X-Git-Url: http://www.privoxy.org/gitweb/?a=blobdiff_plain;ds=sidebyside;f=doc%2Fsource%2Fuser-manual.sgml;h=87f06d19248b22244f4782387510ec782c25fdc2;hb=04a7234f8b72d38913cc13a92c0706f070ca3f1b;hp=a80299768104afd46946416e1463996f1385a33b;hpb=86062c9ff866c6dbcd8e2826093719ce1a1e9809;p=privoxy.git diff --git a/doc/source/user-manual.sgml b/doc/source/user-manual.sgml index a8029976..87f06d19 100644 --- a/doc/source/user-manual.sgml +++ b/doc/source/user-manual.sgml @@ -1,4 +1,25 @@ - + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +]> - -
+ Privoxy User Manual -$Id: user-manual.sgml,v 1.51 2002/03/23 15:13:11 swa Exp $ + + + + + Copyright &my-copy; 2001, 2002 by + Privoxy Developers + + + +$Id: user-manual.sgml,v 1.111 2002/05/14 23:01:36 oes Exp $ + + - - - - By: Privoxy Developers - - - + + + + This is here to keep vim syntax file from breaking :/ + If I knew enough to fix it, I would. + PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE! HB: hal@foobox.net + + +]]> + The user manual gives users information on how to install, configure and use - Privoxy. Privoxy is a - web proxy with advanced filtering capabilities for protecting privacy, - filtering web page content, managing cookies, controlling access, and - removing ads, banners, pop-ups and other obnoxious Internet - Junk. Privoxy has a very flexible configuration - and can be customized to suit individual needs and - tastes. Privoxy has application for both - stand-alone systems and multi-user networks. + Privoxy. + + + &p-intro; + + -You can find the latest version of the user manual at http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/user-manual/. + You can find the latest version of the user manual at http://www.privoxy.org/user-manual/. + Please see the Contact section on how to + contact the developers. @@ -61,390 +115,660 @@ You can find the latest version of the user manual at Introduction + + This documentation is included with the current &p-status; version of + Privoxy, v.&p-version;soon ;-)]]>. + + + + + Since this is a &p-status; version, not all new features are well tested. This + documentation may be slightly out of sync as a result (especially with + CVS sources). And there may be bugs, though hopefully + not many! + +]]> + + +Features + + In addition to Internet Junkbuster's traditional + features of ad and banner blocking and cookie management, + Privoxy provides new features: + + + &newfeatures; + + + + + + + +Installation -Introduction - Privoxy is a web proxy with advanced - filtering capabilities for protecting privacy, filtering and modifying web - page content, managing cookies, controlling access, and removing ads, - banners, pop-ups and other obnoxious Internet Junk. - Privoxy has a very flexible configuration and - can be customized to suit individual needs and tastes. Privoxy has application for both stand-alone systems and - multi-user networks. + Privoxy is available both in convenient pre-compiled + packages for a wide range of operating systems, and as raw source code. + For most users, we recommend using the packages, which can be downloaded from our + Privoxy Project + Page. - This documentation is included with the current BETA version of - Privoxy and is mostly complete at this - point. The most up to date reference for the time being is still the comments - in the source files and in the individual configuration files. Development - of version 3.0 is currently nearing completion, and includes many significant - changes and enhancements over earlier versions. The target release date for - stable v3.0 is soon ;-) + Note: If you have a previous Junkbuster or + Privoxy installation on your system, you + will need to remove it. On some platforms, this may be done for you as part + of their installation procedure. (See below for your platform). In any case + be sure to backup your old configuration if it is valuable to + you. See the note to + upgraders section below. + +Binary Packages - Since this is a BETA version, not all new features are well tested. This - documentation may be slightly out of sync as a result (especially with - CVS sources). And there may be bugs, though hopefully - not many! +How to install the binary packages depends on your operating system: + + + +Red Hat, SuSE RPMs and Conectiva + + + RPMs can be installed with rpm -Uvh privoxy-&p-version;-1.rpm, + and will use /etc/privoxy for the location + of configuration files. + + + + Note that on Red Hat, Privoxy will + not be automatically started on system boot. You will + need to enable that using chkconfig, + ntsysv, or similar methods. Note that SuSE will +automatically start Privoxy in the boot process. + + + + If you have problems with failed dependencies, try rebuilding the SRC RPM: + rpm --rebuild privoxy-&p-version;-1.src.rpm;. This + will use your locally installed libraries and RPM version. + + Also note that if you have a Junkbuster RPM installed + on your system, you need to remove it first, because the packages conflict. + Otherwise, RPM will try to remove Junkbuster + automatically, before installing Privoxy. + + - -New Features +Debian - In addition to Internet Junkbuster's traditional - feature of ad and banner blocking and cookie management, - Privoxy provides new features, some of them - currently under development: + FIXME. + + + + +Windows + + + Just double-click the installer, which will guide you through + the installation process. You will find the configuration files + in the same directory as you installed Privoxy in. We do not + use the registry of Windows. + + + + +Solaris, NetBSD, FreeBSD, HP-UX + + + Create a new directory, cd to it, then unzip and + untar the archive. For the most part, you'll have to figure out where + things go. FIXME. + + + + +OS/2 + + + First, make sure that no previous installations of + Junkbuster and / or + Privoxy are left on your + system. You can do this by + + + + Then, just double-click the WarpIN self-installing archive, which will + guide you through the installation process. A shadow of the + Privoxy executable will be placed in your + startup folder so it will start automatically whenever OS/2 starts. + + + + The directory you choose to install Privoxy + into will contain all of the configuration files. + + + + +Max OSX + + Unzip the downloaded package (you can either double-click on the file + in the finder, or on the desktop if you downloaded it there). Then, + double-click on the package installer icon and follow the installation + process. + Privoxy will be installed in the subdirectory + /Applications/Privoxy.app. + Privoxy will set itself up to start + automatically on system bring-up via + /System/Library/StartupItems/Privoxy. + + + + +AmigaOS + + Copy and then unpack the lha archive to a suitable location. + All necessary files will be installed into Privoxy + directory, including all configuration and log files. To uninstall, just + remove this directory. + + + Start Privoxy (with RUN <>NIL:) in your + startnet script (AmiTCP), in + s:user-startup (RoadShow), as startup program in your + startup script (Genesis), or as startup action (Miami and MiamiDx). + Privoxy will automatically quit when you quit your + TCP/IP stack (just ignore the harmless warning your TCP/IP stack may display that + Privoxy is still running). + + + + + +Building from Source + + + The most convenient way to obtain the Privoxy sources + is to download the source tarball from our project + page. + + + + If you like to live on the bleeding edge and are not afraid of using + possibly unstable development versions, you can check out the up-to-the-minute + version directly from the + CVS repository or simply download the nightly CVS + tarball. + + + +&buildsource; + + + + + + + + + + +Note to Upgraders + + There are very significant changes from earlier + Junkbuster versions to the current + Privoxy. The number, names, syntax, and + purposes of configuration files have substantially changed. + Junkbuster 2.0.x configuration + files will not migrate, Junkbuster 2.9.x + and Privoxy configurations will need to be + ported. The functionalities of the old blockfile, + cookiefile and imagelist + are now combined into the actions + files. + default.action, is the main actions file. Local + exceptions should best be put into user.action. + + + A filter file (typically + default.filter) is new as of Privoxy + 2.9.x, and provides some of the new sophistication (explained + below). config is much the same as before. + + + If upgrading from a 2.0.x version, you will have to use the new config + files, and possibly adapt any personal rules from your older files. + When porting personal rules over from the old blockfile + to the new actions files, please note that even the pattern syntax has + changed. If upgrading from 2.9.x development versions, it is still + recommended to use the new configuration files. + + + A quick list of things to be aware of before upgrading: - - Integrated browser based configuration and control utility (http://i.j.b). Browser-based tracing of rule - and filter effects. + The default listening port is now 8118 due to a conflict with another + service (NAS). - - + - Blocking of annoying pop-up browser windows. + Privoxy is controllable with a web browser + at the special URL: http://config.privoxy.org/ + (Shortcut: http://p.p/). Many + aspects of configuration can be done here, including temporarily disabling + Privoxy. - - HTTP/1.1 compliant (most, but not all 1.1 features are supported). + The primary configuration file for cookie management, ad and banner + blocking, and many other aspects of Privoxy + configuration is in the actions + files. It is strongly recommended to become familiar with the new + actions concept below, before modifying these files. Locally defined rules + should go into user.action. - - + - Support for Perl Compatible Regular Expressions in the configuration files, and - generally a more sophisticated and flexible configuration syntax over - previous versions. + + + Some installers may not automatically start + Privoxy after installation. + + + + + +Quickstart to Using <application>Privoxy</application> + + + - GIF de-animation. - - - - - - Web page content filtering (removes banners based on size, - invisible web-bugs, JavaScript, pop-ups, status bar abuse, - etc.) - - - - - - Bypass many click-tracking scripts (avoids script redirection). - + If upgrading, please back up any configuration files. See + the Note to Upgraders Section. - - + - Multi-threaded (POSIX and native threads). - - + Install Privoxy. See the Installation Section for platform specific + information. + + - Auto-detection and re-reading of config file changes. + Start Privoxy, if the installation program has + not done this already. See the section Starting + Privoxy. - + - User-customizable HTML templates (e.g. 404 error page). + Set your browser to use Privoxy as HTTP and HTTPS + proxy by setting the proxy configuration for address of + 127.0.0.1 and port 8118. + (Junkbuster and earlier versions of + Privoxy used port 8000.) See the section Starting Privoxy. - + - Improved cookie management features (e.g. session based cookies). + Flush your browser's caches, to remove any cached ad images. - Builds from source on most UNIX-like systems. Packages available for: Linux - (RedHat, SuSE, or Debian), Windows, Sun Solaris, Mac OSX, OS/2, HP-UX 11 and AmigaOS. + Enjoy surfing with enhanced comfort and privacy. You may want to customize the + user.action file to + personalize your new browsing experience. See the Configuration section for more configuration + options, and how to further customize your installation. + + + + + If you experience problems with sites that misbehave, see + the Anatomy of an Action section in the + Appendix. - + - In addition, the configuration is much more powerful and versatile over-all. + Please see the section Contacting the + Developers on how to report bugs or problems with websites or to get + help. - + - - - - - -Installation + +Starting <application>Privoxy</application> - Privoxy is available as raw source code, or - pre-compiled binaries. See the Privoxy Home Page - for binaries and current release info. Privoxy - is also available via CVS. - This is the recommended approach at this time. But please be aware that CVS - is constantly changing, and it may break in mysterious ways. + Before launching Privoxy for the first time, you + will want to configure your browser(s) to use + Privoxy as a HTTP and HTTPS proxy. The default is + 127.0.0.1 (or localhost) for the proxy address, and port 8118 (earlier versions + used port 8000). This is the one configuration step that must be done! - - -Source - - For gzipped tar archives, unpack the source: + + + With Netscape (and + Mozilla), this can be set under Edit + -> Preferences -> Advanced -> Proxies -> HTTP Proxy. + For Internet Explorer: Tools -> + Internet Properties -> Connections -> LAN Setting. Then, + check Use Proxy and fill in the appropriate info (Address: + 127.0.0.1, Port: 8118). Include if HTTPS proxy support too. - - tar xzvf ijb_source_* [.tgz or .tar.gz] - cd ijb_source_2.9.11_beta - + After doing this, flush your browser's disk and memory caches to force a + re-reading of all pages and to get rid of any ads that may be cached. You + are now ready to start enjoying the benefits of using + Privoxy! - For retrieving the current CVS sources, you'll need the CVS - package installed first. To download CVS source: + Privoxy is typically started by specifying the + main configuration file to be used on the command line. If no configuration + file is specified on the command line, Privoxy + will look for a file named config in the current + directory. Except on Win32 where it will try config.txt. + +RedHat, Conectiva and Debian - - cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa login - cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa co current - cd current - +We use a script. Note that RedHat does not start Privoxy upon booting per +default. It will use the file /etc/privoxy/config as its +main configuration file. FIXME: Debian?? - - This will create a directory named current/, which will - contain the source tree. + + # /etc/rc.d/init.d/privoxy start + + + +SuSE - Then, in either case, to build from tarball/CVS source: +We use a script. It will use the file /etc/privoxy/config +as its main configuration file. Note that SuSE starts Privoxy upon booting +your PC. - - ./configure (--help to see options) - make (the make from gnu, gmake for *BSD) - su - make -n install (to see where all the files will go) - make install (to really install) - + # rcprivoxy start + + + +Windows - For Redhat and SuSE Linux RPM packages, see below. +Click on the Privoxy Icon to start Privoxy. If no configuration file is + specified on the command line, Privoxy will look + for a file named config.txt. Note that Windows will + automatically start Privoxy upon booting you PC. - - - -Red Hat + +Solaris, NetBSD, FreeBSD, HP-UX and others - To build Redhat RPM packages, install source as above. Then: +Example Unix startup command: - - autoheader [suggested for CVS source] - autoconf [suggested for CVS source] - ./configure - make redhat-dist - - - - - This will create both binary and src RPMs in the usual places. Example: + # /usr/sbin/privoxy /etc/privoxy/config + + + +OS/2 -    /usr/src/redhat/RPMS/i686/privoxy-2.9.11-1.i686.rpm - - -    /usr/src/redhat/SRPMS/privoxy-2.9.11-1.src.rpm +FIXME. + + +MAX OSX - To install, of course: +FIXME. + - - - rpm -Uvv /usr/src/redhat/RPMS/i686/privoxy-2.9.11-1.i686.rpm - - + +AmigaOS - This will place the Privoxy configuration - files in /etc/privoxy/, and log files in - /var/log/privoxy/. +FIXME. - - -SuSE - - To build SuSE RPM packages, install source as above. Then: - + -OS/2 - - - - Privoxy is packaged in a WarpIN self- - installing archive. The self-installing program will be named depending - on the release version, something like: - ijbos2_setup_1.2.3.exe. In order to install it, simply - run this executable or double-click on its icon and follow the WarpIN - installation panels. A shadow of the Privoxy - executable will be placed in your startup folder so it will start - automatically whenever OS/2 starts. + In fact, various aspects of Privoxy + configuration can be viewed from this page, including + current configuration parameters, source code version numbers, + the browser's request headers, and actions that apply + to a given URL. In addition to the actions file + editor mentioned above, Privoxy can also + be turned on and off (toggled) from this page. - The directory you choose to install Privoxy - into will contain all of the configuration files. + If you encounter problems, try loading the page without + Privoxy. If that helps, enter the URL where + you have the problems into the browser + based rule tracing utility. See which rules apply and why, and + then try turning them off for that site one after the other, until the problem + is gone. When you have found the culprit, you might want to turn the rest on + again. - If you would like to build binary images on OS/2 yourself, you will need - a few Unix-like tools: autoconf, autoheader and sh. These tools will be - used to create the required config.h file, which is not part of the - source distribution because it differs based on platform. You will also - need a compiler. - The distribution has been created using IBM VisualAge compilers, but you - can use any compiler you like. GCC/EMX has the disadvantage of needing - to be single-threaded due to a limitation of EMX's implementation of the - select() socket call. + If the above paragraph sounds gibberish to you, you might want to read more about the actions concept + or even dive deep into the Appendix + on actions. - In addition to needing the source code distribution as outlined earlier, - you will want to extract the os2seutp directory from CVS: - - cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa login - cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa co os2setup - - This will create a directory named os2setup/, which will contain the - Makefile.vac makefile and os2build.cmd - which is used to completely create the binary distribution. The sequence - of events for building the executable for yourself goes something like this: - - cd current - autoheader - autoconf - sh configure - cd ..