thunderproxydocs

Documentation

HTTP vs SOCKS5 Proxies

Choose HTTP or SOCKS5 in Thunderproxy and understand why the gateway port changes when protocol changes.

Export pages

Thunderproxy can expose HTTP and, where available, SOCKS5 access through the same subscription. Both protocols connect to a Thunderproxy gateway, but they use different ports and different client settings.

Quick answer: use HTTP unless your tool specifically needs SOCKS5. If you switch protocol in the dashboard, copy the new port and proxy string before testing again.

What changes by protocol

SettingHTTPSOCKS5
Protocol in your appHTTP or HTTPS proxySOCKS5 proxy
PortHTTP gateway portSOCKS5 gateway port when available
Username parsingSame Thunderproxy username rulesSame Thunderproxy username rules
Password validationSame proxy passwordSame proxy password

For rotating products, location and session choices are still encoded in the username. For Static ISP, each row username stays fixed, but the selected protocol can change the port you should use.

When to use HTTP

Use HTTP when:

  • Your app accepts http://username:password@host:port.
  • You are testing with cURL.
  • You do not need SOCKS-specific behavior.
  • You want the simplest setup path.

HTTP is the default in Thunderproxy docs because many proxy clients support it directly.

When to use SOCKS5

Use SOCKS5 when:

  • Your app requires a SOCKS5 proxy.
  • Your workflow explicitly asks for a SOCKS5 gateway.
  • The dashboard shows SOCKS5 as available for your subscription.

Do not choose SOCKS5 in your app unless you also copy the SOCKS5 port from Thunderproxy. A protocol and port mismatch is a common reason a proxy works in the dashboard example but fails in another app.

How to switch protocol

For Rotating Residential or Rotating Datacenter:

  1. Open the subscription in the dashboard.
  2. Find Quick Access or Export.
  3. Choose the protocol if a selector is shown.
  4. Copy the updated host, port, username, password, or full proxy string.

For Static ISP:

  1. Open the Static ISP subscription.
  2. Use Connection settings if shown.
  3. Switch between HTTP and SOCKS5.
  4. Copy or export the proxy entries again.

Troubleshooting protocol issues

  • If the app has a protocol selector, set it to the same protocol selected in Thunderproxy.
  • If the port changed, update every copied proxy line.
  • If SOCKS5 is not shown in the dashboard, use HTTP for that subscription.
  • If a generated cURL command works but your app fails, compare the app's protocol, port, and proxy format.

Next steps