Proxy Appliance

I'm looking for a way to set-up a web proxy at home. Hopefully there's a solution I can use to do this.

Alternatively, do you have any ideas for setting up one at home using a proxy with an auto updating list?

UPDATE - AutoUpdating list so the new sites are categorized and downloaded and the filtering is done by category instead of per site e.g. peerblock works this way

Appliance as in a small dedicated hardware or device to perform this task, like WD TV live or Acer Aspire Revo with the media center edition

I'd be ok with setting up Squid / Linux / SquidGuard even if i'm not familiar with *nix but ideally a small form factor pc with dual nic's would be ideal so it can be out of sight for the most part !

Kumar

Posted 2010-09-07T21:08:05.923

Reputation: 111

I would ditch asking for an appliance because asking for buying recommendations are against the um...I think it's either the rules or the faq. My point remains. – digitxp – 2010-09-07T22:50:50.377

@digitxp I don't think he actually uses an appliance like a dishwasher... I think he rather means something/software to use (Like Squid on Linux). – BloodPhilia – 2010-09-07T22:55:27.967

@Kumar You might want to add details to your question... (Like what you mean with auto updating a list) – BloodPhilia – 2010-09-07T22:57:05.797

@digitxp - i'm asking for info for a specific purpose as that info has been hard to find thus far, recommendation comes in when there are multiple choices available which is not the case here – Kumar – 2010-09-08T15:09:14.070

@Kumar This is the piece of junk they use at my school. Is that close to what you want?

– digitxp – 2010-09-08T17:43:39.990

hmm, close enough i suppose, the 56 category db looks interesting but may be too pricey for home use – Kumar – 2010-09-09T02:46:27.247

Answers

You may want to take a look at Squid + Linux. (Below quote is from Setting up Squid under Linux)

The Squid Web Proxy Cache is a fully featured Internet caching server that handles all types of web requests on behalf of a user. When a user requests a web resource (webpage, movie clip, graphic, etc..), their request is sent to the caching server which then forwards the request to the real web server on their behalf. When the requested resource is returned to the caching server, it stores a copy of the resource in its "cache" and then forwards the request back to the original user. The next time someone requests a copy of the "cached" resource, it is delivered directly from the local proxy server and not from the distant web server (depending on age of resource etc..).

Using a proxy server can greatly reduce web browsing speed if frequently visited sites and resources are stored locally in the cache. There are also financial savings to be gained if you're a large organisation with many Internet users or even a small home user that has a quota allowance for downloads. There are many ways a proxy can be beneficial to all networks.

The squid proxy has so many features, access controls and other configurable items, that it is impossible to cover all of the settings here. This chapter will provide some basic configuration settings (which is all thats required) to enable the server, and provide access controls to prevent unauthorised users from gaining access to the Internet through your proxy. The configuration file has been documented extremely well by the developers and should provide enough information to assist your set up, however if you don't know what a setting does, don't touch it.

BloodPhilia

Posted 2010-09-07T21:08:05.923

Reputation: 27 374

What is the primary purpose of this proxy - filtering? Caching? If you just want filtering, you may want to look at configuring your router to point to http://www.opendns.com/ which can be configured to block adult sites and the like. However, this is rather easily bypassed by someone with the desire and experience to want to.

If you are looking for something with a bit more control, I'd recommend purchasing a small PC with 2 NICs (even if you need to install one aftermarket), and installing http://www.untangle.com/ on it.

Ryan Gooler

Posted 2010-09-07T21:08:05.923

Reputation: 1 844