\os2setup - nmake -f Makefile.vac - - You will see this sequence laid out in os2build.cmd. + If you can't get rid of the problem at all, think you've found a bug in + Privoxy, want to propose a new feature or smarter rules, please see the + section Contacting the + Developers below. - - - - -Windows -Click-click. (I need help on this. Not a clue here. Also for -configuration section below. HB.) - - +--> -Other + +Command Line Options - Some quick notes on other Operating Systems. + Privoxy may be invoked with the following + command-line options: - For FreeBSD (and other *BSDs?), the build will require gmake - instead of the included make. gmake is - available from http://www.gnu.org. - The rest should be the same as above for Linux/Unix. + + + + + --version + + + Print version info and exit. Unix only. + + + + + --help + + + Print short usage info and exit. Unix only. + + + + + --no-daemon + + + Don't become a daemon, i.e. don't fork and become process group + leader, and don't detach from controlling tty. Unix only. + + + + + --pidfile FILE + + + + On startup, write the process ID to FILE. Delete the + FILE on exit. Failure to create or delete the + FILE is non-fatal. If no FILE + option is given, no PID file will be used. Unix only. + + + + + --user USER[.GROUP] + + + + After (optionally) writing the PID file, assume the user ID of + USER, and if included the GID of GROUP. Exit if the + privileges are not sufficient to do so. Unix only. + + + + + configfile + + + If no configfile is included on the command line, + Privoxy will look for a file named + config in the current directory (except on Win32 + where it will look for config.txt instead). Specify + full path to avoid confusion. If no config file is found, + Privoxy will fail to start. + + + + @@ -457,11 +781,10 @@ configuration section below. HB.) <application>Privoxy</application> Configuration - All Privoxy configuration is kept + All Privoxy configuration is stored in text files. These files can be edited with a text editor. Many important aspects of Privoxy can also be controlled easily with a web browser. - @@ -470,46 +793,59 @@ configuration section below. HB.) Controlling <application>Privoxy</application> with Your Web Browser - Privoxy can be reached by the special - URL http://i.j.b/ (or alternately - http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/), - which is an internal page. You will see the following section: + Privoxy's user interface can be reached through the special + URL http://config.privoxy.org/ + (shortcut: http://p.p/), + which is a built-in page and works without Internet access. + You will see the following section: - - + + + + Privoxy Menu -Please choose from the following options: - - * Show information about the current configuration - * Show the source code version numbers - * Show the client's request headers. - * Show which actions apply to a URL and why - * Toggle Privoxy on or off - * Edit the actions list + + +         ▪  View & change the current configuration + + +         ▪  View the source code version numbers + + +         ▪  View the request headers. + + +         ▪  Look up which actions apply to a URL and why + + +         ▪  Toggle Privoxy on or off + + + + - - - This should be self-explanatory. Note the last item is an editor for the - actions list, which is where much of the ad, banner, cookie, - and URL blocking magic is configured as well as other advanced features of + This should be self-explanatory. Note the first item leads to an editor for the + actions files, which is where the ad, banner, + cookie, and URL blocking magic is configured as well as other advanced features of Privoxy. This is an easy way to adjust various aspects of Privoxy configuration. The actions file, and other configuration files, are explained in detail below. - Privoxy will automatically detect any changes - to these files. Toggle Privoxy On or Off is handy for sites that might - have problems with your current actions and filters, or just to test if - a site misbehaves, whether it is Privoxy + have problems with your current actions and filters. You can in fact use + it as a test to see whether it is Privoxy causing the problem or not. Privoxy continues - to run as a proxy in this case, but all filtering is disabled. - + to run as a proxy in this case, but all manipulation is disabled, i.e. + Privoxy acts like a normal forwarding proxy. There + is even a toggle Bookmarklet offered, so + that you can toggle Privoxy with one click from + your browser. @@ -521,21 +857,21 @@ Please choose from the following options: - + Configuration Files Overview For Unix, *BSD and Linux, all configuration files are located in /etc/privoxy/ by default. For MS Windows, OS/2, and AmigaOS these are all in the same directory as the - Privoxy executable. The name and number of - configuration files has changed from previous versions, and is subject to - change as development progresses. + Privoxy executable. - The installed defaults provide a reasonable starting point, though possibly - aggressive by some standards. For the time being, there are only three - default configuration files (this will change in time): + The installed defaults provide a reasonable starting point, though + some settings may be aggressive by some standards. For the time being, the + principle configuration files are: @@ -543,29 +879,48 @@ Please choose from the following options: - The main configuration file is named config + The main configuration file is named config on Linux, Unix, BSD, OS/2, and AmigaOS and config.txt - on Windows. + on Windows. This is a required file. - The ijb.action file is used to define various - actions relating to images, banners, pop-ups, access - restrictions, banners and cookies. There is a CGI based editor for this - file that can be accessed via http://i.j.b. (Other actions - files are included as well with differing levels of filtering - and blocking, e.g. ijb-basic.action.) + default.action (the main actions file) + is used to define which actions relating to banner-blocking, images, pop-ups, + content modification, cookie handling etc should be applied by default. It also defines many + exceptions (both positive and negative) from this default set of actions that enable + Privoxy to selectively eliminate the junk, and only the junk, on + as many websites as possible. + + + Multiple actions files may be defined in config. These + are processed in the order they are defined. Local customizations and locally + preferred exceptions to the default policies as defined in + default.action (which you will most probably want + to define sooner or later) are probably best applied in + user.action, where you can preserve them across + upgrades. standard.action is for + Privoxy's internal use. + + + There is also a web based editor that can be accessed from + http://config.privoxy.org/show-status + (Shortcut: http://p.p/show-status) for the + various actions files. - The re_filterfile file can be used to re-write the raw - page content, including viewable text as well as embedded HTML and JavaScript, - and whatever else lurks on any given web page. + default.filter (the filter + file) can be used to re-write the raw page content, including + viewable text as well as embedded HTML and JavaScript, and whatever else + lurks on any given web page. The filtering jobs are only pre-defined here; + whether to apply them or not is up to the actions files. @@ -573,29 +928,50 @@ Please choose from the following options: - ijb.action and re_filterfile - can use Perl style regular expressions for maximum flexibility. All files use - the # character to denote a comment. Such - lines are not processed by Privoxy. After - making any changes, there is no need to restart + All files use the # character to denote a + comment (the rest of the line will be ignored) and understand line continuation + through placing a backslash ("\") as the very last character + in a line. If the # is preceded by a backslash, it looses + its special function. Placing a # in front of an otherwise + valid configuration line to prevent it from being interpreted is called "commenting + out" that line. + + + + The actions files and default.filter + can use Perl style regular expressions for + maximum flexibility. + + + + After making any changes, there is no need to restart Privoxy in order for the changes to take - effect. Privoxy should detect such changes - automatically. + effect. Privoxy detects such changes + automatically. Note, however, that it may take one or two additional + requests for the change to take effect. When changing the listening address + of Privoxy, these wake up requests + must obviously be sent to the old listening address. + While under development, the configuration content is subject to change. The below documentation may not be accurate by the time you read this. Also, what constitutes a default setting, may change, so please check all your configuration files on important issues. +]]> + + + - + - + The Main Configuration File + Again, the main configuration file is named config on Linux/Unix/BSD and OS/2, and config.txt on Windows. @@ -608,2283 +984,4212 @@ Please choose from the following options: - blockfile blocklist.ini - - - - - - - Indicates that the blockfile is named blocklist.ini. (A - default installation does not use this.) - - - - A # indicates a comment. Any part of a - line following a # is ignored, except if - the # is preceded by a - \. + confdir /etc/privoxy + + - Thus, by placing a # at the start of an - existing configuration line, you can make it a comment and it will be treated - as if it weren't there. This is called commenting out an - option and can be useful to turn off features: If you comment out the - logfile line, Privoxy will not - log to a file at all. Watch for the default: section in each - explanation to see what happens if the option is left unset (or commented - out). + Assigns the value /etc/privoxy to the option + confdir and thus indicates that the configuration + directory is named /etc/privoxy/. - Long lines can be continued on the next line by using a - \ as the very last character. + All options in the config file except for confdir and + logdir are optional. Watch out in the below description + for what happens if you leave them unset. - There are various aspects of Privoxy behavior - that can be tuned. + The main config file controls all aspects of Privoxy's + operation that are not location dependent (i.e. they apply universally, no matter + where you may be surfing). - -Defining Other Configuration Files + +Configuration and Log File Locations - Privoxy can use a number of other files to tell it - what ads to block, what cookies to accept, etc. This section of the - configuration file tells Privoxy where to find - all those other files. + Privoxy can (and normally does) use a number of + other files for additional configuration, help and logging. + This section of the configuration file tells Privoxy + where to find those other files. - On Windows and AmigaOS, - Privoxy looks for these files in the same - directory as the executable. On Unix and OS/2, - Privoxy looks for these files in the current - working directory. In either case, an absolute path name can be used to - avoid problems. + The user running Privoxy, must have read permission for all + configuration files, and write permission to any files that would + be modified, such as log files. - - When development goes modular and multi-user, the blocker, filter, and - per-user config will be stored in subdirectories of confdir. - For now, only confdir/templates is used for storing HTML - templates for CGI results. - +confdir - - The location of the configuration files: - + + + Specifies: + + The directory where the other configuration files are located + + + + Type of value: + + Path name + + + + Default value: + + /etc/privoxy (Unix) or Privoxy installation dir (Windows) + + + + Effect if unset: + + Mandatory + + + + Notes: + + + No trailing /, please + + + When development goes modular and multi-user, the blocker, filter, and + per-user config will be stored in subdirectories of confdir. + For now, the configuration directory structure is flat, except for + confdir/templates, where the HTML templates for CGI + output reside (e.g. Privoxy's 404 error page). + + + + + - - - - - confdir /etc/privoxy # No trailing /, please. - - - - - - The directory where all logging (i.e. logfile and - jarfile) takes place. No trailing - /, please: - +logdir - - - - - logdir /var/log/privoxy - - - - + + + Specifies: + + + The directory where all logging takes place (i.e. where logfile and + jarfile are located) + + + + + Type of value: + + Path name + + + + Default value: + + /var/log/privoxy (Unix) or Privoxy installation dir (Windows) + + + + Effect if unset: + + Mandatory + + + + Notes: + + + No trailing /, please + + + + + - - Note that all file specifications below are relative to - the above two directories! - + +actionsfile + + + + + + + + Specifies: + + + The actions file(s) to use + + + + + Type of value: + + File name, relative to confdir, without the .action suffix + + + + Default value: + + + + standard # Internal purposes, no editing recommended + + + default # Main actions file + + + user # User customizations + + + + + + Effect if unset: + + + No actions are taken at all. Simple neutral proxying. + + + + + Notes: + + + Multiple actionsfile lines are permitted, and are in fact recommended! + + + The default values include standard.action, which is used for internal + purposes and should be loaded, default.action, which is the + main actions file maintained by the developers, and + user.action, where you can make your personal additions. + + + Actions files are where all the per site and per URL configuration is done for + ad blocking, cookie management, privacy considerations, etc. + There is no point in using Privoxy without at + least one actions file. + + + + + - - The ijb.action file contains patterns to specify the actions - to apply to requests for each site. Default: Cookies to and from all - destinations are kept only during the current browser session (i.e. they are - not saved to disk). Pop-ups are disabled for all sites. All sites are - filtered through selected sections of re_filterfile. No sites - are blocked. The Privoxy logo is displayed for - filtered ads and other images. The syntax of this file is explained in detail - below. Other actions files - are included, and you are free to use any of them. They have varying degrees - of aggressiveness. - +filterfile + + + + Specifies: + + + The filter file to use + + + + + Type of value: + + File name, relative to confdir + + + + Default value: + + default.filter (Unix) or default.filter.txt (Windows) + + + + Effect if unset: + + + No textual content filtering takes place, i.e. all + +filter{name} + actions in the actions files are turned neutral. + + + + + Notes: + + + The default.filter file contains content modification rules + that use regular expressions. These rules permit powerful + changes on the content of Web pages, e.g., you could disable your favorite + JavaScript annoyances, re-write the actual displayed text, or just have some + fun replacing Microsoft with MicroSuck wherever + it appears on a Web page. + + + + + - - - - - actionsfile ijb.action - - - - +logfile - - The re_filterfile file contains content modification rules - that use regular expressions. These rules permit powerful - changes on the content of Web pages, e.g., you could disable your favorite - JavaScript annoyances, re-write the actual displayed text, or just have some - fun replacing Microsoft with MicroSuck wherever - it appears on a Web page. Default: whatever the developers are playing with - :-/ - + + + Specifies: + + + The log file to use + + + + + Type of value: + + File name, relative to logdir + + + + Default value: + + logfile (Unix) or privoxy.log (Windows) + + + + Effect if unset: + + + No log file is used, all log messages go to the console (stderr). + + + + + Notes: + + + The windows version will additionally log to the console. + + + The logfile is where all logging and error messages are written. The level + of detail and number of messages are set with the debug + option (see below). The logfile can be useful for tracking down a problem with + Privoxy (e.g., it's not blocking an ad you + think it should block) but in most cases you probably will never look at it. + + + Your logfile will grow indefinitely, and you will probably want to + periodically remove it. On Unix systems, you can do this with a cron job + (see man cron). For Red Hat, a logrotate + script has been included. + + + On SuSE Linux systems, you can place a line like /var/log/privoxy.* + +1024k 644 nobody.nogroup in /etc/logfiles, with + the effect that cron.daily will automatically archive, gzip, and empty the + log, when it exceeds 1M size. + + + Any log files must be writable by whatever user Privoxy + is being run as (default on UNIX, user id is privoxy). + + + + + - - Filtering requires buffering the page content, which may appear to slow down - page rendering since nothing is displayed until all content has passed - the filters. (It does not really take longer, but seems that way since - the page is not incrementally displayed.) This effect will be more noticeable - on slower connections. +jarfile - + + + Specifies: + + + The file to store intercepted cookies in + + + + + Type of value: + + File name, relative to logdir + + + + Default value: + + jarfile (Unix) or privoxy.jar (Windows) + + + + Effect if unset: + + + Intercepted cookies are not stored at all. + + + + + Notes: + + + The jarfile may grow to ridiculous sizes over time. + + + + + - - - - - re_filterfile re_filterfile - - - - +trustfile + + + Specifies: + + + The trust file to use + + + + + Type of value: + + File name, relative to confdir + + + + Default value: + + Unset (commented out). When activated: trust (Unix) or trust.txt (Windows) + + + + Effect if unset: + + + The whole trust mechanism is turned off. + + + + + Notes: + + + The trust mechanism is an experimental feature for building white-lists and should + be used with care. It is NOT recommended for the casual user. + + + If you specify a trust file, Privoxy will only allow + access to sites that are named in the trustfile. + You can also mark sites as trusted referrers (with +), with + the effect that access to untrusted sites will be granted, if a link from a + trusted referrer was used. + The link target will then be added to the trustfile. + Possible applications include limiting Internet access for children. + + + If you use + operator in the trust file, it may grow considerably over time. + + + + + + - - The logfile is where all logging and error messages are written. The logfile - can be useful for tracking down a problem with - Privoxy (e.g., it's not blocking an ad you - think it should block) but in most cases you probably will never look at it. - + - - Your logfile will grow indefinitely, and you will probably want to - periodically remove it. On Unix systems, you can do this with a cron job - (see man cron). For Redhat, a logrotate - script has been included. - - - On SuSE Linux systems, you can place a line like /var/log/privoxy.* - +1024k 644 nobody.nogroup in /etc/logfiles, with - the effect that cron.daily will automatically archive, gzip, and empty the - log, when it exceeds 1M size. - - - Default: Log to the a file named logfile. - Comment out to disable logging. - + + + +Local Set-up Documentation + + + If you intend to operate Privoxy for more users + than just yourself, it might be a good idea to let them know how to reach + you, what you block and why you do that, your policies, etc. + + +user-manual + + + Specifies: + + + Location of the Privoxy User Manual. + + + + + Type of value: + + A fully qualified URI + + + + Default value: + + Unset + + + + Effect if unset: + + + http://www.privoxy.org/version/user-manual/ + will be used, where version is the Privoxy version. + + + + + Notes: + + + The User Manual URI is used for help links from some of the internal CGI pages. + The manual itself is normally packaged with the binary distributions, so you probably want + to set this to a locally installed copy. For multi-user setups, you could provide a copy on + a local webserver for all your users and use the corresponding URL here. + + + Examples: + + + Unix, in local filesystem: + + + user-manual  file:///usr/share/doc/privoxy-&p-version;/user-manual/ + + + Any platform, on local webserver (called local-webserver): + + + user-manual  http://local-webserver/privoxy-user-manual/ + + + + If set, this option should be the first option in the config file, because + it is used while the config file is being read. + + + + + + + +trust-info-url + + + + Specifies: + + + A URL to be displayed in the error page that users will see if access to an untrusted page is denied. + + + + + Type of value: + + URL + + + + Default value: + + Two example URL are provided + + + + Effect if unset: + + + No links are displayed on the "untrusted" error page. + + + + + Notes: + + + The value of this option only matters if the experimental trust mechanism has been + activated. (See trustfile above.) + + + If you use the trust mechanism, it is a good idea to write up some on-line + documentation about your trust policy and to specify the URL(s) here. + Use multiple times for multiple URLs. + + + The URL(s) should be added to the trustfile as well, so users don't end up + locked out from the information on why they were locked out in the first place! + + + + + + +admin-address + + + + Specifies: + + + An email address to reach the proxy administrator. + + + + + Type of value: + + Email address + + + + Default value: + + Unset + + + + Effect if unset: + + + No email address is displayed on error pages and the CGI user interface. + + + + + Notes: + + + If both admin-address and proxy-info-url + are unset, the whole "Local Privoxy Support" box on all generated pages will + not be shown. + + + + + + +proxy-info-url + + + + Specifies: + + + A URL to documentation about the local Privoxy setup, + configuration or policies. + + + + + Type of value: + + URL + + + + Default value: + + Unset + + + + Effect if unset: + + + No link to local documentation is displayed on error pages and the CGI user interface. + + + + + Notes: + + + If both admin-address and proxy-info-url + are unset, the whole "Local Privoxy Support" box on all generated pages will + not be shown. + + + This URL shouldn't be blocked ;-) + + + + + + + + + + + + +Debugging + + + These options are mainly useful when tracing a problem. + Note that you might also want to invoke + Privoxy with the --no-daemon + command line option when debugging. + + +debug + + + + Specifies: + + + Key values that determine what information gets logged to the + logfile. + + + + + Type of value: + + Integer values + + + + Default value: + + 12289 (i.e.: URLs plus informational and warning messages) + + + + Effect if unset: + + + Nothing gets logged. + + + + + Notes: + + + The available debug levels are: + + + + debug 1 # show each GET/POST/CONNECT request + debug 2 # show each connection status + debug 4 # show I/O status + debug 8 # show header parsing + debug 16 # log all data into the logfile + debug 32 # debug force feature + debug 64 # debug regular expression filter + debug 128 # debug fast redirects + debug 256 # debug GIF de-animation + debug 512 # Common Log Format + debug 1024 # debug kill pop-ups + debug 4096 # Startup banner and warnings. + debug 8192 # Non-fatal errors + + + + To select multiple debug levels, you can either add them or use + multiple debug lines. + + + A debug level of 1 is informative because it will show you each request + as it happens. 