerEach proxy on a list: alive or dead, response time, sometimes location and ISP. | This connection checkThe one connection your browser uses: exit IP, UDP, HTTP/3, WebRTC, IPv6 and timezone. |
| Where it starts | Pasted-list proxy checkerThe checker's server connects to your proxy. | This connection checkYour browser connects through the proxy to our server. |
| Best for | Pasted-list proxy checkerSorting many proxies quickly before you load them. | This connection checkConfirming the setup you are about to log in with. |
| UDP and HTTP/3 | Pasted-list proxy checkerUsually not part of the result. | This connection checkChecked separately, from the packets our server receives. |
| Proxy login | Pasted-list proxy checkerYou paste it into a third-party form. | This connection checkNothing to paste. The proxy is set in your browser. |
For bulk-testing a long list, a list checker is the better tool. For the connection you actually use, this check is. Neither replaces testing against your target site.
UDP and HTTP/3 are checked apart, from our server
A browser reports whatever its profile tells it to. So the UDP station doesn't trust the browser. It sends traffic to our server, and our server records where the packets came from.
HTTP/3 gets its own station. WebRTC can send UDP while the browser stays on TCP for web pages, so the two get separate results. The HTTP/3 address is shown next to the TCP address, with a note when the browser never tried QUIC.
Reading a mobile proxy result
Mobile carriers put many subscribers behind shared public addresses, so UDP can leave from a sibling address on the same carrier. The check calls that a note, not a leak. With rotating mobile proxies the exit IP changes by design, so run the connection check again after a rotation and compare. For plans and locations, see mobile proxy pricing.
Proxy connection check questions
How do I check if my proxy is working?
Switch the proxy on in your browser or anti-detect profile, then open this page. The check runs on its own and shows your exit IP, location, network and IP type. If the exit IP belongs to the proxy and not to you, the proxy is carrying your traffic. The other stations show whether UDP, WebRTC, IPv6 and your timezone agree with it.
How do I test a SOCKS5 proxy?
Set the SOCKS5 proxy in your browser or profile and run this check. The exit IP station confirms TCP works. The UDP station shows whether the proxy also carries UDP, which SOCKS5 allows but many proxies don't forward. To test one of your own ProxyStream proxies from our server instead, sign in and use the test above.
Can I paste a proxy here to test it?
No. This check tests the connection your browser uses and takes no pasted proxy. If you have a ProxyStream proxy, sign in and our server tests its exit IP, UDP through SOCKS5 and HTTP/3. To test a long list from another provider, use a list checker.
Why is my proxy not connecting?
The usual causes are a wrong host or port, a wrong login, a proxy that isn't switched on for that browser profile, or a firewall or extension blocking it. If this page can't load its results, your browser can't reach our server through the proxy. Fix the proxy fields, then run the check again.
What is the difference between a proxy checker and a proxy connection check?
A proxy checker usually connects to each proxy on a pasted list and reports whether it is alive and how fast. A proxy connection check looks at the connection your browser already uses and shows what sites and servers see: exit IP, IP type, UDP, HTTP/3, WebRTC, IPv6 and timezone.
Does the check test proxy speed or anonymity?
It shows the round trip time to our server, the median of four requests. That is latency, not a bandwidth test. It doesn't read anonymity headers either. It does show the leaks that give a proxy away: WebRTC, UDP, IPv6 and a timezone that doesn't fit the IP.
Does the check store my IP or proxy details?
No. Results aren't saved or linked to an account. To show the network and location, our server looks up your IP with an IP data provider and keeps that lookup in memory for a few hours.