1 <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
5 <title>Man page of PRIVOXY</title>
6 <link rel="STYLESHEET" type="text/css" href="../p_doc.css">
10 <h1>PRIVOXY</h1>Section: (1)<br>
11 Updated: 23 January 2016<br>
12 <a href="#index">Index</a>
14 <a name="lbAB" id="lbAB"> </a>
16 <h2>NAME</h2>privoxy - Privacy Enhancing Proxy <a name="lbAC" id=
21 <p><b>privoxy</b> [<b>--chroot</b> ] [<b>--config-test</b> ] [<b>--help</b>
22 ] [<b>--no-daemon</b> ] [<b>--pidfile</b> <i>pidfile</i> ]
23 [<b>--pre-chroot-nslookup</b> <i>hostname</i> ] [<b>--user</b>
24 <i>user[.group]</i> ] [<b>--version</b> ] [<i>configfile</i> ]</p>
26 <p><a name="lbAD" id="lbAD"> </a></p>
30 <p><b>Privoxy</b> may be invoked with the following command line
34 <dt><b>--chroot</b></dt>
36 <dd>Before changing to the user ID given in the --user option, chroot to
37 that user's home directory, i.e. make the kernel pretend to the
38 <b>Privoxy</b> process that the directory tree starts there. If set up
39 carefully, this can limit the impact of possible vulnerabilities in
40 <b>Privoxy</b> to the files contained in that hierarchy.</dd>
42 <dt><b>--config-test</b></dt>
45 Exit after loading the configuration files before binding to the listen
46 address. The exit code signals whether or not the configuration files
47 have been successfully loaded.
49 <p>If the exit code is 1, at least one of the configuration files is
50 invalid, if it is 0, all the configuration files have been successfully
51 loaded (but may still contain errors that can currently only be
52 detected at run time).</p>
54 <p>This option doesn't affect the log setting, combination with
55 "--no-daemon" is recommended if a configured log file shouldn't be
59 <dt><b>--help</b></dt>
61 <dd>Print brief usage info and exit.</dd>
63 <dt><b>--no-daemon</b></dt>
65 <dd>Don't become a daemon, i.e. don't fork and become process group
66 leader, don't detach from controlling tty, and do all logging there.</dd>
68 <dt><b>--pidfile</b> <i>pidfile</i></dt>
70 <dd>On startup, write the process ID to <i>pidfile</i>. Delete the
71 <i>pidfile</i> on exit. Failure to create or delete the <i>pidfile</i> is
72 non-fatal. If no <b>--pidfile</b> option is given, no PID file will be
75 <dt><b>--pre-chroot-nslookup</b> <i>hostname</i></dt>
77 <dd>Initialize the resolver library using <i>hostname</i> before
78 chroot'ing. On some systems this reduces the number of files that must be
79 copied into the chroot tree.</dd>
81 <dt><b>--user</b> <i>user[.group]</i></dt>
83 <dd>After (optionally) writing the PID file, assume the user ID of
84 <i>user</i> and the GID of <i>group</i>, or, if the optional <i>group</i>
85 was not given, the default group of <i>user</i>. Exit if the privileges
86 are not sufficient to do so.</dd>
88 <dt><b>--version</b></dt>
90 <dd>Print version info and exit.</dd>
93 <p>If the <i>configfile</i> is not specified on the command line,
94 <b>Privoxy</b> will look for a file named <i>config</i> in the current
95 directory. If no <i>configfile</i> is found, <b>Privoxy</b> will fail to
96 start. <a name="lbAE" id="lbAE"> </a></p>
100 <p>Privoxy is a non-caching web proxy with advanced filtering capabilities
101 for enhancing privacy, modifying web page data and HTTP headers,
102 controlling access, and removing ads and other obnoxious Internet junk.