1, 4096 and 8192 are highly recommended + so that you will notice when things go wrong. The other levels are probably + only of interest if you are hunting down a specific problem. They can produce + a hell of an output (especially 16). + + + + The reporting of fatal errors (i.e. ones which crash + Privoxy) is always on and cannot be disabled. + + + If you want to use CLF (Common Log Format), you should set debug + 512 ONLY and not enable anything else. + + + + + + +single-threaded + + + + Specifies: + + + Whether to run only one server thread + + + + + Type of value: + + None + + + + Default value: + + Unset + + + + Effect if unset: + + + Multi-threaded (or, where unavailable: forked) operation, i.e. the ability to + serve multiple requests simultaneously. + + + + + Notes: + + + This option is only there for debug purposes and you should never + need to use it. It will drastically reduce performance. + + + + + + + + + + + +Access Control and Security + + + This section of the config file controls the security-relevant aspects + of Privoxy's configuration. + + +listen-address + + + + Specifies: + + + The IP address and TCP port on which Privoxy will + listen for client requests. + + + + + Type of value: + + [IP-Address]:Port + + + + + Default value: + + 127.0.0.1:8118 + + + + Effect if unset: + + + Bind to 127.0.0.1 (localhost), port 8118. This is suitable and recommended for + home users who run Privoxy on the same machine as + their browser. + + + + + Notes: + + + You will need to configure your browser(s) to this proxy address and port. + + + If you already have another service running on port 8118, or if you want to + serve requests from other machines (e.g. on your local network) as well, you + will need to override the default. + + + If you leave out the IP address, Privoxy will + bind to all interfaces (addresses) on your machine and may become reachable + from the Internet. In that case, consider using access control lists (ACL's) + (see ACLs below), or a firewall. + + + + + Example: + + + Suppose you are running Privoxy on + a machine which has the address 192.168.0.1 on your local private network + (192.168.0.0) and has another outside connection with a different address. + You want it to serve requests from inside only: + + + + listen-address 192.168.0.1:8118 + + + + + + + +toggle + + + + Specifies: + + + Initial state of "toggle" status + + + + + Type of value: + + 1 or 0 + + + + Default value: + + 1 + + + + Effect if unset: + + + Act as if toggled on + + + + + Notes: + + + If set to 0, Privoxy will start in + toggled off mode, i.e. behave like a normal, content-neutral + proxy where all ad blocking, filtering, etc are disabled. See + enable-remote-toggle below. This is not really useful + anymore, since toggling is much easier via the web interface than via + editing the conf file. + + + The windows version will only display the toggle icon in the system tray + if this option is present. + + + + + + + +enable-remote-toggle + + + Specifies: + + + Whether or not the web-based toggle + feature may be used + + + + + Type of value: + + 0 or 1 + + + + Default value: + + 1 + + + + Effect if unset: + + + The web-based toggle feature is disabled. + + + + + Notes: + + + When toggled off, Privoxy acts like a normal, + content-neutral proxy, i.e. it acts as if none of the actions applied to + any URL. + + + For the time being, access to the toggle feature can not be + controlled separately by ACLs or HTTP authentication, + so that everybody who can access Privoxy (see + ACLs and listen-address above) can + toggle it for all users. So this option is not recommended + for multi-user environments with untrusted users. + + + Note that you must have compiled Privoxy with + support for this feature, otherwise this option has no effect. + + + + + + + +enable-edit-actions + + + Specifies: + + + Whether or not the web-based actions + file editor may be used + + + + + Type of value: + + 0 or 1 + + + + Default value: + + 1 + + + + Effect if unset: + + + The web-based actions file editor is disabled. + + + + + Notes: + + + For the time being, access to the editor can not be + controlled separately by ACLs or HTTP authentication, + so that everybody who can access Privoxy (see + ACLs and listen-address above) can + modify its configuration for all users. So this option is not + recommended for multi-user environments with untrusted users. + + + Note that you must have compiled Privoxy with + support for this feature, otherwise this option has no effect. + + + + + + + +ACLs: permit-access and deny-access + + + + + + Specifies: + + + Who can access what. + + + + + Type of value: + + + src_addr[/src_masklen] + [dst_addr[/dst_masklen]] + + + Where src_addr and + dst_addr are IP addresses in dotted decimal notation or valid + DNS names, and src_masklen and + dst_masklen are subnet masks in CIDR notation, i.e. integer + values from 2 to 30 representing the length (in bits) of the network address. The masks and the whole + destination part are optional. + + + + + Default value: + + Unset + + + + Effect if unset: + + + Don't restrict access further than implied by listen-address + + + + + Notes: + + + Access controls are included at the request of ISPs and systems + administrators, and are not usually needed by individual users. + For a typical home user, it will normally suffice to ensure that + Privoxy only listens on the localhost + (127.0.0.1) or internal (home) network address by means of the + listen-address + option. + + + Please see the warnings in the FAQ that this proxy is not intended to be a substitute + for a firewall or to encourage anyone to defer addressing basic security + weaknesses. + + + Multiple ACL lines are OK. + If any ACLs are specified, then the Privoxy + talks only to IP addresses that match at least one permit-access line + and don't match any subsequent deny-access line. In other words, the + last match wins, with the default being deny-access. + + + If Privoxy is using a forwarder (see forward below) + for a particular destination URL, the dst_addr + that is examined is the address of the forwarder and NOT the address + of the ultimate target. This is necessary because it may be impossible for the local + Privoxy to determine the IP address of the + ultimate target (that's often what gateways are used for). + + + You should prefer using IP addresses over DNS names, because the address lookups take + time. All DNS names must resolve! You can not use domain patterns + like *.org or partial domain names. If a DNS name resolves to multiple + IP addresses, only the first one is used. + + + Denying access to particular sites by ACL may have undesired side effects + if the site in question is hosted on a machine which also hosts other sites. + + + + + Examples: + + + Explicitly define the default behavior if no ACL and + listen-address are set: localhost + is OK. The absence of a dst_addr implies that + all destination addresses are OK: + + + + permit-access localhost + + + + Allow any host on the same class C subnet as www.privoxy.org access to + nothing but www.example.com: + + + + permit-access www.privoxy.org/24 www.example.com/32 + + + + Allow access from any host on the 26-bit subnet 192.168.45.64 to anywhere, + with the exception that 192.168.45.73 may not access www.dirty-stuff.example.com: + + + + permit-access 192.168.45.64/26 + deny-access 192.168.45.73 www.dirty-stuff.example.com + + + + + + + +buffer-limit + + + + Specifies: + + + Maximum size of the buffer for content filtering. + + + + + Type of value: + + Size in Kbytes + + + + Default value: + + 4096 + + + + Effect if unset: + + + Use a 4MB (4096 KB) limit. + + + + + Notes: + + + For content filtering, i.e. the +filter and + +deanimate-gif actions, it is necessary that + Privoxy buffers the entire document body. + This can be potentially dangerous, since a server could just keep sending + data indefinitely and wait for your RAM to exhaust -- with nasty consequences. + Hence this option. + + + When a document buffer size reaches the buffer-limit, it is + flushed to the client unfiltered and no further attempt to + filter the rest of the document is made. Remember that there may be multiple threads + running, which might require up to buffer-limit Kbytes + each, unless you have enabled single-threaded + above. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +Forwarding + + + This feature allows routing of HTTP requests through a chain of + multiple proxies. + It can be used to better protect privacy and confidentiality when + accessing specific domains by routing requests to those domains + through an anonymous public proxy (see e.g. http://www.multiproxy.org/anon_list.htm) + Or to use a caching proxy to speed up browsing. Or chaining to a parent + proxy may be necessary because the machine that Privoxy + runs on has no direct Internet access. + + + + Also specified here are SOCKS proxies. Privoxy + supports the SOCKS 4 and SOCKS 4A protocols. + + +forward + + + Specifies: + + + To which parent HTTP proxy specific requests should be routed. + + + + + Type of value: + + + target_domain[:port] + http_parent[/port] + + + Where target_domain is a domain name pattern (see the + chapter on domain matching in the default.action file), + http_parent is the address of the parent HTTP proxy + as an IP addresses in dotted decimal notation or as a valid DNS name (or . to denote + no forwarding, and the optional + port parameters are TCP ports, i.e. integer + values from 1 to 64535 + + + + + Default value: + + Unset + + + + Effect if unset: + + + Don't use parent HTTP proxies. + + + + + Notes: + + + If http_parent is ., then requests are not + forwarded to another HTTP proxy but are made directly to the web servers. + + + Multiple lines are OK, they are checked in sequence, and the last match wins. + + + + + Examples: + + + Everything goes to an example anonymizing proxy, except SSL on port 443 (which it doesn't handle): + + + + forward .* anon-proxy.example.org:8080 + forward :443 . + + + + Everything goes to our example ISP's caching proxy, except for requests + to that ISP's sites: + + + + forward .*. caching-proxy.example-isp.net:8000 + forward .example-isp.net . + + + + + + + + +forward-socks4 and forward-socks4a + + + + + + Specifies: + + + Through which SOCKS proxy (and to which parent HTTP proxy) specific requests should be routed. + + + + + Type of value: + + + target_domain[:port] + socks_proxy[/port] + http_parent[/port] + + + Where target_domain is a domain name pattern (see the + chapter on domain matching in the default.action file), + http_parent and socks_proxy + are IP addresses in dotted decimal notation or valid DNS names (http_parent + may be . to denote no HTTP forwarding), and the optional + port parameters are TCP ports, i.e. integer values from 1 to 64535 + + + + + Default value: + + Unset + + + + Effect if unset: + + + Don't use SOCKS proxies. + + + + + Notes: + + + Multiple lines are OK, they are checked in sequence, and the last match wins. + + + The difference between forward-socks4 and forward-socks4a + is that in the SOCKS 4A protocol, the DNS resolution of the target hostname happens on the SOCKS + server, while in SOCKS 4 it happens locally. + + + If http_parent is ., then requests are not + forwarded to another HTTP proxy but are made (HTTP-wise) directly to the web servers, albeit through + a SOCKS proxy. + + + + + Examples: + + + From the company example.com, direct connections are made to all + internal domains, but everything outbound goes through + their ISP's proxy by way of example.com's corporate SOCKS 4A gateway to + the Internet. + + + + forward-socks4a .*. socks-gw.example.com:1080 www-cache.example-isp.net:8080 + forward .example.com . + + + + A rule that uses a SOCKS 4 gateway for all destinations but no HTTP parent looks like this: + + + + forward-socks4 .*. socks-gw.example.com:1080 . + + + + + + + +Advanced Forwarding Examples + + + If you have links to multiple ISPs that provide various special content + only to their subscribers, you can configure multiple Privoxies + which have connections to the respective ISPs to act as forwarders to each other, so that + your users can see the internal content of all ISPs. + + + + Assume that host-a has a PPP connection to isp-a.net. And host-b has a PPP connection to + isp-b.net. Both run Privoxy. Their forwarding + configuration can look like this: + + + + host-a: + + + + + forward .*. . + forward .isp-b.net host-b:8118 + + + + + host-b: + + + + + forward .*. . + forward .isp-a.net host-a:8118 + + + + + Now, your users can set their browser's proxy to use either + host-a or host-b and be able to browse the internal content + of both isp-a and isp-b. + + + + If you intend to chain Privoxy and + squid locally, then chain as + browser -> squid -> privoxy is the recommended way. + + + + Assuming that Privoxy and squid + run on the same box, your squid configuration could then look like this: + + + + + # Define Privoxy as parent proxy (without ICP) + cache_peer 127.0.0.1 parent 8118 7 no-query + + # Define ACL for protocol FTP + acl ftp proto FTP + + # Do not forward FTP requests to Privoxy + always_direct allow ftp + + # Forward all the rest to Privoxy + never_direct allow all + + + + You would then need to change your browser's proxy settings to squid's address and port. + Squid normally uses port 3128. If unsure consult http_port in squid.conf. + + + + + + + + + + + + +Windows GUI Options + + Privoxy has a number of options specific to the + Windows GUI interface: + + + + + If activity-animation is set to 1, the + Privoxy icon will animate when + Privoxy is active. To turn off, set to 0. + - logfile logfile + activity-animation 1 + - The jarfile defines where - Privoxy stores the cookies it intercepts. Note - that if you use a jarfile, it may grow quite large. Default: - Don't store intercepted cookies. + If log-messages is set to 1, + Privoxy will log messages to the console + window: - #jarfile jarfile + log-messages 1 + + + If log-buffer-size is set to 1, the size of the log buffer, + i.e. the amount of memory used for the log messages displayed in the + console window, will be limited to log-max-lines (see below). + + - If you specify a trustfile, - Privoxy will only allow access to sites that - are named in the trustfile. You can also mark sites as trusted referrers, - with the effect that access to untrusted sites will be granted, if a link - from a trusted referrer was used. The link target will then be added to the - trustfile. This is a very restrictive feature that typical - users most probably want to leave disabled. Default: Disabled, don't use the - trust mechanism. + Warning: Setting this to 0 will result in the buffer to grow infinitely and + eat up all your memory! - #trustfile trust + log-buffer-size 1 - + + - If you use the trust mechanism, it is a good idea to write up some on-line - documentation about your blocking policy and to specify the URL(s) here. They - will appear on the page that your users receive when they try to access - untrusted content. Use multiple times for multiple URLs. Default: Don't - display links on the untrusted info page. + log-max-lines is the maximum number of lines held + in the log buffer. See above. - trust-info-url http://www.your-site.com/why_we_block.html - trust-info-url http://www.your-site.com/what_we_allow.html + log-max-lines 200 - - - - - - - - - -Other Configuration Options + + + If log-highlight-messages is set to 1, + Privoxy will highlight portions of the log + messages with a bold-faced font: + - This part of the configuration file contains options that control how - Privoxy operates. + + + + log-highlight-messages 1 + + + + - Admin-address should be set to the email address of the proxy - administrator. It is used in many of the proxy-generated pages. Default: - fill@me.in.please. + The font used in the console window: - #admin-address fill@me.in.please + log-font-name Comic Sans MS + - Proxy-info-url can be set to a URL that contains more info - about this Privoxy installation, it's - configuration and policies. It is used in many of the proxy-generated pages - and its use is highly recommended in multi-user installations, since your - users will want to know why certain content is blocked or modified. Default: - Don't show a link to on-line documentation. + Font size used in the console window: - proxy-info-url http://www.your-site.com/proxy.html + log-font-size 8 - - Listen-address specifies the address and port where - Privoxy will listen for connections from your - Web browser. The default is to listen on the localhost port 8118, and - this is suitable for most users. (In your web browser, under proxy - configuration, list the proxy server as localhost and the - port as 8118). + + + show-on-task-bar controls whether or not + Privoxy will appear as a button on the Task bar + when minimized: - If you already have another service running on port 8118, or if you want to - serve requests from other machines (e.g. on your local network) as well, you - will need to override the default. The syntax is - listen-address [<ip-address>]:<port>. If you leave - out the IP address, Privoxy will bind to all - interfaces (addresses) on your machine and may become reachable from the - Internet. In that case, consider using access control lists (acl's) (see - aclfile above), or a firewall. + + + + show-on-task-bar 0 + + + + - For example, suppose you are running Privoxy on - a machine which has the address 192.168.0.1 on your local private network - (192.168.0.0) and has another outside connection with a different address. - You want it to serve requests from inside only: + If close-button-minimizes is set to 1, the Windows close + button will minimize Privoxy instead of closing + the program (close with the exit option on the File menu). - listen-address 192.168.0.1:8118 + close-button-minimizes 1 + - If you want it to listen on all addresses (including the outside - connection): + The hide-console option is specific to the MS-Win console + version of Privoxy. If this option is used, + Privoxy will disconnect from and hide the + command console. - listen-address :8118 + #hide-console + + + + + + + + + +Actions Files + + + The actions files are used to define what actions + Privoxy takes for which URLs, and thus determine + how ad images, cookies and various other aspects of HTTP content and + transactions are handled, and on which sites (or even parts thereof). There + are three such files included with Privoxy (as of + version 2.9.15), with differing purposes: + + + + + + + standard.action - is used by the web based editor, + to set various pre-defined sets of rules for the default actions section + in default.action. These have increasing levels