Proxy list

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A proxy list is a list of websites classified as proxies all on one website. Proxies allow users to make indirect network connections to other computer network services. Proxy lists include the IP addresses of computers hosting open proxy servers, meaning proxy servers that are available to anyone on the internet. Proxy lists are often divided by the various proxy protocols the servers use, most commonly:

HTTP
HTTPS (HTTP proxies allowing connections to any port)
SOCKS4/4a/5

Proxy lists are actively updated, as the availability of many proxy servers is very sporadic. Some lists are freely available to anyone; others require a paid subscription. Proxy lists are most commonly compiled using automated software which scans the Internet for known proxy identifiers such as open ports or HTTP headers.

Proxy lists have a reputation of existing in a legal "gray area", because many of the computers listed may not be deliberately offering proxy service to all internet users. Some computers on a proxy list have either been accidentally configured to act as proxies, or had proxy software maliciously installed by computer criminals.

The IPs listed in proxy lists are often added into spam blacklists, which identify computers likely to send spam. Blacklist maintainers reason that computers listed as operating open proxies have likely been mis-configured or compromised to send spam or other malicious traffic.