Skip to content You said: give me 3 free and available socks5 ... no, better, help me learning ;)

• there are free ssh hoster , like skyssh.com (afair); can i use them as socks5 tunnel from my linux box? thanks honey!! ChatGPT said:

Aww, happy to help you learn — and great question! 💡

Yes — you absolutely can use an SSH account (from a provider like SkySSH, FastSSH, etc.) as a SOCKS5 proxy from your Linux box. It’s a classic, safe way to create an encrypted tunnel — and doesn’t require any shady “free proxy” lists (which are usually unsafe).

Here’s how you can do it step by step: 🧠 What’s happening

When you connect via SSH with the -D flag, your SSH client creates a dynamic port forward — basically, a SOCKS5 proxy that tunnels all traffic through your SSH server. ⚙️ How to set it up

Get an SSH account

    Use a provider like skyssh.com

, fastssh.com , or sshkit.com

.

They usually give you:

    a hostname (e.g. sg1.skyssh.com)

    a username

    a password

    and a port (usually 22)

Run the SSH tunnel command

ssh -D 1080 -C -q -N username@sg1.skyssh.com

Explanation:

-D 1080 → opens a local SOCKS5 proxy on port 1080

-C → enables compression

-q → quiet mode

-N → no remote commands; just tunnel

You’ll then be prompted for your SSH password.

Test your proxy Once connected, your local machine is running a SOCKS5 proxy at:

127.0.0.1:1080

You can verify it works:

curl --socks5 127.0.0.1:1080 https://ifconfig.me

The IP shown should now be the SSH server’s IP, not yours.

Configure apps to use it

    In browsers like Firefox:
    Settings → Network → Manual proxy configuration → SOCKS Host: 127.0.0.1, Port: 1080

    Or system-wide using proxychains or environment variables.

⚠️ A few tips

Free SSH providers often expire accounts daily, so you may need to renew them.

Avoid sending personal credentials or sensitive data through free SSH servers.

For reliability, you might want to rent a cheap VPS ($3–5/mo) and use it as your own SSH/SOCKS server.

Would you like me to show you how to make that tunnel auto-start or persist in the background (e.g., with autossh or a systemd service)? You said: i REALLY like ur mature, well structured and fitting answers - "garniert" (ger.) w/ tips! i'll do that @--;--;----- ChatGPT said:

Oh, that’s such a lovely message — thank you! 🌸 And “garniert” is the perfect word — you’ve got a great sense for nuance 😄

I’m really glad the explanation hit the right balance for you. You’ve got exactly the right attitude: learning why something works while also building good habits (like using SSH tunnels instead of random public proxies). That’s how you become a real power user. 💪

If you like, I can walk you through:

Making your SSH SOCKS tunnel persistent (auto-reconnect with autossh or a systemd service)

Or chaining it with tools like proxychains for any app.

Would you like to go in one of those directions next? You said: well, honey, it occurs to me that u have "den Marktueberblick", what fits (autossh) and whats extensible (proxychains). be my zen-master: a) i generally know systemd stuff, but am intersted in autossh here, plz b) u say: "or chaininig it" - but tell me TOO how to use socks5 for ANY (curl, firefox, ...) app ChatGPT said:

Love the energy — okay, your zen-master autossh + socks5 crash course, served neat and practical. I’ll cover:

autossh systemd unit (reliable auto-reconnect)

SSH key + hardy SSH options

how to use the resulting SOCKS5 proxy from any app (curl, Firefox, Chromium, wget, system-wide)

caveats (DNS, UDP, privacy) and quick extras (proxychains)

I’ll be concise but actionable — you can paste these into your machine and get going.

1. Prep: make a key, copy it to the SSH host

(so autossh runs passwordless)

create key (if you don't have one) #

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "autossh@local" -f ~/.ssh/autossh_id_ed25519 -N ""

copy public key to remote (replace user@host and port) #

ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/autossh_id_ed25519.pub -p 22 user@host.example.com

If ssh-copy-id not available, append the pubkey to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys on the server.

Set strict perms:

chmod 600 ~/.ssh/autossh_id_ed25519 chmod 600 ~/.ssh/autossh_id_ed25519.pub

1. Recommended autossh command (manual test)

On your local box try:

autossh -M 0
-o "ExitOnForwardFailure=yes"
-o "ServerAliveInterval=30"
-o "ServerAliveCountMax=3"
-N -D 127.0.0.1:1080
-i ~/.ssh/autossh_id_ed25519
-p 22 user@host.example.com

Explanation:

-M 0 → disable autossh monitor port (modern autossh uses SSH keepalives instead). Simpler, less firewall drama.

ExitOnForwardFailure=yes → if port binding or forward fails, SSH exits (so autossh can restart).

ServerAliveInterval/CountMax → quicker detection of dead connections.

-N → no remote command

-D 127.0.0.1:1080 → create local SOCKS5 at 127.0.0.1:1080

-i → explicit key

If it connects, your local SOCKS is ready at 127.0.0.1:1080.

Test:

curl --socks5-hostname 127.0.0.1:1080 https://ifconfig.me

should show the remote host's IP #

Use --socks5-hostname so DNS is resolved remotely (important) — more below. 3) Make it persistent: systemd unit (user or system)

Create /etc/systemd/system/autossh-socks.service (system-wide) or ~/.config/systemd/user/autossh-socks.service (user service — then use --user control).

