How to generate and use a proxy, step by step

Generate a proxy, step by step

1. Add bandwidth first. Proxies draw from your bandwidth balance. If you haven't already, buy a plan on the Buy page. Bandwidth never expires, so you can start small.
2. Choose a gateway. The entry gateway is the door your traffic goes in through. We pick the one nearest you, which is usually fastest whatever exit country you choose. If the proxy feels slow, open “Choose manually” and try another, or run the speed test to compare.
3. Pick a protocol. HTTP/HTTPS works everywhere and is the default. Choose SOCKS5 only if your tool specifically needs it.
4. Rotating or sticky. Rotating gives a fresh IP on almost every request, best for scraping. Sticky keeps the same IP for a set time, best for logins, carts and multi-step flows.
5. Target a location or ISP. Choose a country, then optionally a state, city or ISP. Leave the lower fields on “Any” to target the whole country.
6. Copy or save. Copy the connection string, download a formatted list, or click Save to keep the proxy in My Proxies. New credentials activate within about a minute.

Reading your connection string

A proxy is four parts separated by colons: host, port, username and password. All of your targeting lives inside the username as “-token-value” pairs.

gw.nefo.net:9000:USERNAME-country-us-city-losangeles:PASSWORD

• Host: gw.nefo.net
• Port: 9000
• Username: USERNAME-country-us-city-losangeles
• Password: PASSWORD

For example, “-country-us” sets the exit country, “-city-losangeles” the city, and “-session-…-lifetime-…” makes a sticky session. You never type these by hand, because the generator builds them for you. The full token list is in the API docs.

Key concepts

Gateway vs exit country

The gateway is the door you enter through; the exit country is where your IP appears. They are independent: a US proxy works fine while you connect through the Europe or Asia gateway.

Rotating vs sticky

Rotating = a new IP per request (stateless scraping). Sticky = the same IP for 1–1440 minutes (anything that must stay logged in). The comparison has more detail.

HTTP vs SOCKS5

HTTP/HTTPS covers web traffic and is the safe default. SOCKS5 is lower-level and handles any TCP traffic; use it when a tool asks for it. See HTTP vs SOCKS5.

Bandwidth

You're billed by data used, not by IP or by time. Bandwidth never expires, so unused data stays in your account.

Targeting rules

• Country is always required; state, city and ISP are optional.
• State, city and ISP stack: a city and an ISP together works too.
• In Pool 2, a city already includes its state, so state and city work together; an ISP cannot be combined with a state or city there. Pool 1 combines all three.
• Leaving a field on “Any” widens targeting to the level above it.

Advanced targeting

Choose a device (OS)

Add an OS token to bias the exit toward that device type. Only four values work: windows, android, ios, mac.

USERNAME-country-us-os-android

Choose an ISP (ASN)

Target a specific network by its ASN number. It pairs with a state or a city.

USERNAME-country-us-city-chicago-asn-7922

Strict vs flexible

A narrow target (a state, city or ASN) can have no free IP at that moment. Add strict-off so the gateway falls back to the country instead of failing; leave it off to demand an exact match.

USERNAME-country-us-asn-7922-strict-off

Set up a mobile (4G/5G) proxy

Real carrier IPs you can point any tool at. From purchase to running takes about a minute. See the mobile proxies page for plans.

1. Get your credentials. After you buy a Mobile IP, open Dashboard → My Mobile IPs. Each port gives you host, port, username and password. Copy them with one tap.
2. Plug it into your tool. It's a standard SOCKS5 / HTTP proxy that works in any browser, antidetect browser (GoLogin, AdsPower, Dolphin), Proxifier, bots or phone Wi-Fi settings. No app of ours to install.
3. Rotation is automatic. You get a fresh real mobile IP as it rotates (roughly every 15–30 min, or on demand). Social platforms expect mobile IPs to change.
4. Switch location anytime. In My Mobile IPs, change country / state / carrier for free; the exit IP behind your port moves in seconds. Your host:port never changes, so there's nothing to update in your tool.

Quick test

Route a request through your proxy and confirm the exit is a mobile IP:

# SOCKS5 (username / password)
curl -x socks5h://USER:PASS@HOST:PORT https://api.ipify.org   # check it's a real mobile carrier IP
curl -x socks5h://USER:PASS@HOST:PORT \
  "http://ip-api.com/json/?fields=country,regionName,isp,mobile"

Username and password

The default. Enter host:port + user:pass in any tool that supports proxy authentication: browsers, antidetect profiles, scrapers.

IP whitelist (no password)

Toggle it in My Mobile IPs for devices that cannot store a proxy password (routers, OS network settings). Authorize your own IP and connect with just host:port.

Troubleshooting

My connection is refused right after I create a proxy

New credentials take about a minute to activate at the gateway. Wait about 60 seconds and try again.

My IP isn't in the country I selected

Make sure you set the country in the generator (the “-country-xx” token). The gateway you connect through does not change your exit country.

The proxy stopped working

You've most likely run out of bandwidth. Top up on the Buy page and it resumes immediately.

Can I get many proxies at once?

Yes. Use the “Formatted proxy list” panel to generate and download up to 100 lines, or the REST API to create them programmatically.

Ready to create your first proxy?

Open the generator, pick your options and copy your connection in seconds. Prefer to automate it? Read the API docs.

• Open the generator
• Read the API docs
• Buy a mobile proxy

Frequently asked questions