Shadowsocks: a convenient proxy client for everyone

Internet security is a question that interests many modern users. Hackers are constantly improving their skills in attempts to gain access to the information they need. And, unfortunately, none of you are immune from the fact that traffic can be intercepted, and important information contained in it can be stolen and used for illegal purposes. In an attempt to prevent this, to ensure the security of transmitted data, many users began to use traffic encryption. This initiative in itself can be called laudable, but in most cases it is redundant.

OpenVPN technologies, which are often used to hide information that is transmitted to a trusted server, such as your VPS, in practice turn out to be too complex. This is especially true if traffic security is the only goal. Moreover, such a solution simply does not make sense. You will spend a lot of time and effort to complete all the necessary settings, but at the same time, Internet attackers will be able to identify your data very easily. Moreover, there are many pitfalls here that not every user knows about. As a result, it may turn out that you will use the same VPN, but the traffic will still go around. And the reason here is that OpenVPN was initially launched to provide access to a small network via the Internet, and not as a means of connecting to the World Wide Web as a whole.

One of the best solutions in this situation can be called such an open project as Shadowsocks. It is a pair of programs created specifically for the server and for the client. In a nutshell, its work will look like this: the client presents itself as a SOCKS5 proxy server, while receiving an incoming connection. Here, data is encrypted and then transferred to the server, after which it is broadcast to the Internet. In practice, such a solution is quite similar to SSH tunneling, but the advantages of using Shadowsocks will be much greater, and the disadvantages are fewer.

As part of today's review, we will dwell in detail on what the Shadowsocks project is in general, highlight its advantages and disadvantages. Let's get acquainted with how this proxy client works. We will dwell on the main updates of the application, as well as current tariffs. We will tell you how to configure this proxy client on devices with the Android operating system and suggest which proxies are best suited for performing these jobs. We will highlight the main errors that can occur when working with this software product and ways to solve them. The information provided will help you to understand what Shadowsocks is and determine the feasibility of its use in practice in your case, as well as perform all the necessary settings as quickly as possible and without the slightest risk.

What is the Shadowsocks proxy client

Shadowsocks is a software product developed back in 2012 by the Chinese private company Shadow Launch Technology Limited. It is a fairly powerful and at the same time universal solution that can be used both as a proxy client and as a VPN client. Thanks to its wide functionality and high availability, the application helps users to bypass various Internet restrictions as flexibly and quickly as possible, encrypt personal information, thereby providing good security indicators for users. At the same time, regional restrictions are also removed, meaning that users can easily connect to sites and services from different countries and regions of the world.

During the existence of this product on the market, it has established itself as reliable, stable, and effective. Consumers also highly appreciated the ease of use. Now let's take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of Shadowsocks, so that you can see how advanced and functional the product is in front of you.

The Main Advantages of Shadowsocks

We will begin a more detailed acquaintance with the Shadowsocks proxy client directly with a description of its advantages. In particular, the following points should be highlighted here:

• Ability to use together with both VPN servers and proxies. Thanks to this, you get the chance to easily browse unmoderated sites, and from different countries and regions of the world, maintain high levels of privacy and security when working online, you can use multi-accounting and automated software solutions without fear of running into blocking or other restrictions from the system.
• Ease and convenience in setup, as well as in subsequent work. You will need only a few minutes of time and a minimum of effort, knowledge in order to launch this agent into use. Here you do not need to have any specific knowledge or practical skills. Below we will describe what actions you will need to implement step by step, and you can do this work yourself, simply by following the recommendations. Moreover, the developer offers a set of all recommendations and installation guides for any devices, adapted for people who have minimal knowledge in this niche.
• The ability to work even without administrator rights. If you have certain knowledge in the field of programming, you can install this product from pip, as well as update packages, manage all dependencies, putting minimal effort into it. Thanks to this, you will noticeably save time on performing work.
• The presence of additional configuration options. Shadowsocks offers users a huge number of options for making settings, which will optimize network performance. Alternatively, you can choose the protocols that suit you best, customize proxy rules, make adjustments to device parameters, focusing on the needs that you are facing at a given time.
• The ability to configure access directly at the level of individual programs. To solve this problem, you can use add-ons such as FoxyProxy, OmegaSwitchy and others like it to make adjustments at the level of individual addresses, which is especially important when working with complex rules. By the way, it is not possible to implement this if you decide to work through a VPN. You can only get such a solution if you use local proxies on each client.
• Bypassing restrictions. By using the Shadowrocket proxy client, you can bypass any geographic access restrictions by connecting to those social networks, sites, streaming services that are blocked in your region. Such a solution will help to provide broad functionality when working online for ordinary users and those who are engaged in professional activities here.
• Cross-platform availability. Initially, the Shadowsocks application was developed for devices running on the iOS operating system. Subsequently, the developers expanded the scope of its application. Thus, modern users can use this proxy client for devices running on Android and Windows operating systems. Thanks to this solution, almost any user gets access to an advanced technical solution.
• In the event of a connection failure, the Shadowsocks proxy client will remain operational, which cannot be said about a classic VPN, which is mostly implemented through a virtual network card. This means that your traffic itself will not go unprotected. And even if the application stops working at some point in time, you will not be able to communicate directly unless you want it yourself, that is, do not make the appropriate settings. This is what guarantees high security of the transmitted data.
• With Shadowsocks, less technical information will be transferred with each data stream, which means that the weight of your files will decrease, and with it the energy consumption of your device. This will be especially relevant for users of smartphones, tablets - battery power will be significantly saved.
• Compared to the SSH tunnel, there will be a higher throughput, which will ensure stable operation of thousands of clients even if each of them will send a huge number of connections. If you have already worked with SSH tunnels, as an option with torrents, then you probably noticed slowdowns. In addition, the speed noticeably decreased here even as a result of minor network irregularities. This will not happen when using Shadowsocks.
• Today, you can easily find various versions of servers, presented in the form of libraries for different languages of the world, including quite exotic ones. This means that you can connect such a server to your work in order to encrypt the access of your own clients.
• The ability to perform graphical configuration of clients. Alternatively, you can generate a unique QR code, which will then be scanned by smartphone or personal computer clients, performing subsequent independent configuration. That is, you will only need to initially do all this work yourself, and then distribute them to an unlimited number of devices in literally seconds. If desired, you can even post them on the site or hang them on the wall.

