How to Use Proxies With Node.js

HTTP(S) with Axios

Install axios and https-proxy-agent. Store the complete dashboard URL in PROXY_URL.

import axios from "axios";
import { HttpsProxyAgent } from "https-proxy-agent";

const agent = new HttpsProxyAgent(process.env.PROXY_URL);
const { data } = await axios.get("https://ipinfo.io/json", {
  httpAgent: agent,
  httpsAgent: agent,
  proxy: false,
  timeout: 30_000,
});
console.log(data);

SOCKS5 with Axios

Install socks-proxy-agent and use the SOCKS5 URL from the dashboard. That URL uses the provider's separate SOCKS5 port.

import axios from "axios";
import { SocksProxyAgent } from "socks-proxy-agent";

const agent = new SocksProxyAgent(process.env.SOCKS5_PROXY_URL);
const { data } = await axios.get("https://ipinfo.io/json", {
  httpAgent: agent,
  httpsAgent: agent,
  proxy: false,
  timeout: 30_000,
});
console.log(data);

Keep credentials out of logs

A proxy URL contains a live username and password. Do not print the agent configuration, commit .env files, or include the full URL in error telemetry. Redact authentication before recording connection errors.

• Use environment variables or a secret manager.
• Rotate the password from the dashboard after exposure.
• Avoid embedding credentials in client-side browser code.

Reuse agents deliberately

Reusing one agent can reduce connection overhead. Sticky identity comes from the generated session parameters, not merely from keeping a Node object alive. Use one generated credential per intended sticky session.