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System-Wide Proxy Settings

System-wide proxy configures the operating system to route all application traffic through SafeSquid—browsers, email clients, CLI tools, and background apps.

Use this method for:

  • Complete traffic coverage on individual machines
  • Developer workstations (CLI tools, package managers, Git)
  • Endpoints where all apps must use the proxy
  • When individual app configuration is impractical

Time to configure: ~5 minutes per OS

When to Use System-Wide Proxy

Use system-wide proxy for complete coverage on a single machine. For enterprise rollout (100+ endpoints), use Enterprise Deployment to push settings via GPO/MDM.

Not All Apps Respect System Proxy

Some applications (Docker, Git, npm, Python pip) ignore system proxy settings and require application-specific configuration.

Prerequisites​

Before You Start
  • SafeSquid IP address and port (default: 8080)
  • Administrator/root privileges (for system-level changes)
  • SafeSquid must be running and accessible
  • Disable WPAD ("Automatically detect settings") to avoid conflicts

Configuration Steps​

Windows​

Method 1: Settings App (Windows 10/11)

  1. Settings → Network & Internet → Proxy
  2. Turn OFF: "Automatically detect settings" (disables WPAD)
  3. Turn ON: "Use a proxy server"
  4. Enter:
    • Address: SafeSquid IP (e.g., 192.168.1.100)
    • Port: 8080
  5. (Optional) Add bypass list:
    • Click Edit under "Use a proxy server"
    • Add: *.local;*.company.com;localhost;127.0.0.1
    • Use semicolons (;) to separate entries
  6. Click Save
Verify Applied

Open Edge and type edge://net-internals/#proxy to confirm settings are active.

Method 2: Internet Options (Windows 7-11, legacy method)

  1. Control Panel → Internet Options → Connections tab
  2. Click LAN Settings
  3. Uncheck "Automatically detect settings" (disable WPAD)
  4. Check "Use a proxy server for your LAN"
  5. Enter:
    • Address: 192.168.1.100
    • Port: 8080
  6. (Optional) Click Advanced for per-protocol settings:
    • HTTP: 192.168.1.100:8080
    • HTTPS: 192.168.1.100:8080
    • FTP: 192.168.1.100:8080
    • SOCKS: Leave blank (unless needed)
  7. Add bypass list: *.local;*.company.com;127.0.0.1
  8. Click OK on all dialogs

Applies to: Chrome, Edge, Internet Explorer, and most Windows apps

Linux​

GUI Method (GNOME/Ubuntu):

  1. Settings → Network → Network Proxy
  2. Select Manual
  3. Enter for each:
    • HTTP Proxy: 192.168.1.100 Port 8080
    • HTTPS Proxy: 192.168.1.100 Port 8080
    • FTP Proxy: 192.168.1.100 Port 8080
  4. Ignore Hosts: localhost,127.0.0.1,*.local,*.company.com
  5. Click Apply system-wide
  6. Log out and back in (or restart apps)

Command-Line Method (all distros):

Temporary (current session only):

export http_proxy=http://192.168.1.100:8080
export https_proxy=http://192.168.1.100:8080
export ftp_proxy=http://192.168.1.100:8080
export no_proxy=localhost,127.0.0.1,*.local,*.company.com

Permanent (system-wide):

  1. Edit /etc/environment (system-wide for all users):

    sudo nano /etc/environment

  2. Add these lines:

    http_proxy="http://192.168.1.100:8080"
    https_proxy="http://192.168.1.100:8080"
    ftp_proxy="http://192.168.1.100:8080"
    no_proxy="localhost,127.0.0.1,*.local,*.company.com"

  3. Save and reboot (or run source /etc/environment)

Permanent (per-user):

Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.profile:

export http_proxy=http://192.168.1.100:8080
export https_proxy=http://192.168.1.100:8080
export no_proxy=localhost,127.0.0.1,*.local

Apply immediately:

source ~/.bashrc

Package Manager Proxy (APT/YUM):

APT (Debian/Ubuntu):

# Create APT proxy config
sudo nano /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/95proxies

Add:

