How to Setup a Proxy Server?

A. Configuring a Proxy in System Settings

You can set up a proxy on macOS through system settings or by using a local proxy server.

• Open System Settings > Network > Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
• Click Details > Proxies.
• Enable HTTP Proxy or SOCKS Proxy and enter the server address and port.
• Click OK and Apply changes.

B. Setting Up a Local Proxy Server (Squid)

• Install Squid:

brew install squid

• Edit the Squid config file:

Changenano /usr/local/etc/squid.conf

Add:

http_port 3128

• Start Squid:

sudo brew services start squid

• Test with:

curl -x http://localhost:3128 https://www.google.com

Setting Up a Reverse Proxy

A reverse proxy forwards client requests to backend servers.

A. Using Nginx

• Install Nginx:

brew install nginx

• Edit the Nginx config file:

nano /opt/homebrew/etc/nginx/nginx.conf

Add:

server {
    listen 8080;
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:5000;
    }
}

• Start Nginx:

sudo brew services start nginx

• Open http://localhost:8080 to test.

B. Using Apache

• Start Apache:

sudo apachectl start

• Enable modules:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/httpd.conf

Uncomment:

LoadModule proxy_module libexec/apache2/mod_proxy.so
LoadModule proxy_http_module libexec/apache2/mod_proxy_http.so

• Edit or create a virtual host file:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf

Add:

<VirtualHost *:8080>
    ProxyPass / http://127.0.0.1:5000/
    ProxyPassReverse / http://127.0.0.1:5000/
</VirtualHost>

• Restart Apache:

sudo apachectl restart

Reversing a Proxy Server

To stop the proxy server:

System Settings: Go to Network > Proxies and disable the proxy.

• Squid Proxy:

sudo brew services stop squid

• Nginx Reverse Proxy:

sudo brew services stop nginx

• Apache Reverse Proxy:

sudo apachectl stop

This will remove the proxy and restore direct network access.