Proxy list

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Generally spoken, a proxy list is a list of open HTTP/HTTPS/SOCKS proxy servers 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 that support CONNECT/Tunneling/SSL method)
SOCKS 4/4a/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. The proxy lists can be checked automatically for anonymity using a Proxyjudge script.

Proxy server which are listed on proxy websites 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 server 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.