of + aggressiveness and have no influence on your browsing unless + you select them explicitly in the editor. It is not recommend + to edit this file. + + + + + default.action - is the primary action file + that sets the initial values for all actions. It is intended to + provide a base level of functionality for + Privoxy's array of features. So it is + a set of broad rules that should work reasonably well for users everywhere. + This is the file that the developers are keeping updated, and making + available to users. + + + + + user.action - is intended to be for local site + preferences and exceptions. As an example, if your ISP or your bank + has specific requirements, and need special handling, this kind of + thing should go here. This file will not be upgraded. + + + + + + + The list of actions files to be used are defined in the main configuration + file, and are processed in the order they are defined. The content of these + can all be viewed and edited from http://config.privoxy.org/show-status. + + - If you do this, consider using ACLs (see aclfile above). Note: - you will need to point your browser(s) to the address and port that you have - configured here. Default: localhost:8118 (127.0.0.1:8118). + An actions file typically has multiple sections. If you want to use + aliases in an actions file, you have to place the (optional) + alias section at the top of that file. + Then comes the default set of rules which will apply universally to all + sites and pages (be very careful with using such a + universal set in user.action or any other actions file after + default.action, because it will override the result + from consulting any previous file). And then below that, + exceptions to the defined universal policies. You can regard + user.action as an appendix to default.action, + with the advantage that is a separate file, which makes preserving your + personal settings across Privoxy upgrades easier. + + Actions can be used to block anything you want, including ads, banners, or + just some obnoxious URL that you would rather not see. Cookies can be accepted + or rejected, or accepted only during the current browser session (i.e. not + written to disk), content can be modified, JavaScripts tamed, user-tracking + fooled, and much more. See below for a complete list + of actions. + + + + +Finding the Right Mix - The debug option sets the level of debugging information to log in the - logfile (and to the console in the Windows version). A debug level of 1 is - informative because it will show you each request as it happens. Higher - levels of debug are probably only of interest to developers. + Note that some actions, like cookie suppression + or script disabling, may render some sites unusable that rely on these + techniques to work properly. Finding the right mix of actions is not always easy and + certainly a matter of personal taste. In general, it can be said that the more + aggressive your default settings (in the top section of the + actions file) are, the more exceptions for trusted sites you + will have to make later. If, for example, you want to kill popup windows per + default, you'll have to make exceptions from that rule for sites that you + regularly use and that require popups for actually useful content, like maybe + your bank, favorite shop, or newspaper. - - - - debug 1 # GPC = show each GET/POST/CONNECT request - debug 2 # CONN = show each connection status - debug 4 # IO = show I/O status - debug 8 # HDR = show header parsing - debug 16 # LOG = log all data into the logfile - debug 32 # FRC = debug force feature - debug 64 # REF = debug regular expression filter - debug 128 # = debug fast redirects - debug 256 # = debug GIF de-animation - debug 512 # CLF = Common Log Format - debug 1024 # = debug kill pop-ups - debug 4096 # INFO = Startup banner and warnings. - debug 8192 # ERROR = Non-fatal errors - - - + We have tried to provide you with reasonable rules to start from in the + distribution actions files. But there is no general rule of thumb on these + things. There just are too many variables, and sites are constantly changing. + Sooner or later you will want to change the rules (and read this chapter again :). + + + + + +How to Edit + + The easiest way to edit the actions files is with a browser by + using our browser-based editor, which can be reached from http://config.privoxy.org/show-status. + The editor allows both fine-grained control over every single feature on a + per-URL basis, and easy choosing from wholesale sets of defaults like + Cautious, Medium or Advanced. + + + + If you prefer plain text editing to GUIs, you can of course also directly edit the + the actions files. Look at default.action which is richly + commented. + + + + + +How Actions are Applied to URLs + + Actions files are divided into sections. There are special sections, + like the alias sections which will be discussed later. For now + let's concentrate on regular sections: They have a heading line (often split + up to multiple lines for readability) which consist of a list of actions, + separated by whitespace and enclosed in curly braces. Below that, there + is a list of URL patterns, each on a separate line. + + + + To determine which actions apply to a request, the URL of the request is + compared to all patterns in each action file file. Every time it matches, the list of + applicable actions for the URL is incrementally updated, using the heading + of the section in which the pattern is located. If multiple matches for + the same URL set the same action differently, the last match wins. If not, + the effects are aggregated (e.g. a URL might match both the + +handle-as-image + and +block actions). + + + + + You can trace this process for any given URL by visiting http://config.privoxy.org/show-url-info. + + + + More detail on this is provided in the Appendix, + Anatomy of an Action. + + + + + +Patterns + + Generally, a pattern has the form <domain>/<path>, + where both the <domain> and <path> + are optional. (This is why the pattern / matches all URLs). + + + + + www.example.com/ + + + is a domain-only pattern and will match any request to www.example.com, + regardless of which document on that server is requested. + + + + + www.example.com + + + means exactly the same. For domain-only patterns, the trailing / may + be omitted. + + + + + www.example.com/index.html + + + matches only the single document /index.html + on www.example.com. + + + + + /index.html + + + matches the document /index.html, regardless of the domain, + i.e. on any web server. + + + + + index.html + + + matches nothing, since it would be interpreted as a domain name and + there is no top-level domain called .html. + + + + + + + +The Domain Pattern + + + The matching of the domain part offers some flexible options: if the + domain starts or ends with a dot, it becomes unanchored at that end. + For example: + + + + + .example.com + + + matches any domain that ENDS in + .example.com + + + + + www. + + + matches any domain that STARTS with + www. + + + + + .example. + + + matches any domain that CONTAINS .example. + (Correctly speaking: It matches any FQDN that contains example as a domain.) + + + + + + + Additionally, there are wild-cards that you can use in the domain names + themselves. They work pretty similar to shell wild-cards: * + stands for zero or more arbitrary characters, ? stands for + any single character, you can define character classes in square + brackets and all of that can be freely mixed: - - It is highly recommended that you enable ERROR - reporting (debug 8192), at least until v3.0 is released. - + + + ad*.example.com + + + matches adserver.example.com, + ads.example.com, etc but not sfads.example.com + + + + + *ad*.example.com + + + matches all of the above, and then some. + + + + + .?pix.com + + + matches www.ipix.com, + pictures.epix.com, a.b.c.d.e.upix.com etc. + + + + + www[1-9a-ez].example.c* + + + matches www1.example.com, + www4.example.cc, wwwd.example.cy, + wwwz.example.com etc., but not + wwww.example.com. + + + + + + + + - - The reporting of FATAL errors (i.e. ones which crash - Privoxy) is always on and cannot be disabled. - - - If you want to use CLF (Common Log Format), you should set debug - 512 ONLY, do not enable anything else. - + +The Path Pattern - Multiple debug directives, are OK - they're logical-OR'd - together. + Privoxy uses Perl compatible regular expressions + (through the PCRE library) for + matching the path. - - - - debug 15 # same as setting the first 4 listed above - - - + There is an Appendix with a brief quick-start into regular + expressions, and full (very technical) documentation on PCRE regex syntax is available on-line + at http://www.pcre.org/man.txt. + You might also find the Perl man page on regular expressions (man perlre) + useful, which is available on-line at http://www.perldoc.com/perl5.6/pod/perlre.html. - Default: + Note that the path pattern is automatically left-anchored at the /, + i.e. it matches as if it would start with a ^ (regular expression speak + for the beginning of a line). - - - - debug 1 # URLs - debug 4096 # Info - debug 8192 # Errors - *we highly recommended enabling this* - - - + Please also note that matching in the path is case + INSENSITIVE by default, but you can switch to case + sensitive at any point in the pattern by using the + (?-i) switch: + www.example.com/(?-i)PaTtErN.* will match only + documents whose path starts with PaTtErN in + exactly this capitalization. + - - Privoxy normally uses - multi-threading, a software technique that permits it to - handle many different requests simultaneously. In some cases you may wish to - disable this -- particularly if you're trying to debug a problem. The - single-threaded option forces - Privoxy to handle requests sequentially. - Default: Multi-threaded mode. - + - - - - - #single-threaded - - - - + - - toggle allows you to temporarily disable all - Privoxy's filtering. Just set toggle - 0. - - - The Windows version of Privoxy puts an icon in - the system tray, which also allows you to change this option. If you - right-click on that icon (or select the Options menu), one - choice is Enable. Clicking on enable toggles - Privoxy on and off. This is useful if you want - to temporarily disable Privoxy, e.g., to access - a site that requires cookies which you would otherwise have blocked. This can also - be toggled via a web browser at the Privoxy - internal address of http://i.j.b on - any platform. - + + +Actions - toggle 1 means Privoxy runs - normally, toggle 0 means that - Privoxy becomes a non-anonymizing non-blocking - proxy. Default: 1 (on). - + All actions are disabled by default, until they are explicitly enabled + somewhere in an actions file. Actions are turned on if preceded with a + +, and turned off if preceded with a -. So a + +action means do that action, e.g. + +block means please block URLs that match the + following patterns, and -block means don't + block URLs that match the following patterns, even if +block + previously applied. - - - - - toggle 1 - - - - - For content filtering, i.e. the +filter and - +deanimate-gif actions, it is necessary that - Privoxy buffers the entire document body. - This can be potentially dangerous, since a server could just keep sending - data indefinitely and wait for your RAM to exhaust. With nasty consequences. + + Again, actions are invoked by placing them on a line, enclosed in curly braces and + separated by whitespace, like in + {+some-action -some-other-action{some-parameter}}, + followed by a list of URL patterns, one per line, to which they apply. + Together, the actions line and the following pattern lines make up a section + of the actions file. - - The buffer-limit option lets you set the maximum - size in Kbytes that each buffer may use. When the documents buffer exceeds - this size, it is flushed to the client unfiltered and no further attempt to - filter the rest of it is made. Remember that there may multiple threads - running, which might require increasing the buffer-limit - Kbytes each, unless you have enabled - single-threaded above. + + There are three classes of actions: - - - - buffer-limit 4069 - - - - + + + + Boolean, i.e the action can only be enabled or + disabled. Syntax: + + + + +name # enable action name + -name # disable action name + + + Example: +block + + - - To enable the web-based ijb.action file editor set - enable-edit-actions to 1, or 0 to disable. Note - that you must have compiled Privoxy with - support for this feature, otherwise this option has no effect. This - internal page can be reached at http://i.j.b. - - - Security note: If this is enabled, anyone who can use the proxy - can edit the actions file, and their changes will affect all users. - For shared proxies, you probably want to disable this. Default: enabled. - + + + Parameterized, where some value is required in order to enable this type of action. + Syntax: + + + + +name{param} # enable action and set parameter to param, + # overwriting parameter from previous match if necessary + -name # disable action. The parameter can be omitted + + + Note that if the URL matches multiple positive forms of a parameterized action, + the last match wins, i.e. the params from earlier matches are simply ignored. + + + Example: +hide-user-agent{ Mozilla 1.0 } + + + + + + Multi-value. These look exactly like parameterized actions, + but they behave differently: If the action applies multiple times to the + same URL, but with different parameters, all the parameters + from all matches are remembered. This is used for actions + that can be executed for the same request repeatedly, like adding multiple + headers, or filtering through multiple filters. Syntax: + + + + +name{param} # enable action and add param to the list of parameters + -name{param} # remove the parameter param from the list of parameters + # If it was the last one left, disable the action. + -name # disable this action completely and remove all parameters from the list + + + Examples: +add-header{X-Fun-Header: Some text} and + +filter{html-annoyances} + + - - - - - enable-edit-actions 1 - - - + - Allow Privoxy to be toggled on and off - remotely, using your web browser. Set enable-remote-toggleto - 1 to enable, and 0 to disable. Note that you must have compiled - Privoxy with support for this feature, - otherwise this option has no effect. + If nothing is specified in any actions file, no actions are + taken. So in this case Privoxy would just be a + normal, non-blocking, non-anonymizing proxy. You must specifically enable the + privacy and blocking features you need (although the provided default actions + files will give a good starting point). - Security note: If this is enabled, anyone who can use the proxy can toggle - it on or off (see http://i.j.b), and - their changes will affect all users. For shared proxies, you probably want to - disable this. Default: enabled. + Later defined actions always over-ride earlier ones. So exceptions + to any rules you make, should come in the latter part of the file (or + in a file that is processed later when using multiple actions files). For + multi-valued actions, the actions are applied in the order they are specified. + Actions files are processed in the order they are defined in + config (the default installation has three actions + files). It also quite possible for any given URL pattern to match more than + one pattern and thus more than one set of actions! + - - - - enable-remote-toggle 1 - - - + The list of valid Privoxy actions are: - - + + + + + - -Access Control List (ACL) - - Access controls are included at the request of some ISPs and systems - administrators, and are not usually needed by individual users. Please note - the warnings in the FAQ that this proxy is not intended to be a substitute - for a firewall or to encourage anyone to defer addressing basic security - weaknesses. - + +<emphasis>add-header</emphasis> - - If no access settings are specified, the proxy talks to anyone that - connects. If any access settings file are specified, then the proxy - talks only to IP addresses permitted somewhere in this file and not - denied later in this file. - + + + Typical use: + + Confuse log analysis, custom applications + + - - Summary -- if using an ACL: - + + Effect: + + + Sends a user defined HTTP header to the web server. + + + - - - Client must have permission to receive service. - - - - - LAST match in ACL wins. - - - - - Default behavior is to deny service. - - + + Type: + + + Multi-value. + + + + + Parameter: + + + Any string value is possible. Validity of the defined HTTP headers is not checked. + It is recommended that you use the X- prefix + for custom headers. + + + + + + Notes: + + + This action may be specified multiple times, in order to define multiple + headers. This is rarely needed for the typical user. If you don't know what + HTTP headers are, you definitely don't need to worry about this + one. + + + - - The syntax for an entry in the Access Control List is: - + + Example usage: + + + +add-header{X-User-Tracking: sucks} + + + + + - - - - - ACTION SRC_ADDR[/SRC_MASKLEN] [ DST_ADDR[/DST_MASKLEN] ] - - - - - - Where the individual fields are: - + + +<emphasis>block</emphasis> - - - - - ACTION = permit-access or deny-access + + + Typical use: + + Block ads or other obnoxious content + + - SRC_ADDR = client hostname or dotted IP address - SRC_MASKLEN = number of bits in the subnet mask for the source + + Effect: + + + Requests for URLs to which this action applies are blocked, i.e. the requests are not + forwarded to the remote server, but answered locally with a substitute page or image, + as determined by the handle-as-image + and set-image-blocker actions. + + + - DST_ADDR = server or forwarder hostname or dotted IP address - DST_MASKLEN = number of bits in the subnet mask for the target - - - - + + Type: + + + Boolean. + + + + Parameter: + + N/A + + + + + Notes: + + + Privoxy sends a special BLOCKED page + for requests to blocked pages. This page contains links to find out why the request + was blocked, and a click-through to the blocked content (the latter only if compiled with the + force feature enabled). The BLOCKED page adapts to the available + screen space -- it displays full-blown if space allows, or miniaturized and text-only + if loaded into a small frame or window. If you are using Privoxy + right now, you can take a look at the + BLOCKED + page. + + + A very important exception occurs if both + block and handle-as-image, + apply to the same request: it will then be replaced by an image. If + set-image-blocker + (see below) also applies, the type of image will be determined by its parameter, + if not, the standard checkerboard pattern is sent. + + + It is important to understand this process, in order + to understand how Privoxy deals with + ads and other unwanted content. + + + The filter + action can perform a very similar task, by blocking + banner images and other content through rewriting the relevant URLs in the + document's HTML source, so they don't get requested in the first place. + Note that this is a totally different technique, and it's easy to confuse the two. + + + - - The field separator (FS) is whitespace (space or tab). - + + Example usage (section): + + + {+block} # Block and replace with "blocked" page +.nasty-stuff.example.com - - IMPORTANT NOTE: If Privoxy is using a - forwarder (see below) or a gateway for a particular destination URL, the - DST_ADDR that is examined is the address of the forwarder - or the gateway and NOT the address of the ultimate - target. This is necessary because it may be impossible for the local - Privoxy to determine the address of the - ultimate target (that's often what gateways are used for). - +{+block +handle-as-image} # Block and replace with image +.ad.doubleclick.net +.ads.r.us + + + - - Here are a few examples to show how the ACL features work: - - - localhost is OK -- no DST_ADDR implies that - ALL destination addresses are OK: - + + - - - - - permit-access localhost - - - - + + +<emphasis>crunch-incoming-cookies</emphasis> - - A silly example to illustrate permitting any host on the class-C subnet with - Privoxy to go anywhere: - + + + Typical use: + + + Prevent the web server from setting any cookies