As you can see, the advantages are more than impressive. But, alas, there are also disadvantages that you must be aware of and take them into account in practice.

What you need to know about the disadvantages of Shadowsocks

But, be that as it may, along with more than significant advantages, Shadowsocks also has disadvantages. In particular, the most significant of them include:

• Lack of official audit. This point is relevant in comparison with OpenVPN, where a similar procedure took place. That is, this proxy client was actively studied by users, because its code is open, but there was no official verification here.
• No separation of users. It is important to adhere to the principle: one port - one password. But at the same time, it is possible to teach the proxy client to work on several ports, respectively, with different passwords. The developers claim that even knowing the password will not allow eavesdropping on another subscriber who also uses the same port.
• The proxy client, working with devices on the Android operating system, holds 2 undeletable messages. Therefore, you will need to learn how to hide them in your work. Otherwise, it will significantly interfere with your work.
• When using Shadowsocks, you will not be able to forward the port in the opposite direction. To solve this problem, you will need to use an SSH tunnel, if this is possible, of course.
• Some programs designed to work with the Windows operating system will not be able to work together with this proxy client. The fact is that some software developers prescribe the opening of the connection in such a way that it automatically ignores the proxy settings. This is especially important when checking the software license.
• The latency of connections here will be higher than that of OpenVPN. Although this indicator is not particularly critical, it is still necessary to note this fact among the disadvantages.
• The instructions for the program were written by the Chinese with all the ensuing circumstances. At the same time, their English is far from perfect. Here you can see quite a lot of mutual contradictions, missed moments.
• In this case, you will not be able to use archivers to compress traffic. Now, when the HTTPS Internet connection protocol is widely used in practice, this has already lost its relevance, but still for text files that are transmitted in uncompressed form, as well as real Ubuntu images, the difference will still be noticeable.

Now all that remains is to weigh all the pros and cons to finally decide whether this proxy client is worth using in practice for you. If the answer is yes, then we continue to get acquainted with Shadowsocks below.

Now in detail about how Shadowrocket works

Let us repeat that Shadowrocket is a proxy utility that takes on the role of a proxy client. This software solution is capable of intercepting absolutely all HTTP/HTTPS/TCP traffic, regardless of which application installed on your device it comes from, and subsequently redirecting it to the server. Thanks to the ability to configure individual rules based on different criteria, you will make your work more personalized. In particular, we are talking about the match of the domain, its suffix, keyword, as well as GeoIP search and CIDR IP address range.

That is, Shadowrocket sends a request on your behalf to the HTTP server, where such technical parameters as the IP address and geolocation of the user device are substituted, and then it is sent to the target server. That is, the data that the system will see will in no way be related to you personally. This means that attackers will not be able to access your device, since they will not know its real indicators. The same can be said about the system itself: it will not be able to apply any sanctions, restrictions, or blocking to you, since the real IP address will be reliably hidden.

Getting to know the main versions and updates of Shadowrocket

Another of the significant advantages characteristic of the Shadowrocket proxy utility is that it is updated with enviable regularity. Thanks to this, compliance with the latest security protocols, as well as user requests, is ensured. In addition, each new version fixes identified errors, improves security protocols, increases productivity, and improves resistance to external factors, regardless of the operating system in which the work is carried out.

