Setting up a proxy is straightforward, but knowing whether it is actually working is a different story. A misconfigured proxy can leak your real IP without any obvious error, which defeats the entire purpose of using one. Before you run any scraping job or automation task, it pays to confirm your proxy is routing traffic correctly and masking your IP as expected.
In this article, we'll explore the most reliable ways to test your proxy and catch any issues before they cost you.
How to Check Your IP Through a Proxy
The simplest way to confirm your proxy is working is to check what IP address the outside world sees. Before connecting, visit ipinfo and note your real IP. Then configure your proxy and visit the same site again. If the IP has changed, your proxy is routing traffic correctly.
You can do the same thing in Python:
import requests
proxies = {
"http": "http://user:pass@proxy-endpoint:port",
"https": "http://user:pass@proxy-endpoint:port"
\}
response = requests.get("https://ipinfo.io/json", proxies=proxies)
print(response.json())$If the returned IP matches your proxy provider's network and not your real address, you are good to go. If it matches your real IP, your proxy is either misconfigured or not being applied to the request at all.
Also Read: How to Use Proxies With Python Requests
Tools You Can Use to Test Your Proxy
ipinfo is the most practical tool for testing your proxy. It returns your IP, location, and ISP in a clean JSON response, making it useful both in the browser and in code. For additional checks, Proxyon offers free built-in tools, including an IPv6 Tester and a Proxy Formatter that help you verify connectivity and format your proxy credentials correctly before running any requests.
What to Do If Your Proxy Is Not Working
Start with the basics. Double-check your credentials and endpoint format, as a missing port or a typo in the username is usually the culprit. Make sure the protocol matches, too; if your provider gives you an HTTP endpoint, do not use it as a SOCKS5 proxy.
If credentials look fine, test with a plain HTTP target before moving to HTTPS, as some configurations handle the two differently. If you are on a residential proxy and your IP is still showing as your real one, check whether your code is actually passing the proxy configuration to the request. This is the most common mistake when using libraries like requests or httpx.
If none of that resolves it, the issue is likely on the provider side. Check your dashboard for usage limits or authentication errors and contact support with the endpoint and error details. A good provider will identify the problem quickly.
Also Read: How to Set Up a Proxy in AdsPower Browser
Final Thoughts
Testing your proxy takes a few minutes and saves you from running an entire workflow on a broken setup. Work through the configuration before assuming the proxy itself is the problem; most issues come down to a misconfigured endpoint or a credential error. Residential proxies start at $1.75/GB with no subscription required, and a deposit of $5.