on your system + + + - - - - - permit-access www.privoxy.com/24 - - - - + + Effect: + + + Deletes any Set-Cookie: HTTP headers from server replies. + + + - - Except deny one particular IP address from using it at all: - + + Type: + + + Boolean. + + - - - - - deny-access ident.privoxy.com - - - - + + Parameter: + + + N/A + + + + + + Notes: + + + This action is only concerned with incoming cookies. For + outgoing cookies, use + crunch-outgoing-cookies. + Use both to disable cookies completely. + + + It makes no sense at all to use this action in conjunction + with the session-cookies-only action, + since it would prevent the session cookies from being set. + + + - - You can also specify an explicit network address and subnet mask. - Explicit addresses do not have to be resolved to be used. - + + Example usage: + + + +crunch-incoming-cookies + + + + + + + + + +<emphasis>crunch-outgoing-cookies</emphasis> + + + + Typical use: + + + Prevent the web server from reading any cookies from your system + + + + + + Effect: + + + Deletes any Cookie: HTTP headers from client requests. + + + + + + Type: + + + Boolean. + + + + + Parameter: + + + N/A + + + + + + Notes: + + + This action is only concerned with outgoing cookies. For + incoming cookies, use + crunch-incoming-cookies. + Use both to disable cookies completely. + + + It makes no sense at all to use this action in conjunction + with the session-cookies-only action, + since it would prevent the session cookies from being read. + + + - - - - - permit-access 207.153.200.0/24 - - - - + + Example usage: + + + +crunch-outgoing-cookies + + + - - A subnet mask of 0 matches anything, so the next line permits everyone. - + + - - - - - permit-access 0.0.0.0/0 - - - - - - Note, you cannot say: - + + +<emphasis>deanimate-gifs</emphasis> - - - - - permit-access .org - - - - + + + Typical use: + + Stop those annoying, distracting animated GIF images. + + - - to allow all *.org domains. Every IP address listed must resolve fully. - + + Effect: + + + De-animate GIF animations, i.e. reduce them to their first or last image. + + + - - An ISP may want to provide a Privoxy that is - accessible by the world and yet restrict use of some of their - private content to hosts on its internal network (i.e. its own subscribers). - Say, for instance the ISP owns the Class-B IP address block 123.124.0.0 (a 16 - bit netmask). This is how they could do it: - + + Type: + + + Parameterized. + + - - - - - permit-access 0.0.0.0/0 0.0.0.0/0 # other clients can go anywhere - # with the following exceptions: + + Parameter: + + + last or first + + + - deny-access 0.0.0.0/0 123.124.0.0/16 # block all external requests for - # sites on the ISP's network + + Notes: + + + This will also shrink the images considerably (in bytes, not pixels!). If + the option first is given, the first frame of the animation + is used as the replacement. If last is given, the last + frame of the animation is used instead, which probably makes more sense for + most banner animations, but also has the risk of not showing the entire + last frame (if it is only a delta to an earlier frame). + + + You can safely use this action with patterns that will also match non-GIF + objects, because no attempt will be made at anything that doesn't look like + a GIF. + + + - permit 0.0.0.0/0 www.my_isp.com # except for the ISP's main - # web site + + Example usage: + + + +deanimate-gifs{last} + + + + + - permit 123.124.0.0/16 0.0.0.0/0 # the ISP's clients can go - # anywhere - - - - + + +<emphasis>downgrade-http-version</emphasis> - - Note that if some hostnames are listed with multiple IP addresses, - the primary value returned by DNS (via gethostbyname()) is used. Default: - Anyone can access the proxy. - + + + Typical use: + + Work around (very rare) problems with HTTP/1.1 + + - + + Effect: + + + Downgrades HTTP/1.1 client requests and server replies to HTTP/1.0. + + + - + + Type: + + + Boolean. + + + + + Parameter: + + + N/A + + + + + + Notes: + + + This is a left-over from the time when Privoxy + didn't support important HTTP/1.1 features well. It is left here for the + unlikely case that you experience HTTP/1.1 related problems with some server + out there. Not all (optional) HTTP/1.1 features are supported yet, so there + is a chance you might need this action. + + + + + Example usage (section): + + + {+downgrade-http-version} +problem-host.example.com + + + + + + + +<emphasis>fast-redirects</emphasis> - -Forwarding + + + Typical use: + + Fool some click-tracking scripts and speed up indirect links + + - - This feature allows chaining of HTTP requests via multiple proxies. - It can be used to better protect privacy and confidentiality when - accessing specific domains by routing requests to those domains - to a special purpose filtering proxy such as lpwa.com. Or to use - a caching proxy to speed up browsing. - + + Effect: + + + Cut off all but the last valid URL from requests. + + + - - It can also be used in an environment with multiple networks to route - requests via multiple gateways allowing transparent access to multiple - networks without having to modify browser configurations. - + + Type: + + + Boolean. + + - - Also specified here are SOCKS proxies. Privoxy - SOCKS 4 and SOCKS 4A. The difference is that SOCKS 4A will resolve the target - hostname using DNS on the SOCKS server, not our local DNS client. - + + Parameter: + + + N/A + + + - - The syntax of each line is: - + + Notes: + + + Many sites, like yahoo.com, don't just link to other sites. Instead, they + will link to some script on their own servers, giving the destination as a + parameter, which will then redirect you to the final target. URLs + resulting from this scheme typically look like: + http://some.place/click-tracker.cgi?target=http://some.where.else. + + + Sometimes, there are even multiple consecutive redirects encoded in the + URL. These redirections via scripts make your web browsing more traceable, + since the server from which you follow such a link can see where you go + to. Apart from that, valuable bandwidth and time is wasted, while your + browser ask the server for one redirect after the other. Plus, it feeds + the advertisers. + + + This feature is currently not very smart and is scheduled for improvement. + It is likely to break some sites. You should expect to need possibly + many exceptions to this action, if it is enabled by default in + default.action. Some sites just don't work without + it. + + + - - - - - forward target_domain[:port] http_proxy_host[:port] - forward-socks4 target_domain[:port] socks_proxy_host[:port] http_proxy_host[:port] - forward-socks4a target_domain[:port] socks_proxy_host[:port] http_proxy_host[:port] - - - - + + Example usage: + + + {+fast-redirects} + + + - - If http_proxy_host is ., then requests are not forwarded to a - HTTP proxy but are made directly to the web servers. - + + - - Lines are checked in sequence, and the last match wins. - - - There is an implicit line equivalent to the following, which specifies that - anything not finding a match on the list is to go out without forwarding - or gateway protocol, like so: - + + +<emphasis>filter</emphasis> - - - - - forward .* . # implicit - - - - + + + Typical use: + + Get rid of HTML and JavaScript annoyances, banner advertisements (by size), do fun text replacements, etc. + + - - In the following common configuration, everything goes to Lucent's LPWA, - except SSL on port 443 (which it doesn't handle): - + + Effect: + + + Text documents, including HTML and JavaScript, to which this action applies, are filtered on-the-fly + through the specified regular expression based substitutions. + + + - - - - - forward .* lpwa.com:8000 - forward :443 . - - - - + + Type: + + + Parameterized. + + - - - Some users have reported difficulties related to LPWA's use of - . as the last element of the domain, and have said that this - can be fixed with this: - - - - - - - forward lpwa. lpwa.com:8000 - - - - + + Parameter: + + + The name of a filter, as defined in the filter file + (typically default.filter, set by the + filterfile + option in the config file) + + + - - (NOTE: the syntax for specifying target_domain has changed since the - previous paragraph was written -- it will not work now. More information - is welcome.) - + + Notes: + + + For your convenience, there are a bunch of pre-defined filters available + in the distribution filter file that you can use. See the example below for + a list. + + + This is potentially a very powerful feature! But rolling your own + filters requires a knowledge of regular expressions and HTML. + + + Filtering requires buffering the page content, which may appear to + slow down page rendering since nothing is displayed until all content has + passed the filters. (It does not really take longer, but seems that way + since the page is not incrementally displayed.) This effect will be more + noticeable on slower connections. + + + At this time, Privoxy cannot (yet!) uncompress compressed + documents. If you want filtering to work on all documents, even those that + would normally be sent compressed, use the + prevent-compression + action in conjunction with filter. + + + Filtering can achieve some of the effects as the + block + action, i.e. it can be used to block ads and banners. + + + Feedback with suggestions for new or improved filters is particularly + welcome! + + + - - In this fictitious example, everything goes via an ISP's caching proxy, - except requests to that ISP: - + + Example usage (with filters from the distribution default.filter file): + + + + +filter{html-annoyances} # Get rid of particularly annoying HTML abuse. + + + + +filter{js-annoyances} # Get rid of particularly annoying JavaScript abuse + + + + +filter{banners-by-size} # Kill banners by size (very efficient!) + + + + +filter{content-cookies} # Kill cookies that come sneaking in the HTML or JS content + + + + +filter{popups} # Kill all popups in JS and HTML + + + + +filter{webbugs} # Squish WebBugs (1x1 invisible GIFs used for user tracking) + + + + +filter{fun} # Text replacements for subversive browsing fun! + + + + +filter{frameset-borders} # Give frames a border and make them resizeable + + + + +filter{refresh-tags} # Kill automatic refresh tags (for dial-on-demand setups) + + + + +filter{nimda} # Remove Nimda (virus) code. + + + + +filter{shockwave-flash} # Kill embedded Shockwave Flash objects + + + + +filter{crude-parental} # Kill all web pages that contain the words "sex" or "warez" + + + + + - - - - - forward .* caching.myisp.net:8000 - forward myisp.net . - - - - - - For the @home network, we're told the forwarding configuration is this: - + + +<emphasis>handle-as-image</emphasis> + + + Typical use: + + Mark URLs as belonging to images (so they'll be replaced by images if they get blocked) + + - - - - - forward .* proxy:8080 - - - - + + Effect: + + + This action alone doesn't do anything noticeable. It just marks URLs as images. + If the block action also applies, + the presence or absence of this mark decides whether an HTML blocked + page, or a replacement image (as determined by the set-image-blocker action) will be sent to the + client as a substitute for the blocked content. + + + - - Also, we're told they insist on getting cookies and JavaScript, so you should - allow cookies from home.com. We consider JavaScript a potential security risk. - Java need not be enabled. - + + Type: + + + Boolean. + + - - In this example direct connections are made to all internal - domains, but everything else goes through Lucent's LPWA by way of the - company's SOCKS gateway to the Internet. - + + Parameter: + + + N/A + + + + + + Notes: + + + The below generic example section is actually part of default.action. + It marks all URLs with well-known image file name extensions as images and should + be left intact. + + + Users will probably only want to use the handle-as-image action in conjunction with + block, to block sources of banners, whose URLs don't + reflect the file type, like in the second example section. + + + Note that you cannot treat HTML pages as images in most cases. For instance, (inline) ad + frames require an HTML page to be sent, or they won't display properly. + Forcing handle-as-image in this situation will not replace the + ad frame with an image, but lead to error messages. + + + - - - - - forward-socks4 .* lpwa.com:8000 firewall.my_company.com:1080 - forward my_company.com . - - - - + + Example usage (sections): + + + # Generic image extensions: +# +{+handle-as-image} +/.*\.(gif|jpg|jpeg|png|bmp|ico)$ + +# These don't look like images, but they're banners and should be +# blocked as images: +# +{+block +handle-as-image} +some.nasty-banner-server.com/junk.cgi?output=trash + +# Banner source! Who cares if they also have non-image content? +ad.doubleclick.net + + + + + + - - This is how you could set up a site that always uses SOCKS but no forwarders: - - - - - - forward-socks4a .* . firewall.my_company.com:1080 - - - - + + +<emphasis>hide-forwarded-for-headers</emphasis> - - An advanced example for network administrators: - + + + Typical use: + + Improve privacy by hiding the true source of the request + + - - If you have links to multiple ISPs that provide various special content to - their subscribers, you can configure forwarding to pass requests to the - specific host that's connected to that ISP so that everybody can see all - of the content on all of the ISPs. - + + Effect: + + + Deletes any existing X-Forwarded-for: HTTP header from client requests, + and prevents adding a new one. + + + - - This is a bit tricky, but here's an example: - + + Type: + + + Boolean. + + + + Parameter: + + + N/A + + + + + + Notes: + + + It is fairly safe to leave this on. + + + This action is scheduled for improvement: It should be able to generate forged + X-Forwarded-for: headers using random IP addresses from a specified network, + to make successive requests from the same client look like requests from a pool of different + users sharing the same proxy. + + + - - host-a has a PPP connection to isp-a.com. And host-b has a PPP connection to - isp-b.com. host-a can run a Privoxy proxy with - forwarding like this: - + + Example usage: + + + +hide-forwarded-for-headers + + + + + - - - - - forward .* . - forward isp-b.com host-b:8118 - - - - - - host-b can run a Privoxy proxy with forwarding - like this: - + + +<emphasis>hide-from-header</emphasis> - - - - - forward .* . - forward isp-a.com host-a:8118 - - - - + + + Typical use: + + Keep your (old and ill) browser from telling web servers your email address + + - - Now, anyone on the Internet (including users on host-a - and host-b) can set their browser's proxy to either - host-a or host-b and be able to browse the content on isp-a or isp-b. - + + Effect: + + + Deletes any existing From: HTTP header, or replaces it with the + specified string. + + + - - Here's another practical example, for University of Kent at - Canterbury students with a network connection in their room, who - need to use the University's Squid web cache. - + + Type: + + + Parameterized. + + - - - - - forward *. ssbcache.ukc.ac.uk:3128 # Use the proxy, except for: - forward .ukc.ac.uk . # Anything on the same domain as us - forward * . # Host with no domain specified - forward 129.12.*.* . # A dotted IP on our /16 network. - forward 127.*.*.* . # Loopback address - forward localhost.localdomain . # Loopback address - forward www.ukc.mirror.ac.uk . # Specific host - - - - + + Parameter: + + + Keyword: block, or any user defined value. + + + + + + Notes: + + + The keyword block will completely remove the header + (not to be confused with the block + action). + + + Alternately, you can specify any value you prefer to be sent to the web + server. If you do, it is a matter of fairness not to use any address that + is actually used by a real person. + + + This action is rarely needed, as modern web browsers don't send + From: headers anymore. + + + - - If you intend to chain Privoxy and - squid locally, then chain as - browser -> squid -> privoxy is the recommended way. - + + Example usage: + + + +hide-from-header{block} or + +hide-from-header{spam-me-senseless@sittingduck.example.com} + + + + + - - Your squid configuration could then look like this: - - - - - - # Define Privoxy as parent cache - - cache_peer 127.0.0.1 parent 8118 0 no-query - - # Define ACL for protocol FTP - acl FTP proto FTP + + +<emphasis>hide-referrer</emphasis> + + + + Typical use: + + Conceal which link you followed to get to a particular site + + - # Do not forward ACL FTP to privoxy - always_direct allow FTP + + Effect: + + + Deletes the Referer: (sic) HTTP header from the client request, + or replaces it with a forged one. + + + - # Do not forward ACL CONNECT (https) to privoxy - always_direct allow CONNECT + + Type: + + + Parameterized. + + - # Forward the rest to privoxy - never_direct allow all - - - - + + Parameter: + + + + block to delete the header completely. + + + forge to pretend to be coming from the homepage of the server we are talking to. + + + Any other string to set a user defined referrer. + + + + + + + Notes: + + + forge is the preferred option here, since some servers will + not send images back otherwise, in an attempt to prevent their valuable + content from being embedded elsewhere (and hence, without being surrounded + by their banners). + + + hide-referer is an alternate spelling of + hide-referrer and the two can be can be freely + substituted with each other. (referrer is the + correct English spelling, however the HTTP specification has a bug - it + requires it to be spelled as referer.) + + + + + Example usage: + + + +hide-referrer{forge} or + +hide-referrer{http://www.yahoo.com/} + + + + - - + +<emphasis>hide-user-agent</emphasis> - -Windows GUI Options - - - Privoxy has a number of options specific to the - Windows GUI interface: - + + + Typical use: + + Conceal your type of browser and client operating system + + - - If activity-animation is set to 1, the - Privoxy icon will animate when - Privoxy is active. To turn off, set to 0. - + + Effect: + + + Replaces the value of the User-Agent: HTTP header + in client requests with the specified value. + + + - - - - - activity-animation 1 - - - - + + Type: + + + Parameterized. + + - - If log-messages is set to 1, - Privoxy will log messages to the console - window: - + + Parameter: + + + Any user-defined string. + + + + + + Notes: + + + + This breaks many web sites that depend on looking at this header in order + to customize their content for different browsers (which, by the + way, is NOT a smart way to do + that!). + + + + Using this action in multi-user setups or wherever different types of + browsers will access the same Privoxy is + not recommended. In single-user, single-browser + setups, you might use it to delete your OS version information from + the headers, because it is an invitation to exploit known bugs for your + OS. It is also occasionally useful to forge this in order to access + sites that won't let you in otherwise (though there may be a good + reason in some cases). Example of this: some MSN sites will not + let Mozilla enter, yet forging to a + Netscape 6.1 user-agent works just fine. + (Must be just a silly MS goof, I'm sure :-). + + + This action is scheduled for improvement. + + + - - - - - log-messages 1 - - - - + + Example usage: + + + +hide-user-agent{Netscape 6.1 (X11; I; Linux 2.4.18 i686)} + + + + + - - If log-buffer-size is set to 1, the size of the log buffer, - i.e. the amount of memory used for the log messages displayed in the - console window, will be limited to log-max-lines (see below). - - - Warning: Setting this to 0 will result in the buffer to grow infinitely and - eat up all your memory! - + + +<emphasis>kill-popups<anchor id="kill-popup"></emphasis> - - - - - log-buffer-size 1 - - - - + + + Typical use: + + Eliminate those annoying pop-up windows + + - - log-max-lines is the maximum number of lines held - in the log buffer. See above. - + + Effect: + + + While loading the document, replace JavaScript code that opens + pop-up windows with (syntactically neutral) dummy code on the fly. + + + - - - - - log-max-lines 200 - - - - + + Type: + + + Boolean. + + - - If log-highlight-messages is set to 1, - Privoxy will