How to set up your own Proxy Server

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If web proxies are not working on your work or school computers because they have been banned by administrators, a way around this would be to setup your own proxy server that is being hosted either by a free web hosting service that supports either php or cgi or your own website that is being hosted by a web hosting company. Both methods work well and this guide will help you with the installation process of both.

Instructions

Phpproxy

1. Download phpproxy and unpack it to a local directory on your hard drive.
2. Unload the script to your webpage and open up the new URL to check if it is working all right.
3. Rename the file to something that does not contain the word proxy, to avoid filters that ban everything that has the word proxy in it.
4. Open up the script and enter your clients IP to ensure only your client will be able to connect. You can also add a .htaccess file to the directory forcing everyone who wants to start the script to enter a username and password.
5. Ensure you read the read me file which is included to familiarise yourself with the php script requirements. Check to see if the host has those requirements enabled.

Cgiproxy

1. Ensure your host has cgi enabled to run this script before you start the installation process. Many free hosts do not offer cgi or only some pre installed scripts.
2. Download the source and unpack it to a local directory.
3. Open the .cgi file and take a look at the configuration. Edit any settings you wish from within–for example, you can configure the script so it only allows text to go through the proxy but no images. Everything is explained in detail and all options are explained with comments.
4. Browse through the file, edit the options to your preference and save the new file.
5. Upload the script to your cgi directory if that is required by your host, and open the URL from your browser.
6. You should not be ready to use the web anonymously. To check if it is working, load a website like www.whatismyip.com as the first site and check if the IP matched with the proxy server the scripts is installed on and not your computer IP. If that is the case, you’ve done everything correctly and can surf the net anonymously.

Tips and warnings

• Even after you’ve done these steps to surf anonymously, there are still ways to find out your IP.
• If you can access the proxy from the client they only block domains or IPs.
• If you can’t access the proxy they might be banning filenames that contain proxy as well, try changing the file name.