So, if you track the history of the latest updates of the Shadowrocket proxy client, it will look like this:

• For Android devices, the current version today is 10.6.1. It was released for user use on June 30, 2023.
• The history of Shadowrocket for the iOS operating system is broader, since this proxy client was initially developed specifically for it. So, there are versions from 2.2.34 to 2.2.43. The latest version 2.2.43 was released on November 8, 2023.
• The latest version for computers, in particular those running Mac and Windows, is 2.2.40.

Now everyone who decides to download the Shadowrocket proxy client for themselves will be able to choose the most current version, which has fixed previous errors, and also has high security and stability in operation.

Shadowrocket subscription versions

We would like to immediately draw your attention to the fact that there is no free version of Shadowrocket. Today, the developer offers the consumer market 2 versions of the software product:

1. Standard subscription. It provides basic support for VPN and proxy, cellular network functions. All other, more advanced settings, including the ability to configure rules, support plugins, traffic rewriting, certain types of decryption will still be unavailable or limited here.
2. Premium subscription. It also supports VPN and proxy, cellular network functions, but also has an advanced configuration of rules, the ability to change traffic and network speed, import rule files, ad blocking, local DNS matching, HTTPS traffic decryption, URL rewriting. Also, by choosing this version, you can organize work with IPV6 proxies, there is support for script filters, plugins, DoT, DoH, a multi-level proxy server.

Evaluate the functionality of each option and choose the subscription that will be most effective in your work.

Shadowrocket compatibility with iOS, Android and Windows operating systems

We have already mentioned that the Shadowrocket proxy client is compatible with various devices, which allows absolutely all users to easily ensure the same high level of security and freedom when working on the Internet. At the same time, it does not matter at all whether you use personal computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets from different manufacturers: the developer of this software product has taken care of the convenience of each of you:

1. iOS device users. Shadowrocket was originally oriented to work with this operating system. It provides a set of functions adapted to the Apple ecosystem. In particular, it provides support for HTTP / HTTPS / TCP traffic coming from any applications installed on your device. For individual settings, domain mapping and GeoIP search can be used. Also, users of devices running on the iOS operating system are offered the opportunity to use such options as HTTPS traffic decryption, local DNS mapping, URL rewriting. And there is also absolute support for the IPv6 protocol.
2. Users of Android devices. These can be any smartphones, as well as tablets. Support for a wide variety of protocols is provided, including Trojan, VLESS, Vmess, Shadowsocks, Socks. A distinctive feature of this proxy client in this case is that it provides comprehensive tools that allow you to manage intermediary servers, as well as measure the network speed in any Internet connections.
3. Users of devices running on the Windows operating system. Initially, the developers created Shadowrocket exclusively for working with mobile devices, but then it was decided to expand the scope of use of the software product, including users of personal computers and laptops. But in this case, the proxy client is made operational by means of an Android device emulator. Thanks to this, computer users get the same opportunities as smartphone and tablet owners: high security, anonymity of work on the network, access to blocked sites. It doesn’t matter what version of Windows is currently installed on your computer.

Use Shadowrocket yourself and see how functional, efficient and reliable the product is at your disposal.

Where can I find the Shadowrocket application?

Regardless of whether you use iPhone, iPad, smartphones and tablets running Android devices or personal computers with the Windows operating system, you can find the appropriate Shadowrocket application for yourself in a matter of seconds and install it. In particular, you can find this software product for yourself in:

• Apple App Store;
• APK for Android;
• Google Play Store;
• Windows PC.

For each operating system, the developers have provided separate manuals that allow you to perform these tasks yourself. Now we will dwell in more detail on how to set up a proxy client on devices with the Android operating system. The information provided will allow you to navigate the specifics of this process and make sure that you can cope with this task yourself.

Setting up a proxy in Shadowrocket on Android devices: step-by-step instructions

If you follow the instructions we have provided, you will be able to connect a proxy to Shadowrocket as quickly and easily as possible. In particular, you will need to:

1. Download the application to your device from the appropriate store and launch it. In the upper horizontal panel, find the icon with the “+” sign and click on it. Next, the program will ask you to select the best way to set the proxy server. Here we click on the “Enter manually” button, and then select the best connection protocol for ourselves. Let it be Socks, but you can choose any other option that suits you.
   
2. Now a new window will open, where in the appropriate fields you will need to enter the name of your profile, as well as the IP address and port of the proxy through which subsequent work will be carried out. In the event that you use private proxy servers, the system will ask you to enter authorization data, that is, login and password for access. Check the correctness of the entered data once again, then save the changes by clicking on the corresponding icon in the upper right corner of the active window.
   