103 Privoxy has a flexible configuration and can be customized to suit
104 individual needs and tastes. It has application for both stand-alone
105 systems and multi-user networks.</p>
107 <p>Privoxy is Free Software and licensed under the GNU GPLv2.</p>
109 <p>Privoxy is an associated project of Software in the Public Interest
112 <p>Helping hands and donations are welcome:</p>
118 "http://www.privoxy.org/faq/general.html#PARTICIPATE">http://www.privoxy.org/faq/general.html#PARTICIPATE</a></dd>
123 "http://www.privoxy.org/faq/general.html#DONATE">http://www.privoxy.org/faq/general.html#DONATE</a></dd>
124 </dl><a name="lbAF" id="lbAF"> </a>
126 <h2>INSTALLATION AND USAGE</h2>
128 <p>Browsers can either be individually configured to use <b>Privoxy</b> as
129 a HTTP proxy (recommended), or <b>Privoxy</b> can be combined with a packet
130 filter to build an intercepting proxy (see <i>config</i>). The default
131 setting is for localhost, on port 8118 (configurable in the main config
132 file). To set the HTTP proxy in Firefox, go through: <b>Tools</b>;
133 <b>Options</b>; <b>General</b>; <b>Connection Settings</b>; <b>Manual Proxy
134 Configuration</b>.</p>
136 <p>For Internet Explorer, go through: <b>Tools</b>; <b>Internet
137 Properties</b>; <b>Connections</b>; <b>LAN Settings</b>.</p>
139 <p>The Secure (SSL) Proxy should also be set to the same values, otherwise
140 https: URLs will not be proxied. Note: <b>Privoxy</b> can only proxy HTTP
141 and HTTPS traffic. Do not try it with FTP or other protocols. HTTPS
142 presents some limitations, and not all features will work with HTTPS
145 <p>For other browsers, check the documentation. <a name="lbAG" id=
146 "lbAG"> </a></p>
148 <h2>CONFIGURATION</h2>
150 <p><b>Privoxy</b> can be configured with the various configuration files.
151 The default configuration files are: <i>config</i>, <i>default.filter</i>,
152 <i>default.action</i> and <i>default.action</i>. <i>user.action</i> should
153 be used for locally defined exceptions to the default rules in
154 <i>match-all.action</i> and <i>default.action</i>, and <i>user.filter</i>
155 for locally defined filters. These are well commented. On Unix and
156 Unix-like systems, these are located in <i>/etc/privoxy/</i> by
159 <p><b>Privoxy</b> uses the concept of <b>actions</b> in order to manipulate
160 the data stream between the browser and remote sites. There are various
161 actions available with specific functions for such things as blocking web
162 sites, managing cookies, etc. These actions can be invoked individually or
163 combined, and used against individual URLs, or groups of URLs that can be
164 defined using wildcards and regular expressions. The result is that the
165 user has greatly enhanced control and freedom.</p>
167 <p>The actions list (ad blocks, etc) can also be configured with your web
169 "http://config.privoxy.org/">http://config.privoxy.org/</a> (assuming the
170 configuration allows it). <b>Privoxy's</b> configuration parameters can
171 also be viewed at the same page. In addition, <b>Privoxy</b> can be toggled
172 on/off. This is an internal page, and does not require Internet access.</p>
174 <p>See the <i>User Manual</i> for a detailed explanation of installation,
175 general usage, all configuration options, new features and notes on
176 upgrading. <a name="lbAH" id="lbAH"> </a></p>
180 <i>/usr/sbin/privoxy</i>
181 <i>/etc/privoxy/config</i>
182 <i>/etc/privoxy/match-all.action</i>
183 <i>/etc/privoxy/default.action</i>
184 <i>/etc/privoxy/user.action</i>
185 <i>/etc/privoxy/default.filter</i>
186 <i>/etc/privoxy/user.filter</i>
187 <i>/etc/privoxy/trust</i>
188 <i>/etc/privoxy/templates/*</i>
189 <i>/var/log/privoxy/logfile</i>
192 <p>Various other files should be included, but may vary depending on