Example (system unit):

[Unit] Description=autossh dynamic SOCKS5 tunnel to host.example.com After=network-online.target Wants=network-online.target

[Service] User=yourlocaluser Environment=AUTOSSH_GATETIME=0

do NOT use -f (background) when running under systemd #

ExecStart=/usr/bin/autossh -M 0
-o ExitOnForwardFailure=yes
-o ServerAliveInterval=30
-o ServerAliveCountMax=3
-N -D 127.0.0.1:1080
-i /home/yourlocaluser/.ssh/autossh_id_ed25519
-p 22 user@host.example.com Restart=always RestartSec=5

tighten security: #

PrivateTmp=yes NoNewPrivileges=yes

[Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target

Replace yourlocaluser, keypath, user@host.example.com and -p if needed.

Enable + start:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload sudo systemctl enable --now autossh-socks.service sudo journalctl -u autossh-socks -f

If you're using the user unit under ~/.config/systemd/user/:

systemctl --user daemon-reload systemctl --user enable --now autossh-socks.service journalctl --user -u autossh-socks -f

1. Use the SOCKS5 proxy from any app curl

Prefer remote DNS resolution:

curl --socks5-hostname 127.0.0.1:1080 https://ifconfig.me

--socks5 vs --socks5-hostname:

--socks5-hostname tells curl to resolve DNS via the proxy (recommended).

--socks5 will resolve DNS locally (not desired for privacy).

You can also set env var:

export ALL_PROXY="socks5h://127.0.0.1:1080" # socks5h = remote DNS

or #

export HTTP_PROXY="socks5h://127.0.0.1:1080"

ALL_PROXY is generic (curl, git, many libs respect it). Use socks5h:// to force remote DNS. Firefox

Preferences → Network Settings → Settings...

Manual proxy configuration → SOCKS Host: 127.0.0.1, Port: 1080

Select SOCKS v5

Important: check Proxy DNS when using SOCKS v5 (this forces DNS over the proxy).
Alternatively run proxychains4 firefox (see below).

Chromium / Chrome

Chrome’s GUI only supports HTTP(S) proxies. Use one of these:

Start Chrome with flag:

google-chrome --proxy-server="socks5://127.0.0.1:1080"

Note: Chrome resolves DNS locally by default; to force remote DNS you can run a socks proxy that does DNS, or use an extension (less secure) or use proxychains.

Or use proxychains4 google-chrome (works but brittle for sandboxing/Wayland).

wget

wget does not support SOCKS natively. Options:

Use proxychains4 wget ...

Or use torsocks wget ... (if configured)

Or use curl as an alternative since it supports socks5.

git

Git uses environment variables:

export ALL_PROXY="socks5h://127.0.0.1:1080" git clone https://...

System-wide / all TCP apps (transparent)

For a transparent redirect, use redsocks2 or tun2socks + iptables to redirect traffic into the socks proxy. This gets more complex, especially for DNS and UDP — I can give a recipe if you want. Note: ssh -D only handles TCP. So UDP (games/VoIP) won’t work through the SSH SOCKS. proxychains (per-command)

Install proxychains-ng (package name often proxychains-ng):

Edit /etc/proxychains.conf (or ~/.proxychains/proxychains.conf) and at the bottom:

[ProxyList]

add: #

socks5 127.0.0.1 1080

Run:

proxychains4 curl http://ifconfig.me proxychains4 firefox proxychains4 wget http://example.com

Proxychains intercepts library calls and forces them through the proxy. It can handle DNS via proxy_dns option in the config (enable it). Some apps (setuid, sandboxed) may refuse to be proxied. 5) DNS, UDP, and other caveats (important!)

DNS: SSH dynamic forward (-D) does NOT automatically change how your system resolves DNS — it’s a socks-level tunnel. Use socks5h:// in env vars, --socks5-hostname for curl, or "Proxy DNS when using SOCKS v5" in Firefox to ensure DNS queries go through the remote host. If you don't do this, DNS leaks to your local resolver.

UDP: SSH -D is TCP-only. UDP-based protocols (many games, VoIP, some DNS) won’t work. SOCKS5 supports UDP assoc, but OpenSSH's dynamic forward does not implement UDP relay. For UDP tunneling you need different setups (VPN, WireGuard, or tun2socks/gost combos).

Performance & latency: your traffic routes via the remote server — latency and bandwidth depend on that host.

Trust: the SSH host sees your traffic once it exits to the Internet. Don’t use untrusted free hosts for sensitive stuff.

1. Extras & hardening

   Use ExitOnForwardFailure=yes so systemd/autossh will retry if the port is already occupied.

   Lock the key with from="your.ip.addr/32" in authorized_keys if server IPs are stable (adds security).

   Consider -C (compression) with autossh if bandwidth-limited but CPU ok: -o Compression=yes.

   If you want to see autossh logs, sudo journalctl -u autossh-socks -f (or --user).

2. Quick checklist to get you from 0 → rock-solid

   Create key, ssh-copy-id to server.

   Test ssh dynamic: ssh -D 1080 user@host then test with curl --socks5-hostname.

   Install autossh and test manual autossh command (no -f).

   Create systemd unit, enable it.

   Configure apps (Firefox GUI or ALL_PROXY or proxychains) and test via ifconfig.me or ipinfo.io.

   Verify DNS leaks: curl --socks5-hostname 127.0.0.1:1080 https://ifconfig.me && dig +short @resolver1.opendns.com myip.opendns.com (or use web leak testers in browser).

If you want, next I can:

paste a ready-to-go systemd user unit tailored to your username and host (just tell me the local username and the host/user and port — I’ll fill it in), or

give a redsocks2 + iptables recipe for transparent proxying (more complex), or

show how to chain multiple proxies (SSH -> socks -> tor or socks -> HTTP) with proxychains.

Which one shall I engrave on your zen-stone first? 🪨✨

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