3. To finally activate the proxy server, you will need to click on the icon located at the bottom of your window.
   

To check the correctness of the work performed, you just need to it will be easy to use specialized services that check the IP address or geolocation. The numbers received will differ from the real data, which means you have done everything correctly, and your work is now carried out through an intermediary server.

You can also additionally create special groups inside the application in order to distribute all the proxies between them. This is what will significantly simplify switching in the workflow and identifying the proxy itself. To do this, you will need to go to the side menu directly on the main page of the Shadowrocket application, and then select the "Groups" option here. In the upper right corner, find the add button and here click on "Add group". Write the appropriate name and confirm your actions.

After completing this work, all the groups you created will appear on the main page. Next, you will need to go to each of them and add the appropriate proxy server here as we described above. In practice, such a solution will be convenient if you actively work with social networks and other platforms, use multi-accounting.

But here we want to draw your attention to the fact that the efficiency of the work will directly depend on how high-quality and reliable the proxy you choose for yourself is. Free intermediary servers should not be used here, since other people will use them at the same time as you, which will negatively affect the speed of interaction with the Internet, security and stability. Therefore, the best option is private proxies.

What proxies to use with Shadowrocket

We will not list all possible proxy server options that can be used simultaneously with the Shadowrocket application, but will highlight only the best of the possible solutions. We are talking about mobile proxies, such as the option from the MobileProxy.Space service. In this case, you rely on dynamic proxies that can change their IP address and geolocation during the work process as often as you need it. Such intermediary servers are not tracked by the system, are not blocked, because their work is based on the technical capabilities of cellular network operators. That is, after connecting them, you will look like a regular smartphone user to the Internet, regardless of where you are located and who you claim to be.

Among the main advantages of mobile proxies from MobileProxy.Space, it is worth noting:

• allocation of a separate channel with unlimited traffic to each user;
• simultaneous operation on HTTP(S) and Socks5 protocols;
• the ability to change the IP address automatically by a timer in the interval from 2 minutes to a day, as well as forcibly through a link from your personal account;
• a huge number of geolocations: more than 30 different countries of the world and hundreds of regions;
• guaranteed security, anonymity of work on the network, bypassing regional restrictions.

With such intermediary servers, your work on the Internet will be as flexible and functional as possible. You do not risk getting blocked or having any other restrictions from the system, including when working in multithreaded mode, using tools that automate actions, since your work will look completely natural and legal to bots.

Possible problems in Shadowrocket and how to fix them

Like any other software product, Shadowrocket is not protected from errors in the workflow. But if you know them, as well as how to fix them, you can quickly restore the application's functionality. Some of the most common problems that occur here in work:

1. Problems occur when you want to add subscription links to the application. To avoid this, you need to copy the subscription link directly from the user panel, and then add it to the proxy client. It is mandatory to set the “Type” parameter to “Subscribe”, inserting the corresponding URL into it. Thanks to this, all connections will load into the program without errors.
2. The problem occurs during a VPN connection. We have already mentioned above that the Shadowrocket application works more stably with proxy servers than with a VPN. If you notice a problem with a VPN connection, you need to check the "On Demand" settings, making sure that the Internet shutdown is activated here if your VPN server is inactive. In some cases, the problem may be with the VPN itself, as well as with the correctness of its settings. Here you need to make sure that all work is done correctly.
3. Error updating subscription status. In practice, there are cases when users are sent an error message in Alight Motion with the following content: "Member status unavailable: Alight Motion was unable to verify your member status. Please check your Internet connection and make sure you are logged in to the App Store or try again later. Initially, you will need to check the network connection, and then the correctness of the login to the account, which is directly related to the membership in Alight Motion. It is also important to make sure that the current settings of your proxy server do not interfere with the interaction with the App Store. If inaccuracies are found, they will need to be corrected.

Usually, users did not notice any other errors when working with Shadowrocket, which allows us to say that this application is quite reliable and stable in operation.

Summing up

If we summarize everything that we talked about in today's review, we can conclude that Shadowrocket is a truly powerful tool that can take your online security to a whole new level and increase network availability. And this will be relevant for each of you, regardless of whether you use iOS devices in your work, are an Android fan, or are accustomed to the eternal classics - personal computers and laptops running on the Windows operating system.

But to ensure the most correct operation, you need to select the best proxy servers and perform the work correctly. We discussed in detail how to implement everything in practice in the review, and also indicated which proxy servers will be the best in this case. You can find out more about what mobile proxies from the MobileProxy.Space service are and current tariffs at the link https://mobileproxy.space/en/user.html?buyproxy. We also recommend that you take advantage of the free 2-hour testing to make sure that the technologically advanced and advanced solution is at your disposal.

Share this article: