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Proxies are more lightweight alternatives to VPNs that can be used to download torrents anonymously. However, unlike a VPN, a proxy has to be configured manually in your torrent client’s settings to work properly.
Below, you will find everything you need to know about how to use a proxy for torrenting.
There are different types of proxies for different use cases, but the most commonly used are HTTP and SOCKS5 proxies. However, SOCKS5 proxies are a much better option for torrenting than HTTP proxies.
HTTP proxies are high-level proxies designed to transmit HTTP data, making them the best option for web browsing. On the other hand, SOCKS5 proxies are low-level “all-purpose” proxies that can easily handle any program, protocol, or type of traffic.
There are several reasons why you should opt for SOCKS5 for torrenting, including:
On the other hand, HTTP proxies are primarily designed for anonymous HTTP browsing, so they will likely leak torrent data if used for downloading torrents.
Smartproxy is a top-rated proxy provider trusted by many. Its 40 million+ proxies from 195+ locations help bypass CAPTCHAs, geo-blocks, and IP bans. It offers a free trial and has a high rating of 4.7 on Trustpilot with 89% 5-star ratings, making it one of the best in the industry.
Any time you torrent, your IP address is exposed to the torrent client, as well as other users in the torrent swamp. In other words, whenever you download a torrent, anyone else who is downloading or uploading that same torrent can see your public IP address.
That poses a security risk, as your IP address can be used to trace your ISP and geographic location, potentially leading to cyber-attacks and online identity theft.
With that in mind, here are the main benefits of using a proxy for torrenting:
The main reason for using a proxy for torrenting or any other activity is to hide your IP address.
A proxy acts as an intermediary between the internet and your device. When you use a proxy server for torrenting, your peers will see the proxy’s IP address instead of your own, which makes tracing your torrenting activity back to you extremely difficult.
Unlike a VPN, a proxy doesn’t encrypt your internet traffic; it only masks your IP address. The lack of encryption makes proxies less secure than VPNs, but it also results in much faster download speeds for torrenting.
The only way to link the proxy’s IP activity to your IP address would be through user logs, and the only one who has access to these logs is the proxy server provider. However, the best proxy server providers out there keep no user logs.
When using a proxy for torrenting or any other activity, make sure you choose a paid proxy server, as they are the only ones that keep no logs of user activity. On the other hand, free proxies may even sell user logs to third-party marketing or advertising firms to make a profit.
A properly configured proxy will route all of your internet traffic through a remote server, guaranteeing no IP leaks will occur. However, to ensure all your torrent traffic is routed toward the proxy server, you must use a SOCKS5 proxy instead of an HTTP proxy.
Here are the steps you need to follow to configure a BitTorrent proxy on your computer.
Note that BitTorrent has three versions: Android, Web, and Classic, and proxy settings can only be modified in the Classic version, which is the desktop client available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Setting up a proxy for uTorrent works similarly. Here are the steps you need to follow:
Deluge is a free, open-source BitTorrent client available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Follow these steps to configure Deluge proxy settings on all of these platforms:
On Mac, select Deluge from the menu bar and click on Preferences.
Once you have set up a torrent proxy server, it is critical to check whether the proxy configuration is working properly. The best way to do this is with an IP-tracking website.
Using such a website will allow you to see whether your actual IP address has been successfully replaced by the proxy’s IP address, as you will be able to view your torrent IP address as seen by your peers and trackers.
Here are the steps you will need to take:
But what do the results mean?
To correctly interpret the results, make sure you know the IP address assigned to you by your ISP (or your VPN IP, if you use one).
If you are looking for a proxy server for torrenting, you may get overwhelmed by choice, as there are many proxy services to choose from. To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of the best proxy services for torrenting:
Smartproxy offers several key features that make it suitable for torrenting:
PIA was the first major VPN provider to offer a no-logs SOCKS5 proxy with each one of its packages. Here are its main benefits:
NordVPN has more SOCKS5 proxy locations than any other VPN provider. Here are its main benefits:
TorGuard is a lesser-known VPN provider that offers an anonymous proxy service that you can purchase as a standalone service or get as part of a VPN subscription.
CyberGhost offers an excellent proxy solution with its dedicated Google Chrome and Firefox browser extensions.
Now that you know how to use a proxy for torrenting, you can download torrents safely and anonymously. Just remember — always use a SOCKS5 proxy and a no-logs proxy service provider. Also, make sure to check whether your proxy is working properly to avoid any IP leaks, and your proxy setup will be complete.
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