highlight portions of the log - messages with a bold-faced font: - + + Parameter: + + + N/A + + + + + + Notes: + + + This action is easily confused with the built-in, hardwired filter + action, but there are important differences: For kill-popups, + the document need not be buffered, so it can be incrementally rendered while + downloading. But kill-popups doesn't catch as many pop-ups as + filter{popups} + does. + + + Think of it as a fast and efficient replacement for a filter that you + can use if you don't want any filtering at all. Note that it doesn't make + sense to combine it with any filter action, + since as soon as one filter applies, + the whole document needs to be buffered anyway, which destroys the advantage of + the kill-popups action over it's filter equivalent. + + + Killing all pop-ups is a dangerous business. Many shops and banks rely on + pop-ups to display forms, shopping carts etc, and killing only the unwanted pop-ups + would require artificial intelligence in Privoxy. + If the only kind of pop-ups that you want to kill are exit consoles (those + really nasty windows that appear when you close an other + one), you might want to use + filter{js-annoyances} + instead. + - - - - - log-highlight-messages 1 - - - - + + + - - The font used in the console window: - + + Example usage: + + +kill-popups + + + + + + + + +<emphasis>limit-connect</emphasis> + + + + Typical use: + + Prevent abuse of Privoxy as a TCP proxy relay + + - - - - - log-font-name Comic Sans MS - - - - + + Effect: + + + Specifies to which ports HTTP CONNECT requests are allowable. + + + - - Font size used in the console window: - + + Type: + + + Parameterized. + + - - - - - log-font-size 8 - - - - + + Parameter: + + + A comma-separated list of ports or port ranges (the latter using dashes, with the minimum + defaulting to 0 and the maximum to 65K). + + + + + + Notes: + + + By default, i.e. if no limit-connect action applies, + Privoxy only allows HTTP CONNECT + requests to port 443 (the standard, secure HTTPS port). Use + limit-connect if more fine-grained control is desired + for some or all destinations. + + + The CONNECT methods exists in HTTP to allow access to secure websites + (https:// URLs) through proxies. It works very simply: + the proxy connects to the server on the specified port, and then + short-circuits its connections to the client and to the remote server. + This can be a big security hole, since CONNECT-enabled proxies can be + abused as TCP relays very easily. + + + If you don't know what any of this means, there probably is no reason to + change this one, since the default is already very restrictive. + + + - - show-on-task-bar controls whether or not - Privoxy will appear as a button on the Task bar - when minimized: - + + Example usages: + + + + + + +limit-connect{443} # This is the default and need not be specified. ++limit-connect{80,443} # Ports 80 and 443 are OK. ++limit-connect{-3, 7, 20-100, 500-} # Ports less than 3, 7, 20 to 100 and above 500 are OK. ++limit-connect{-} # All ports are OK (gaping security hole!) + + + + + - - - - - show-on-task-bar 0 - - - - + + +<emphasis>prevent-compression</emphasis> - - If close-button-minimizes is set to 1, the Windows close - button will minimize Privoxy instead of closing - the program (close with the exit option on the File menu). - + + + Typical use: + + + Ensure that servers send the content uncompressed, so it can be + passed through filters + + + - - - - - close-button-minimizes 1 - - - - + + Effect: + + + Adds a header to the request that asks for uncompressed transfer. + + + - - The hide-console option is specific to the MS-Win console - version of Privoxy. If this option is used, - Privoxy will disconnect from and hide the - command console. - + + Type: + + + Boolean. + + - - - - - #hide-console - - - - + + Parameter: + + + N/A + + + + + + Notes: + + + More and more websites send their content compressed by default, which + is generally a good idea and saves bandwidth. But for the filter, deanimate-gifs + and kill-popups actions to work, + Privoxy needs access to the uncompressed data. + Unfortunately, Privoxy can't yet(!) uncompress, filter, and + re-compress the content on the fly. So if you want to ensure that all websites, including + those that normally compress, can be filtered, you need to use this action. + + + This will slow down transfers from those websites, though. If you use any of the above-mentioned + actions, you will typically want to use prevent-compression in conjunction + with them. + + + Note that some (rare) ill-configured sites don't handle requests for uncompressed + documents correctly (they send an empty document body). If you use prevent-compression + per default, you'll have to add exceptions for those sites. See the example for how to do that. + + + - - + + Example usage (sections): + + + # Set default: +# +{+prevent-compression} +/ # Match all sites + +# Make exceptions for ill sites: +# +{-prevent-compression} +www.debianhelp.org +www.pclinuxonline.com + + + - + + - -The Actions File + +<emphasis>send-vanilla-wafer</emphasis> - - The ijb.action file (formerly - actionsfile) is used to define what actions - Privoxy takes, and thus determines how images, - cookies and various other aspects of HTTP content and transactions are - handled. Images can be anything you want, including ads, banners, or just - some obnoxious URL that you would rather not see. Cookies can be accepted - or rejected, or accepted only during the current browser session (i.e. - not written to disk). Changes to ijb.action should - be immediately visible to Privoxy without - the need to restart. - + + + Typical use: + + + Feed log analysis scripts with useless data. + + + - - The easiest way to edit actions file is with a browser by - loading http://i.j.b/, and then select - Edit Actions List. A text editor can also be used. - + + Effect: + + + Sends a cookie with each request stating that you do not accept any copyright + on cookies sent to you, and asking the site operator not to track you. + + + - - To determine which actions apply to a request, the URL of the request is - compared to all patterns in this file. Every time it matches, the list of - applicable actions for the URL is incrementally updated. You can trace - this process by visiting http://i.j.b/show-url-info. - + + Type: + + + Boolean. + + + + Parameter: + + + N/A + + + + + + Notes: + + + The vanilla wafer is a (relatively) unique header and could conceivably be used to track you. + + + This action is rarely used and not enabled in the default configuration. + + + - - There are four types of lines in this file: comments (begin with a - # character), actions, aliases and patterns, all of which are - explained below, as well as the configuration file syntax that - Privoxy understands. + + Example usage: + + + +send-vanilla-wafer + + + - + + - -URL Domain and Path Syntax - - Generally, a pattern has the form <domain>/<path>, where both the - <domain> and <path> part are optional. If you only specify a - domain part, the / can be left out: - + +<emphasis>send-wafer</emphasis> - - www.example.com - is a domain only pattern and will match any request to - www.example.com. - + + + Typical use: + + + Send custom cookies or feed log analysis scripts with even more useless data. + + + - - www.example.com/ - means exactly the same. - + + Effect: + + + Sends a custom, user-defined cookie with each request. + + + - - www.example.com/index.html - matches only the single - document /index.html on www.example.com. - + + Type: + + + Multi-value. + + - - /index.html - matches the document /index.html, regardless of - the domain. - + + Parameter: + + + A string of the form name=value. + + + + + + Notes: + + + Being multi-valued, multiple instances of this action can apply to the same request, + resulting in multiple cookies being sent. + + + This action is rarely used and not enabled in the default configuration. + + + + + Example usage (section): + + + {+send-wafer{UsingPrivoxy=true}} +my-internal-testing-server.void + + + + + - - index.html - matches nothing, since it would be - interpreted as a domain name and there is no top-level domain called - .html. - - - The matching of the domain part offers some flexible options: if the - domain starts or ends with a dot, it becomes unanchored at that end. - For example: - + + +<emphasis>session-cookies-only</emphasis> - - .example.com - matches any domain that ENDS in - .example.com. - + + + Typical use: + + + Allow only temporary session cookies (for the current browser session only). + + + - - www. - matches any domain that STARTS with - www. - + + Effect: + + + Deletes the expires field from Set-Cookie: server headers. + Most browsers will not store such cookies permanently and forget them in between sessions. + + + - - Additionally, there are wild-cards that you can use in the domain names - themselves. They work pretty similar to shell wild-cards: * - stands for zero or more arbitrary characters, ? stands for - any single character. And you can define character classes in square - brackets and they can be freely mixed: - + + Type: + + + Boolean. + + - - ad*.example.com - matches adserver.example.com, - ads.example.com, etc but not sfads.example.com. - + + Parameter: + + + N/A + + + + + + Notes: + + + This is less strict than crunch-incoming-cookies / + crunch-outgoing-cookies and allows you to browse + websites that insist or rely on setting cookies, without compromising your privacy too badly. + + + Most browsers will not permanently store cookies that have been processed by + session-cookies-only and will forget about them between sessions. + This makes profiling cookies useless, but won't break sites which require cookies so + that you can log in for transactions. This is generally turned on for all + sites, and is the recommended setting. + + + It makes no sense at all to use session-cookies-only + together with crunch-incoming-cookies or + crunch-outgoing-cookies. If you do, cookies + will be plainly killed. + + + Note that it is up to the browser how it handles such cookies without an expires + field. If you use an exotic browser, you might want to try it out to be sure. + + + - - *ad*.example.com - matches all of the above, and then some. - + + Example usage: + + + +session-cookies-only + + + + + - - .?pix.com - matches www.ipix.com, - pictures.epix.com, a.b.c.d.e.upix.com, etc. - - - www[1-9a-ez].example.com - matches www1.example.com, - www4.example.com, wwwd.example.com, - wwwz.example.com, etc., but not - wwww.example.com. - + + +<emphasis>set-image-blocker</emphasis> - - If Privoxy was compiled with - pcre support (default), Perl compatible regular expressions - can be used. See the pcre/docs/ directory or man - perlre (also available on http://www.perldoc.com/perl5.6/pod/perlre.html) - for details. A brief discussion of regular expressions is in the - Appendix. For instance: - + + + Typical use: + + Choose the replacement for blocked images + + - - /.*/advert[0-9]+\.jpe?g - would match a URL from any - domain, with any path that includes advert followed - immediately by one or more digits, then a . and ending in - either jpeg or jpg. So we match - example.com/ads/advert2.jpg, and - www.example.com/ads/banners/advert39.jpeg, but not - www.example.com/ads/banners/advert39.gif (no gifs in the - example pattern). - + + Effect: + + + This action alone doesn't do anything noticeable. If both + block and handle-as-image also + apply, i.e. if the request is to be blocked as an image, + then the parameter of this action decides what will be + sent as a replacement. + + + - - Please note that matching in the path is case - INSENSITIVE by default, but you can switch to case - sensitive at any point in the pattern by using the - (?-i) switch: - + + Type: + + + Parameterized. + + - - www.example.com/(?-i)PaTtErN.* - will match only - documents whose path starts with PaTtErN in - exactly this capitalization. - + + Parameter: + + + + + pattern to send a built-in checkerboard pattern image. The image is visually + decent, scales very well, and makes it obvious where banners were busted. + + + + + blank to send a built-in transparent image. This makes banners disappear + completely, but makes it hard to detect where Privoxy has blocked + images on a given page and complicates troubleshooting if Privoxy + has blocked innocent images, like navigation icons. + + + + + target-url to + send a redirect to target-url. You can redirect + to any image anywhere, even in your local filesystem (via file:/// URL). + + + A good application of redirects is to use special Privoxy-built-in + URLs, which send the built-in images, as target-url. + This has the same visual effect as specifying blank or pattern in + the first place, but enables your browser to cache the replacement image, instead of requesting + it over and over again. + + + + + + + + Notes: + + + The URLs for the built-in images are http://config.privoxy.org/send-banner?type=type, where type is + either blank or pattern. + + + There is a third (advanced) type, called auto. It is NOT to be + used in set-image-blocker, but meant for use from filters. + Auto will select the type of image that would have applied to the referring page, had it been an image. + + + + + Example usage: + + + Built-in pattern: + + + +set-image-blocker{pattern} + + + Redirect to the BSD devil: + + + +set-image-blocker{http://www.freebsd.org/gifs/dae_up3.gif} + + + Redirect to the built-in pattern for better caching: + + + +set-image-blocker{http://config.privoxy.org/send-banner?type=pattern} + + + + - - - - -Actions +Summary - Actions are enabled if preceded with a +, and disabled if - preceded with a -. Actions are invoked by enclosing the - action name in curly braces (e.g. {+some_action}), followed by a list of - URLs to which the action applies. There are three classes of actions: + Note that many of these actions have the potential to cause a page to + misbehave, possibly even not to display at all. There are many ways + a site designer may choose to design his site, and what HTTP header + content, and other criteria, he may depend on. There is no way to have hard + and fast rules for all sites. See the Appendix for a brief example on troubleshooting + actions. + + + + +Aliases - - - - - Boolean (e.g. +/-block): - - - - - - {+name} # enable this action - {-name} # disable this action - - - - - - - - - - parameterized (e.g. +/-hide-user-agent): - - - - - - {+name{param}} # enable action and set parameter to param - {-name} # disable action - - - - - - - - - Multi-value (e.g. {+/-add-header{Name: value}}, {+/-wafer{name=value}}): - - - - - - {+name{param}} # enable action and add parameter param - {-name{param}} # remove the parameter param - {-name} # disable this action totally - - - - - - - + Custom actions, known to Privoxy + as aliases, can be defined by combining other actions. + These can in turn be invoked just like the built-in actions. + Currently, an alias name can contain any character except space, tab, + =, + { and }, but we strongly + recommend that you only use a to z, + 0 to 9, +, and -. + Alias names are not case sensitive, and are not required to start with a + + or - sign, since they are merely textually + expanded. - - If nothing is specified in this file, no actions are taken. - So in this case Privoxy would just be a - normal, non-blocking, non-anonymizing proxy. You must specifically - enable the privacy and blocking features you need (although the - provided default ijb.action file will - give a good starting point). + Aliases can be used throughout the actions file, but they must be + defined in a special section at the top of the file! + And there can only be one such section per actions file. Each actions file may + have its own alias section, and the aliases defined in it are only visible + within that file. - - Later defined actions always over-ride earlier ones. For multi-valued - actions, the actions are applied in the order they are specified. + There are two main reasons to use aliases: One is to save typing for frequently + used combinations of actions, the other one is a gain in flexibility: If you + decide once how you want to handle shops by defining an alias called + shop, you can later change your policy on shops in + one place, and your changes will take effect everywhere + in the actions file where the shop alias is used. Calling aliases + by their purpose also makes your actions files more readable. - - The list of valid Privoxy actions are: + Currently, there is one big drawback to using aliases, though: + Privoxy's built-in web-based action file + editor honors aliases when reading the actions files, but it expands + them before writing. So the effects of your aliases are of course preserved, + but the aliases themselves are lost when you edit sections that use aliases + with it. + This is likely to change in future versions of Privoxy. - - - - - Add the specified HTTP header, which is not checked for validity. - You may specify this many times to specify many different headers: - - - - - - +add-header{Name: value} - - - - - - - - - - Block this URL totally. In a default installation, a blocked - URL will result in bright red banner that says BLOCKED, - with a reason why it is being blocked. - - - - - - +block - - - - - - - - - - De-animate all animated GIF images, i.e. reduce them to their last frame. - This will also shrink the images considerably (in bytes, not pixels!). If - the option first is given, the first frame of the animation - is used as the replacement. If last is given, the last frame - of the animation is used instead, which probably makes more sense for most - banner animations, but also has the risk of not showing the entire last - frame (if it is only a delta to an earlier frame). - - - - - - +deanimate-gifs{last} - +deanimate-gifs{first} - - - - - - - - - +downgrade will downgrade HTTP/1.1 client requests to - HTTP/1.0 and downgrade the responses as well. Use this action for servers - that use HTTP/1.1 protocol features that - Privoxy doesn't handle well yet. HTTP/1.1 - is only partially implemented. Default is not to downgrade requests. - - - - - - +downgrade - - - - - - - - - Many sites, like yahoo.com, don't just link to other sites. Instead, they - will link to some script on their own server, giving the destination as a - parameter, which will then redirect you to the final target. URLs resulting - from this scheme typically look like: - http://some.place/some_script?http://some.where-else. - - - Sometimes, there are even multiple consecutive redirects encoded in the - URL. These redirections via scripts make your web browsing more traceable, - since the server from which you follow such a link can see where you go to. - Apart from that, valuable bandwidth and time is wasted, while your browser - ask the server for one redirect after the other. Plus, it feeds the - advertisers. - - - The +fast-redirects option enables interception of these - requests by Privoxy, who will cut off all but - the last valid URL in the request and send a local redirect back to your - browser without contacting the remote site. - - - - - - +fast-redirects - - - - - - - - - Apply the filters in the section_header - section of the re_filterfile file to the site(s). - Re_filterfile sections are grouped according to like - functionality. - - - - - - - +filter{section_header} - - - - - - - Filter sections that are pre-defined in the supplied - re_filterfile include: - - -
- - - html-annoyances: Get rid of particularly annoying HTML abuse. - - - - - js-annoyances: Get rid of particularly annoying JavaScript abuse - - - - - no-poups: Kill all popups in JS and HTML - - - - - frameset-borders: Give frames a border - - - - - webbugs: Squish WebBugs (1x1 invisible GIFs used for user tracking) - - - - - no-refresh: Automatic refresh sucks on auto-dialup lines - - - - - fun: Text replacements for subversive browsing fun! - - - - - nimda: Remove (virus) Nimda code. - - - - - banners-by-size: Kill banners by size - - - - - crude-parental: Kill all web pages that contain the words "sex" or "warez" - - -