193 platform and build configuration. Additional documentation should be
194 included in the local documentation directory. <a name="lbAI" id=
195 "lbAI"> </a></p>
199 <p><b>Privoxy</b> terminates on the <b>SIGINT</b> and <b>SIGTERM</b>
200 signals. Log rotation scripts may cause a re-opening of the logfile by
201 sending a <b>SIGHUP</b> to <b>Privoxy</b>. Note that unlike other daemons,
202 <b>Privoxy</b> does not need to be made aware of config file changes by
203 <b>SIGHUP</b> -- it will detect them automatically. Signals other than the
204 ones listed above aren't explicitly handled and result in the default
205 action defined by the operating system. <a name="lbAJ" id=
206 "lbAJ"> </a></p>
210 <p>Please see the <i>User Manual</i> on how to contact the developers, for
211 feature requests, reporting problems, and other questions. <a name="lbAK"
212 id="lbAK"> </a></p>
216 <p>Other references and sites of interest to <b>Privoxy</b> users:</p>
218 <p><a href="http://www.privoxy.org/">http://www.privoxy.org/,</a> the
219 <b>Privoxy</b> Home page.</p>
221 <p><a href="http://www.privoxy.org/faq/">http://www.privoxy.org/faq/,</a>
222 the <b>Privoxy</b> FAQ.</p>
225 "http://www.privoxy.org/developer-manual/">http://www.privoxy.org/developer-manual/,</a>
226 the <b>Privoxy</b> developer manual.</p>
229 "https://sourceforge.net/projects/ijbswa/">https://sourceforge.net/projects/ijbswa/,</a>
230 the Project Page for <b>Privoxy</b> on SourceForge.</p>
232 <p><a href="http://config.privoxy.org/">http://config.privoxy.org/,</a> the
233 web-based user interface. <b>Privoxy</b> must be running for this to work.
234 Shortcut: <a href="http://p.p/">http://p.p/</a></p>
237 "https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=11118">https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=11118</a>&atid=460288,
238 to submit ``misses'' and other configuration related suggestions to the
239 developers. <a name="lbAL" id="lbAL"> </a></p>
241 <h2>DEVELOPMENT TEAM</h2>
243 Fabian Keil, lead developer
249 </pre><a name="lbAM" id="lbAM"> </a>
251 <h2>COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE</h2><a name="lbAN" id="lbAN"> </a>
255 <p>Copyright (C) 2001-2016 by Privoxy Developers <<a href=
256 "mailto:ijbswa-developers@lists.sourceforge.net">ijbswa-developers@lists.sourceforge.net</a>></p>
258 <p>Some source code is based on code Copyright (C) 1997 by Anonymous Coders
259 and Junkbusters, Inc. and licensed under the <i>GNU General Public
260 License</i>. <a name="lbAO" id="lbAO"> </a></p>
264 <p><b>Privoxy</b> is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
265 it under the terms of the <i>GNU General Public License</i>, version 2, as
266 published by the Free Software Foundation.</p>
268 <p><b>Privoxy</b> is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
269 WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY
270 or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the <i>license</i> for
273 <a name="index" id="index"> </a>
278 <dt><a href="#lbAB">NAME</a></dt>
280 <dt><a href="#lbAC">SYNOPSIS</a></dt>
282 <dt><a href="#lbAD">OPTIONS</a></dt>
284 <dt><a href="#lbAE">DESCRIPTION</a></dt>
286 <dt><a href="#lbAF">INSTALLATION AND USAGE</a></dt>
288 <dt><a href="#lbAG">CONFIGURATION</a></dt>
290 <dt><a href="#lbAH">FILES</a></dt>
292 <dt><a href="#lbAI">SIGNALS</a></dt>
294 <dt><a href="#lbAJ">NOTES</a></dt>
296 <dt><a href="#lbAK">SEE ALSO</a></dt>
298 <dt><a href="#lbAL">DEVELOPMENT TEAM</a></dt>
300 <dt><a href="#lbAM">COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE</a></dt>
304 <dt><a href="#lbAN">COPYRIGHT</a></dt>
306 <dt><a href="#lbAO">LICENSE</a></dt>
311 This document was created by man2html, using the manual pages.<br>
312 Time: 11:47:56 GMT, January 23, 2016