Acquire::http::Proxy "http://192.168.1.100:8080";
Acquire::https::Proxy "http://192.168.1.100:8080";

YUM/DNF (RHEL/CentOS/Fedora):

sudo nano /etc/yum.conf

Add:

proxy=http://192.168.1.100:8080

macOS​

System-Wide Method (Safari, Chrome, most apps):

  1. System Settings → Network
  2. Select your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet)
  3. Click Details → Proxies
  4. Uncheck "Auto Proxy Discovery" (disable WPAD)
  5. Check these:
    • Web Proxy (HTTP)
    • Secure Web Proxy (HTTPS)
  6. For each, enter:
    • Web Proxy Server: 192.168.1.100:8080
    • Secure Web Proxy Server: 192.168.1.100:8080
  7. Bypass proxy settings for these Hosts & Domains: 
    *.local, localhost, 127.0.0.1, *.company.com
    Use commas (,) to separate entries
  8. Check "Exclude simple hostnames"
  9. Click OK → Apply
Network Locations

Create separate network locations (Home, Office) with different proxy settings. Switch via System Settings → Network → Location.

Terminal/CLI Apps:

Add to ~/.bash_profile or ~/.zshrc:

export http_proxy=http://192.168.1.100:8080
export https_proxy=http://192.168.1.100:8080
export no_proxy=localhost,127.0.0.1,*.local

Apply immediately:

source ~/.bash_profile
# or
source ~/.zshrc

Test Your Configuration​

1. Test browser traffic:

Open any browser (without explicit proxy config) and navigate to http://example.com

2. Verify proxy is being used:

# On SafeSquid server:
tail -f /var/log/safesquid/access/extended.log

You should see requests from your client IP.

3. Test CLI tools:

# Test with curl
curl -I http://example.com

# Check environment variables (Linux/macOS)
echo $http_proxy
echo $https_proxy

# Windows PowerShell:
[System.Net.WebRequest]::DefaultWebProxy

4. Test bypass list:

Navigate to an internal site (e.g., http://intranet.local)

  • Should load directly (not via proxy)
  • Should NOT appear in SafeSquid logs

Troubleshooting​

SymptomLikely CauseFix
Browser works, CLI tools don'tEnvironment variables not setAdd to /etc/environment or shell profile (see steps above)
"Proxy refusing connections"SafeSquid not running or firewall blockingServer: systemctl status safesquid
Client: telnet 192.168.1.100 8080
Settings don't persist after rebootNot saved to system configUse /etc/environment (Linux) or System Settings (Win/Mac), not session exports
Some apps ignore proxyApp uses own proxy settingsSee Application-Specific Configuration
Bypass list not workingSyntax error (semicolons vs commas)Windows: use ;
Linux/macOS: use ,
WPAD conflicts with manual proxyAuto-detect enabledDisable "Automatically detect settings" / "Auto Proxy Discovery"

Still not working?

  1. Verify settings are actually applied:

    • Windows: netsh winhttp show proxy
    • macOS: scutil --proxy
    • Linux: env | grep proxy

  2. Check SafeSquid accessibility:

    curl -I --proxy http://192.168.1.100:8080 http://example.com

  3. Check for conflicting proxy settings:

    • Browser extensions (proxy switchers)
    • VPN software
    • Security software

Advanced: Windows Registry Method​

For automation or GPO deployment, configure proxy via registry:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings]
"ProxyEnable"=dword:00000001
"ProxyServer"="192.168.1.100:8080"
"ProxyOverride"="*.local;*.company.com;127.0.0.1;localhost"

Save as proxy.reg and run, or deploy via GPO.

Registry Edits

Only use this method if you're comfortable with registry editing. Incorrect changes can break networking. Use Settings app for manual configuration.

Next Steps​

  1. Verify Your Setup — Confirm all application traffic flows through SafeSquid
  2. Application-Specific Configuration — Configure Docker, Git, npm, and other tools that ignore system proxy
  3. SSL Inspection — Deploy SafeSquid root CA for HTTPS inspection
  4. Scale to enterprise: Enterprise Deployment — Push system proxy via GPO/MDM for 100+ endpoints