- - - - - - Block any existing X-Forwarded-for header, and do not add a new one: - - - - - - +hide-forwarded - - - - - - - - - If the browser sends a From: header containing your e-mail - address, this either completely removes the header (block), or - changes it to the specified e-mail address. - - - - - - +hide-from{block} - +hide-from{spam@sittingduck.xqq} - - - - - - - - - Don't send the Referer: (sic) header to the web site. You - can block it, forge a URL to the same server as the request (which is - preferred because some sites will not send images otherwise) or set it to a - constant string of your choice. - - - - - - +hide-referer{block} - +hide-referer{forge} - +hide-referer{http://nowhere.com} - - - - - - - - - Alternative spelling of +hide-referer. It has the same - parameters, and can be freely mixed with, +hide-referer. - (referrer is the correct English spelling, however the HTTP - specification has a bug - it requires it to be spelled referer.) - - - - - - +hide-referrer{...} - - - - - - - - - Change the User-Agent: header so web servers can't tell your - browser type. Warning! This breaks many web sites. Specify the - user-agent value you want. Example, pretend to be using Netscape on - Linux: - - - - - - +hide-user-agent{Mozilla (X11; I; Linux 2.0.32 i586)} - - - - - - - - - - Treat this URL as an image. This only matters if it's also +blocked, - in which case a blocked image can be sent rather than a HTML page. - See +image-blocker{} below for the control over what is actually sent. - If you want invisible ads, they should be defined as - images and blocked. And also, - image-blocker should be set to blank. - - - - - - +image - - - - - - - - Decides what to do with URLs that end up tagged with {+block - +image}, e.g an advertizement. There are five options. - -image-blocker will send a HTML blocked page, - usually resulting in a broken image icon. - +image-blocker{logo} will send a - Privoxy logo - image. +image-blocker{blank} will send a 1x1 transparent GIF - image. And finally, +image-blocker{http://xyz.com} will send - a HTTP temporary redirect to the specified image. This has the advantage of - the icon being being cached by the browser, which will speed up the display. - +image-blocker{pattern} will send a checkboard type pattern, - which scales better than the logo (which can get blocky if the browser - enlarges it too much). - - - - - - +image-blocker{logo} - +image-blocker{blank} - +image-blocker{pattern} - +image-blocker{http://i.j.b/send-banner} - - - - - - - - - By default (i.e. in the absence of a +limit-connect - action), Privoxy will only allow CONNECT - requests to port 443, which is the standard port for https as a - precaution. - - - - The CONNECT methods exists in HTTP to allow access to secure websites - (https:// URLs) through proxies. It works very simply: the proxy - connects to the server on the specified port, and then short-circuits - its connections to the client and to the remote proxy. - This can be a big security hole, since CONNECT-enabled proxies can - be abused as TCP relays very easily. - - - - If you want to allow CONNECT for more ports than this, or want to forbid - CONNECT altogether, you can specify a comma separated list of ports and - port ranges (the latter using dashes, with the minimum defaulting to 0 and - max to 65K): - - - - - - - +limit-connect{443} # This is the default and need no be specified. - +limit-connect{80,443} # Ports 80 and 443 are OK. - +limit-connect{-3, 7, 20-100, 500-} # Port less than 3, 7, 20 to 100 - #and above 500 are OK. - - - - + Now let's define some aliases... + - - - - - +no-compression prevents the website from compressing the - data. Some websites do this, which can be a problem for - Privoxy, since +filter, - +no-popup and +gif-deanimate will not work on - compressed data. This will slow down connections to those websites, - though. Default is nocompression is turned on. - + + + # Useful custom aliases we can use later. + # + # Note the (required!) section header line and that this section + # must be at the top of the actions file! + # + {{alias}} - - - - - +nocompression - - - - - - - - - If the website sets cookies, no-cookies-keep will make sure - they are erased when you exit and restart your web browser. This makes - profiling cookies useless, but won't break sites which require cookies so - that you can log in for transactions. Default: on. - - - - - - +no-cookies-keep - - - - - - - - - Prevent the website from reading cookies: - - - - - - +no-cookies-read - - - - - - - - - Prevent the website from setting cookies: - - - - - - +no-cookies-set - - - - - - - - - Filter the website through a built-in filter to disable those obnoxious - JavaScript pop-up windows via window.open(), etc. The two alternative - spellings are equivalent. - - - - - - +no-popup - +no-popups - - - - - - - - - This action only applies if you are using a jarfile - for saving cookies. It sends a cookie to every site stating that you do not - accept any copyright on cookies sent to you, and asking them not to track - you. Of course, this is a (relatively) unique header they could use to - track you. - - - - - - +vanilla-wafer - - - - - - - - - This allows you to add an arbitrary cookie. It can be specified multiple - times in order to add as many cookies as you like. - - - - - - +wafer{name=value} - - - - - + # These aliases just save typing later: + # + +crunch-all-cookies = +crunch-incoming-cookies +crunch-outgoing-cookies + -crunch-all-cookies = -crunch-incoming-cookies -crunch-outgoing-cookies + +imageblock = +block +handle-as-image - - + # These aliases define combinations of actions + # that are useful for certain types of sites: + # + fragile = -block -crunch-all-cookies -filter -fast-redirects -hide-referer -kill-popups + shop = -crunch-all-cookies -fast-redirects - - The meaning of any of the above is reversed by preceding the action with a - -, in place of the +. + # Aliases defined from other aliases, for really lazy people ;-) + # + c0 = +crunch-all-cookies + c1 = -crunch-all-cookies - Some examples: + ...and put them to use. These sections would appear in the lower part of an + actions file and define exceptions to the default actions (as specified further + up for the / pattern): - Turn off cookies by default, then allow a few through for specified sites: - - - - - - - # Turn off all persistent cookies - { +no-cookies-read } - { +no-cookies-set } - # Allow cookies for this browser session ONLY - { +no-cookies-keep } - - # Exceptions to the above, sites that benefit from persistent cookies - { -no-cookies-read } - { -no-cookies-set } - { -no-cookies-keep } - .javasoft.com - .sun.com - .yahoo.com - .msdn.microsoft.com - .redhat.com + + # These sites are either very complex or very keen on + # user data and require minimal interference to work: + # + {fragile} + .office.microsoft.com + .windowsupdate.microsoft.com + .nytimes.com - # Alternative way of saying the same thing - {-no-cookies-set -no-cookies-read -no-cookies-keep} - .sourceforge.net - .sf.net - - - - + # Shopping sites: + # Allow cookies (for setting and retrieving your customer data) + # + {shop} + .quietpc.com + .worldpay.com # for quietpc.com + .scan.co.uk - - Now turn off fast redirects, and then we allow two exceptions: + # These shops require pop-ups: + # + {shop -kill-popups -filter{popups}} + .dabs.com + .overclockers.co.uk - - - - # Turn them off! - {+fast-redirects} - - # Reverse it for these two sites, which don't work right without it. - {-fast-redirects} - www.ukc.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wac\.cgi\? - login.yahoo.com - - - + Aliases like shop and fragile are often used for + problem sites that require some actions to be disabled + in order to function properly. + + + +Sample Actions Files - Turn on page filtering according to rules in the defined sections - of refilterfile, and make one exception for - sourceforge: - + Remember that the meaning of each action is reversed by preceding + the action with a -, in place of the +. Also, + that some actions are turned on in the default section of the actions file, + and require little to no additional configuration. These are just on. + - - - - # Run everything through the filter file, using only the - # specified sections: - +filter{html-annoyances} +filter{js-annoyances} +filter{no-popups}\ - +filter{webbugs} +filter{nimda} +filter{banners-by-size} - - # Then disable filtering of code from sourceforge! - {-filter} - .cvs.sourceforge.net - - - + But, other actions that are turned on in the default section do + typically require exceptions to be listed in the latter sections of + one of our actions file. For instance, by default no URLs are + blocked (i.e. in the default definitions of + default.action). We need exceptions to this in order to + enable ad blocking in the lower sections. But we need to + be very selective about what we do block. Thus, the default is off + for blocking. - Now some URLs that we want blocked, ie we won't see them. - Many of these use regular expressions that will expand to match multiple - URLs: + Below is a liberally commented sample default.action file + to demonstrate how all the pieces come together. And to show how exceptions + to the default policies can be handled. This is followed by a brief + user.action with similar examples. - # Blocklist: - {+block} - /.*/(.*[-_.])?ads?[0-9]?(/|[-_.].*|\.(gif|jpe?g)) - /.*/(.*[-_.])?count(er)?(\.cgi|\.dll|\.exe|[?/]) - /.*/(ng)?adclient\.cgi - /.*/(plain|live|rotate)[-_.]?ads?/ - /.*/(sponsor)s?[0-9]?/ - /.*/_?(plain|live)?ads?(-banners)?/ - /.*/abanners/ - /.*/ad(sdna_image|gifs?)/ - /.*/ad(server|stream|juggler)\.(cgi|pl|dll|exe) - /.*/adbanners/ - /.*/adserver - /.*/adstream\.cgi - /.*/adv((er)?ts?|ertis(ing|ements?))?/ - /.*/banner_?ads/ - /.*/banners?/ - /.*/banners?\.cgi/ - /.*/cgi-bin/centralad/getimage - /.*/images/addver\.gif - /.*/images/marketing/.*\.(gif|jpe?g) - /.*/popupads/ - /.*/siteads/ - /.*/sponsor.*\.gif - /.*/sponsors?[0-9]?/ - /.*/advert[0-9]+\.jpg - /Media/Images/Adds/ - /ad_images/ - /adimages/ - /.*/ads/ - /bannerfarm/ - /grafikk/annonse/ - /graphics/defaultAd/ - /image\.ng/AdType - /image\.ng/transactionID - /images/.*/.*_anim\.gif # alvin brattli - /ip_img/.*\.(gif|jpe?g) - /rotateads/ - /rotations/ - /worldnet/ad\.cgi - /cgi-bin/nph-adclick.exe/ - /.*/Image/BannerAdvertising/ - /.*/ad-bin/ - /.*/adlib/server\.cgi - /autoads/ - - - - +# Sample default.action file <developers@privoxy.org> + +# Settings -- Don't change! For internal Privoxy use ONLY. +{{settings}} +for-privoxy-version=3.0 + + +########################################################################## +# Aliases must be defined *before* they are used. These are +# easier to remember, and can combine several actions into one. Once +# defined they can be used just like any built-in action -- but within +# this file only! Aliases do not require a + or - sign. +########################################################################## +{{alias}} + +# Some useful aliases. +# Alias to turn off cookie handling, ie allow all cookies unmolested. +# +mercy-for-cookies = -crunch-incoming-cookies -crunch-outgoing-cookies \ + -session-cookies-only + +# Alias to both block and treat as if an image for ad blocking +# purposes. +# ++block-as-image = +block +handle-as-image + +# Shops should be allowed to set persistent cookies +# +shop = -filter mercy-for-cookies + +# Fragile sites should receive minimum interference: +# +fragile = -block -deanimate-gifs -fast-redirects -filter -hide-referer \ + mercy-for-cookies -kill-popups + +########################################################################## +# Matching starts here. Remember that at this time, all actions are +# disabled, so we need to explicitly enable the ones we want. +# +# We begin with "default" action settings, i.e. we define a set of actions +# for a pattern ("/") that matches all URLs. This default set will be +# applied to all requests as a start, and can be partly or wholly overridden +# by later matches further down this file, or in user.action. +# +# We will show all potential actions here whether they are enabled +# or not. We could omit any disabled action if we wanted, since all +# actions are 'off' by default anyway. Shown for completeness only. +# Actions are enabled if preceded by a '+', otherwise they are disabled +# (unless an alias has been defined without this). +########################################################################## + { \ + -add-header \ + -block \ + -deanimate-gifs \ + -downgrade-http-version \ + +fast-redirects \ + +filter{html-annoyances} \ + +filter{js-annoyances} \ + -filter{content-cookies} \ + -filter{popups} \ + +filter{webbugs} \ + -filter{refresh-tags} \ + -filter{fun} \ + +filter{nimda} \ + +filter{banners-by-size} \ + -filter{shockwave-flash} \ + -filter{crude-parental} \ + +hide-forwarded-for-headers \ + +hide-from-header{block} \ + -hide-referrer \ + -hide-user-agent \ + -handle-as-image \ + +set-image-blocker{pattern} \ + -limit-connect \ + +prevent-compression \ + -session-cookies-only \ + -crunch-outgoing-cookies \ + -crunch-incoming-cookies \ + -kill-popups \ + -send-vanilla-wafer \ + -send-wafer \ + } + / # forward slash will match *all* potential URL patterns. + +########################################################################## +# Default behavior is now set. Now we will define some exceptions to our +# default action policies. +########################################################################## + +# These sites are very complex and require very minimal interference. +# We'll disable most actions with our 'fragile' alias: + { fragile } + .office.microsoft.com # surprise, surprise! + .windowsupdate.microsoft.com - - Note that many of these actions have the potential to cause a page to - misbehave, possibly even not to display at all. There are many ways - a site designer may choose to design his site, and what HTTP header - content he may depend on. There is no way to have hard and fast rules - for all sites. See the Appendix - for a brief example on troubleshooting actions. - +# Shopping sites - not as fragile but require some special +# handling. We still want to block ads, and we will allow +# persistent cookies via the 'shop' alias: + { shop } + .quietpc.com + .worldpay.com # for quietpc.com + .jungle.com + .scan.co.uk - - +# These sites require pop-ups too :( We'll combine our 'shop' +# alias with two other actions into one rule to allow all popups. + { shop -kill-popups -filter{popups} } + .dabs.com + .overclockers.co.uk - - -Aliases - - Custom actions, known to Privoxy - as aliases, can be defined by combining other actions. - These can in turn be invoked just like the built-in actions. - Currently, an alias can contain any character except space, tab, =, - { or }. But please use only a- - z, 0-9, +, and - -. Alias names are not case sensitive, and - must be defined before anything else in the - ijb.actionfile ! And there can only be one set of - aliases defined. - +# The 'Fast-redirects' action breaks some sites. Disable this action +# for these known sensitive sites: + { -fast-redirects } + login.yahoo.com + edit.europe.yahoo.com + .google.com + .altavista.com/.*(like|url|link):http + .altavista.com/trans.*urltext=http + .nytimes.com - - Now let's define a few aliases: - - - - - - # Useful customer aliases we can use later. These must come first! - {{alias}} - +no-cookies = +no-cookies-set +no-cookies-read - -no-cookies = -no-cookies-set -no-cookies-read - fragile = -block -no-cookies -filter -fast-redirects -hide-referer -no-popups - shop = -no-cookies -filter -fast-redirects - +imageblock = +block +image - - #For people who don't like to type too much: ;-) - c0 = +no-cookies - c1 = -no-cookies - c2 = -no-cookies-set +no-cookies-read - c3 = +no-cookies-set -no-cookies-read - #... etc. Customize to your heart's content. +# Define which file types will be treated as images. Important +# for ad blocking. + { +handle-as-image } + /.*\.(gif|jpe?g|png|bmp|ico) + + +# Now lets list some domains that are known ad generators. And +# our alias that we use here will block these as well as force +# them to be treated as images. This combination of actions is +# important for ad blocking. What the browser will show instead is +# determined by the setting of +set-image-blocker + { +imageblock } + ar.atwola.com + .ad.doubleclick.net + .a.yimg.com/(?:(?!/i/).)*$ + .a[0-9].yimg.com/(?:(?!/i/).)*$ + bs*.gsanet.com + bs*.einets.com + .qkimg.net + ad.*.doubleclick.net + + +# These will just simply be blocked. They will generate the BLOCKED +# banner page, if matched. Heavy use of wildcards and regular +# expressions in this example. Enable block action: + { +block } + ad*. + .*ads. + banner?. + count*. + /.*count(er)?\.(pl|cgi|exe|dll|asp|php[34]?) + /(?:.*/)?(publicite|werbung|rekla(ma|me|am)|annonse|maino(kset|nta|s)?)/ + .hitbox.com + + +# The above block section will probably inadvertently catch some +# sites we DO NOT want blocked via the wildcards and regular expressions. +# Now let's set exceptions to the exceptions so the good guys get better +# treatment. Disable block action: + { -block } + advogato.org + adsl. + ad[ud]*. + advice. +# Let's just trust all .edu top level domains. + .edu + www.ugu.com/sui/ugu/adv +# We'll need to access to path names containing 'download' + .*downloads. + /downloads/ +# 'adv' is for globalintersec and means advanced, not advertisement + www.globalintersec.com/adv + + +# Don't filter *anything* from our friends at sourceforge. +# Notice we don't have to name the individual filter +# identifiers -- we just turn them all off in one fell swoop. +# Disable all filters for this one site: + { -filter } + .sourceforge.net - Some examples using our shop and fragile - aliases from above: + So far we are painting with a broad brush by setting general policies. + The above would be a reasonable starting point for many situations. Now, + we want to be more specific and have customized rules that are more suitable + to our personal habits and preferences. These would be for narrowly defined + situations like your ISP or your bank, and should be placed in + user.action, which is parsed after all other + actions files and should not be clobbered by upgrades. So any settings here, + will have the last word and over-ride any previously defined actions. + + Now a few examples of some things that one might do with a + user.action file. + + + + - # These sites are very complex and require - # minimal interference. - {fragile} - .office.microsoft.com - .windowsupdate.microsoft.com - .nytimes.com +# Sample user.action file. + +# Any aliases you want to use need to be re-defined here. +# Alias to turn off cookie handling, ie allow all cookies unmolested. + -crunch-all-cookies = -crunch-incoming-cookies -crunch-outgoing-cookies \ + -session-cookies-only + +# Fragile sites should have the minimum changes: + fragile = -block -deanimate-gifs -fast-redirects -filter -hide-referer \ + -crunch-all-cookies -kill-popups + +# Allow persistent cookies for a few regular sites that we +# trust via our above alias. These will be saved from one browser session +# to the next. We are explicitly turning off any and all cookie handling, +# even though the crunch-*-cookies settings were disabled in our above +# default.action anyway. So cookies from these domains will come through +# unmolested. + { -crunch-all-cookies } + .sun.com + .yahoo.com + .msdn.microsoft.com + .redhat.com - # Shopping sites - still want to block ads. - {shop} - .quietpc.com - .worldpay.com # for quietpc.com - .jungle.com - .scan.co.uk - # These shops require pop-ups - {shop -no-popups} - .dabs.com - .overclockers.co.uk +# My ISP uses obnoxious self promoting images on many pages. +# Nuke them :) Note that +handle-as-image need not be specified, +# since all URLs ending in .gif will be tagged as images by the +# general rules in default.action anyway. + { +block } + www.my-isp-example.com/logo[0-9].gif + + +# Say the site where you do your home banking needs to open +# popup windows, but you have chosen to kill popups by +# default. This will allow it for your-example-bank.com: +# + { -filter{popups} -kill-popups } + .my-example-bank.com + + +# This site is delicate, and requires kid-glove +# treatment. + { fragile } + .forbes.com - - - - + + + + + + + + + + The Filter File Any web page can be dynamically modified with the filter file. This modification