Starting a Proxy Site

Starting a Proxy Site

A proxy site is a site that allows users to view sites that would otherwise be blocked by firewalls and/or hide their ip address and internet usage.

How does it work?

Well there are many versions but the one I’m most familiar with is the PHP Proxy. A user requests a page or base url. The php on the server uses something like fopen or curl to open the page (file) and get the contents of the page. The content is then displayed on the requesting domain as a page for the user to view. So to the network admin or anyone checking the computers internet access log it just looks like the user visited the proxy site.

Problems in running a site?

Well to begin with it’s nearly impossible to get shared hosting that will knowingly allow you to run a proxy site on their server. It usually requires a vps (virtual private server) or a dedicated server. VPS and dedicated servers are expensive. Anywhere from $50-$1500 a month for the low to high end. There are some shared hosting plans for under $10 but I’ve tried them and they stink. The page load time is horrible, and this is because of the other proxy sites on the same shared server using up so much of the system resources. So it’s really a gamble. You either fork out some cash upfront and use a vps or dedicated server, and hope your proxy becomes popular enough for you to make some really money and at least cover the cost of the server, or you buy cheap shared hosting and watch your visitors disappear. (because no one wants to use a slow proxy). Another problem is getting hacked. Because your server is opening up any page requested by the user and copying that data and then displaying it on your server it is possible for a hacker to put some sql injection in a remote page, then request that page. This means they could execute commands like “delete from table” or similar. Additionally they could run a php copy command that would grab a remote .txt or .htm file open it up and copy those file contents as a somefile.php on your server. That page they created could be a directory management software that allows the user to delete and edit your sites content at will. These are things to watch out for. Another thing would be the fact that once you become large enough your site starts landing itself on blacklist used by companies, universities, and other institutions. What’s good about proxies?

With all the problems whats good about proxy sites?

Well if you can overcome the hurdles listed above your site could become hugely successful. You could receive thousands of visitors daily, and somehow monetize that traffic. Your site displays content from other sites, so you don’t have to worry about adding content. Once you have one proxy site you can start another and then another and have a ring of proxy sites. So when one site gets blocked you can still have others running. You may have to move servers however or at the least change your domains ip.

PHP Proxy Software
So that I not telling you which software to use let me refer you to Google for this one
http://www.google.com/search?q=php+proxy

Hope this helps you launch your proxy site, and that it’s successful. Please post any comments below. Proxy links are welcome so long as they are not spy-ware.

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