can be removal, or re-writing, of any web page content, including tags and non-visible content. The default filter file is - re_filterfile, located in the config directory. + oddly enough default.filter, located in the config + directory. + + + + This is potentially a very powerful feature, and requires knowledge of both + regular expression and HTML in order create custom + filters. But, there are a number of useful filters included with + Privoxy for many common situations. @@ -2892,13 +5197,12 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01 with the FILTER keyword, followed by the identifier for that section, e.g. FILTER: webbugs. Each section performs a similar type of filtering, such as html-annoyances. - This file uses regular expressions to alter or remove any string in the target page. The expressions can only operate on one line at a time. Some - examples from the included default re_filterfile: + examples from the included default default.filter: @@ -2971,223 +5275,61 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01 - - - - - - -Templates - - When Privoxy displays one of its internal - pages, such as a 404 Not Found error page, it uses the appropriate template. - On Linux, BSD, and Unix, these are located in - /etc/privoxy/templates by default. These may be - customized, if desired. - - - - - - - - - - - -Quickstart to Using <application>Privoxy</application> - - Install package, then run and enjoy! Privoxy - is typically started by specifying the main configuration file to be - used on the command line. Example Unix startup command: - - - - - - # /usr/sbin/privoxy /etc/privoxy/config - - - - - - An init script is provided for SuSE and Redhat. - - - -For for SuSE: /etc/rc.d/privoxy start - - - -For RedHat: /etc/rc.d/init.d/privoxy start - - - - - If no configuration file is specified on the command line, - Privoxy will look for a file named - config in the current directory. Except on Win32 where - it will try config.txt. If no file is specified on the - command line and no default configuration file can be found, - Privoxy will fail to start. - - - - Be sure your browser is set to use the proxy which is by default at - localhost, port 8118. With Netscape (and - Mozilla), this can be set under Edit - -> Preferences -> Advanced -> Proxies -> HTTP Proxy. - For Internet Explorer: Tools > - Internet Properties -> Connections -> LAN Setting. Then, - check Use Proxy and fill in the appropriate info (Address: - localhost, Port: 8118). Include if HTTPS proxy support too. - - +The <emphasis>+filter</emphasis> Action - The included default configuration files should give a reasonable starting - point, though may be somewhat aggressive in blocking junk. You will probably - want to keep an eye out for sites that require persistent cookies, and add these to - ijb.action as needed. By default, most of these will - be accepted only during the current browser session, until you add them to - the configuration. If you want the browser to handle this instead, you will - need to edit ijb.action and disable this feature. If you - use more than one browser, it would make more sense to let - Privoxy handle this. In which case, the - browser(s) should be set to accept all cookies. + Filters are enabled with the +filter action from within + one of the actions files. +filter requires one parameter, which + should match one of the section identifiers in the filter file itself. Example: - - If a particular site shows problems loading properly, try adding it - to the {fragile} section of - ijb.action. This will turn off most actions for - this site. - + + +filter{html-annoyances} + - Privoxy is HTTP/1.1 compliant, but not all 1.1 - features are as yet implemented. If browsers that support HTTP/1.1 (like - Mozilla or recent versions of I.E.) experience - problems, you might try to force HTTP/1.0 compatibility. For Mozilla, look - under Edit -> Preferences -> Debug -> Networking. - Or set the +downgrade config option in - ijb.action. + This would activate that particular filter. Similarly, +filter + can be turned off for selected sites as: + -filter{html-annoyances}. Remember + too, all actions are off by default, unless they are explicitly enabled in one + of the actions files. - - After running Privoxy for a while, you can - start to fine tune the configuration to suit your personal, or site, - preferences and requirements. There are many, many aspects that can - be customized. Actions (as specified in ijb.action) - can be adjusted by pointing your browser to - http://i.j.b/, - and then follow the link to edit the actions list. - (This is an internal page and does not require Internet access.) - + - - In fact, various aspects of Privoxy - configuration can be viewed from this page, including - current configuration parameters, source code version numbers, - the browser's request headers, and actions that apply - to a given URL. In addition to the ijb.action file - editor mentioned above, Privoxy can also - be turned on and off from this page. - + - - If you encounter problems, please verify it is a - Privoxy bug, by disabling - Privoxy, and then trying the same page. - Also, try another browser if possible to eliminate browser or site - problems. Before reporting it as a bug, see if there is not a configuration - option that is enabled that is causing the page not to load. You can - then add an exception for that page or site. If a bug, please report it to - the developers (see below). - + - -Command Line Options + +Templates - Privoxy may be invoked with the following - command-line options: + When Privoxy displays one of its internal + pages, such as a 404 Not Found error page + (Privoxy must be running for link to work as + intended), it uses the appropriate template. On Linux, BSD, and Unix, these + are located in /etc/privoxy/templates by default. These + may be customized, if desired. cgi-style.css is used to + control the HTML attributes (fonts, etc). - - - - - - --version - - - Print version info and exit, Unix only. - - - - - --help - - - Print a short usage info and exit, Unix only. - - - - - --no-daemon - - - Don't become a daemon, i.e. don't fork and become process group - leader, don't detach from controlling tty. Unix only. - - - - - --pidfile FILE - - - - On startup, write the process ID to FILE. Delete the - FILE on exit. Failiure to create or delete the - FILE is non-fatal. If no FILE - option is given, no PID file will be used. Unix only. - - - - - --user USER[.GROUP] - - - - After (optionally) writing the PID file, assume the user ID of - USER, and if included the GID of GROUP. Exit if the - privileges are not sufficient to do so. Unix only. - - - - - configfile - - - If no configfile is included on the command line, - Privoxy will look for a file named - config in the current directory (except on Win32 - where it will look for config.txt instead). Specify - full path to avoid confusion. - - - - + The default + Blocked + (Privoxy needs to be running for page to + display) banner page with the bright red top banner, is called just + blocked. This may be customized or + replaced with something else if desired (not recommended for the casual + user). - - @@ -3198,136 +5340,49 @@ For RedHat: /etc/rc.d/init.d/privoxy start Contacting the Developers, Bug Reporting and Feature Requests - -We value your feedback. However, to provide you with the best support, -please note: - - - Use the Sourceforge support forum to get - help. - - Submit bugs only thru our Sourceforge bug - forum. -Make sure that the bug has not already been submitted. Please try to -verify that it is a Privoxy bug, and not -a browser or site bug first. If you are using your own custom configuration, -please try the stock configs to see if the problem is a configuration -related bug. And if not using the latest development snapshot, please -try the latest one. Or even better, CVS sources. - - - - Submit feature requests only thru our Sourceforge feature request forum. - - - - - - - -For any other issues, feel free to use the mailing lists. - - - - Anyone interested in actively participating in development and related - discussions can join the appropriate mailing list - here. - Archives are available here too. - + + &contacting; + + - -Copyright and History - -License - - Privoxy is free software; you can - redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public - License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the - License, or (at your option) any later version. - + +<application>Privoxy</application> Copyright, License and History - - This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT - ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS - FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more - details, which is available from the Free Software Foundation, - Inc, 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA. - + + ©right; + + +License + + &license; + - - - - -History - - Junkbuster was originally written by Anonymous - Coders and Junkbuster's - Corporation, and was released as free open-source software under the - GNU GPL. Stefan - Waldherr made many improvements, and started the SourceForge project - Privoxy to rekindle development. There are now several active - developers contributing. The last stable release was v2.0.2, which has now - grown whiskers ;-). - - - + +History + + &history; + + - -See also - - - - -   http://sourceforge.net/projects/ijbswa - - - - -   http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/ - - - - -   http://i.j.b/ - - - - -   http://www.junkbusters.com/ht/en/cookies.html - - - - -   http://www.waldherr.org/junkbuster/ - - - - -   http://privacy.net/analyze/ - - - - -  http://www.squid-cache.org/ - - + - + + +See Also + + &seealso; + @@ -3384,72 +5439,79 @@ For any other issues, feel free to use the Since Privoxy proxies each requested web page, it is easy for Privoxy to - trap certain URLs. In this way, we can talk directly to + trap certain special URLs. In this way, we can talk directly to Privoxy, and see how it is configured, see how our rules are being applied, change these rules and other configuration options, and even turn @@ -3602,23 +5664,24 @@ For any other issues, feel free to use the http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/ + http://config.privoxy.org/ - Alternately, this may be reached at http://i.j.b/, - but this variation may not work as reliably as the above in some - configurations. + Alternately, this may be reached at http://p.p/, but this + variation may not work as reliably as the above in some configurations. - Show information about the current configuration: + Show information about the current configuration, including viewing and + editing of actions files:
- http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/show-status + http://config.privoxy.org/show-status
@@ -3629,18 +5692,18 @@ For any other issues, feel free to use the http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/show-version + http://config.privoxy.org/show-version - Show the client's request headers: + Show the browser's request headers:
- http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/show-request + http://config.privoxy.org/show-request
@@ -3651,18 +5714,19 @@ For any other issues, feel free to use the http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/show-url-info + http://config.privoxy.org/show-url-info - Toggle Privoxy on or off: + Toggle Privoxy on or off. In this case, Privoxy continues + to run, but only as a pass-through proxy, with no actions taking place:
- http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/toggle + http://config.privoxy.org/toggle
@@ -3670,33 +5734,215 @@ For any other issues, feel free to use the http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/toggle?set=disable + http://config.privoxy.org/toggle?set=disable
- http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/toggle?set=enable + http://config.privoxy.org/toggle?set=enable
+ + + - - - Edit the actions list file: - -
- - http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/edit-actions + + These may be bookmarked for quick reference. See next. + + + + +Bookmarklets + + Below are some bookmarklets to allow you to easily access a + mini version of some of Privoxy's + special pages. They are designed for MS Internet Explorer, but should work + equally well in Netscape, Mozilla, and other browsers which support + JavaScript. They are designed to run directly from your bookmarks - not by + clicking the links below (although that should work for testing). + + + To save them, right-click the link and choose Add to Favorites + (IE) or Add Bookmark (Netscape). You will get a warning that + the bookmark may not be safe - just click OK. Then you can run the + Bookmarklet directly from your favorites/bookmarks. For even faster access, + you can put them on the Links bar (IE) or the Personal + Toolbar (Netscape), and run them with a single click. + + + + + + + + Privoxy - Enable -
- - + + + + + Privoxy - Disable + + + + + + Privoxy - Toggle Privoxy (Toggles between enabled and disabled) + + + + + + Privoxy- View Status + + + + + + Privoxy - Submit Filter Feedback + + + + + + + Credit: The site which gave me the general idea for these bookmarklets is + www.bookmarklets.com. They + have more information about bookmarklets. + + + + + + + + + + +Chain of Events - These may be bookmarked for quick reference. + Let's take a quick look at the basic sequence of events when a web page is + requested by your browser and Privoxy is on duty: + + + + + + First, your web browser requests a web page. The browser knows to send + the request to Privoxy, which will in turn, + relay the request to the remote web server after passing the following + tests: + + + + + Privoxy traps any request for its own internal CGI + pages (e.g http://p.p/) and sends the CGI page back to the browser. + + + + + Next, Privoxy checks to see if the URL + matches any +block patterns. If + so, the URL is then blocked, and the remote web server will not be contacted. + +handle-as-image + is then checked and if it does not match, an + HTML BLOCKED page is sent back. Otherwise, if it does match, + an image is returned. The type of image depends on the setting of +set-image-blocker + (blank, checkerboard pattern, or an HTTP redirect to an image elsewhere). + + + + + Untrusted URLs are blocked. If URLs are being added to the + trust file, then that is done. + + + + + If the URL pattern matches the +fast-redirects action, + it is then processed. Unwanted parts of the requested URL are stripped. + + + + + Now the rest of the client browser's request headers are processed. If any + of these match any of the relevant actions (e.g. +hide-user-agent, + etc.), headers are suppressed or forged as determined by these actions and + their parameters. + + + + + Now the web server starts sending its response back (i.e. typically a web page and related + data). + + + + + First, the server headers are read and processed to determine, among other + things, the MIME type (document type) and encoding. The headers are then + filtered as determined by the + +crunch-incoming-cookies, + +session-cookies-only, + and +downgrade-http-version + actions. + + + + + If the +kill-popups + action applies, and it is an HTML or JavaScript document, the popup-code in the + response is filtered on-the-fly as it is received. + + + + + If a +filter + or +deanimate-gifs + action applies (and the document type fits the action), the rest of the page is + read into memory (up to a configurable limit). Then the filter rules (from + default.filter) are processed against the buffered + content. Filters are applied in the order they are specified in the + default.filter file. Animated GIFs, if present, are + reduced to either the first or last frame, depending on the action + setting.The entire page, which is now filtered, is then sent by + Privoxy back to your browser. + + + If neither +filter + or +deanimate-gifs + matches, then Privoxy passes the raw data through + to the client browser as it becomes available. + + + + + As the browser receives the now (probably filtered) page content, it + reads and then requests any URLs that may be embedded within the page + source, e.g. ad images, stylesheets, JavaScript, other HTML documents (e.g. + frames), sounds, etc. For each of these objects, the browser issues a new + request. And each such request is in turn processed as above. Note that a + complex web page may have many such embedded URLs. + + + + @@ -3707,111 +5953,126 @@ For any other issues, feel free to use the actions + and filters + to any given URL can be complex, and not always so + easy to understand what is happening. And sometimes we need to be able to + see just what Privoxy is + doing. Especially, if something Privoxy is doing + is causing us a problem inadvertently. It can be a little daunting to look at + the actions and filters files themselves, since they tend to be filled with regular expressions whose consequences are not always - so obvious. Privoxy provides the - http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/show-url-info - page that can show us very specifically how actions - are being applied to any given URL. This is a big help for troubleshooting. - + so obvious. + - First, enter one URL (or partial URL) at the prompt, and then - Privoxy will tell us - how current configuration will handle it. This will not - help with filtering effects from the re_filterfile! It - also will not tell you about any other URLs that may be embedded within the - URL you are testing. For instance, images such as ads are expressed as URLs - within the raw page source of HTML pages. So you will only get info for the - actual URL that is pasted into the prompt area -- not any sub-URLs. If you - want to know about embedded URLs like ads, you will have to dig those out of - the HTML source. Use your browser's View Page Source option - for this. + One quick test to see if Privoxy is causing a problem + or not, is to disable it temporarily. This should be the first troubleshooting + step. See the Bookmarklets section on a quick + and easy way to do this (be sure to flush caches afterward!). - Let's look at an example, google.com, - one section at a time: + Privoxy also provides the + http://config.privoxy.org/show-url-info + page that can show us very specifically how actions + are being applied to any given URL. This is a big help for troubleshooting. - - System default actions: - - { -add-header -block -deanimate-gifs -downgrade -fast-redirects -filter - -hide-forwarded -hide-from -hide-referer -hide-user-agent -image - -image-blocker -limit-connect -no-compression -no-cookies-keep - -no-cookies-read -no-cookies-set -no-popups -vanilla-wafer -wafer } - - + First, enter one URL (or partial URL) at the prompt, and then + Privoxy will tell us + how the current configuration will handle it. This will not + help with filtering effects (i.e. the +filter action) from + the default.filter file since this is handled very + differently and not so easy to trap! It also will not tell you about any other + URLs that may be embedded within the URL you are testing. For instance, images + such as ads are expressed as URLs within the raw page source of HTML pages. So + you will only get info for the actual URL that is pasted into the prompt area + -- not any sub-URLs. If you want to know about embedded URLs like ads, you + will have to dig those out of the HTML source. Use your browser's View + Page Source option for this. Or right click on the ad, and grab the + URL. - This is the top section, and only tells us of the compiled in defaults. This - is basically what Privoxy would do if there - were not any actions defined, i.e. it does nothing. Every action - is disabled. This is not particularly informative for our purposes here. OK, - next section: + Let's try an example, google.com, + and look at it one section at a time: - Matches for http://google.com: - { -add-header -block +deanimate-gifs -downgrade +fast-redirects - +filter{html-annoyances} +filter{js-annoyances} +filter{no-popups} - +filter{webbugs} +filter{nimda} +filter{banners-by-size} +filter{hal} - +filter{fun} +hide-forwarded +hide-from{block} +hide-referer{forge} - -hide-user-agent -image +image-blocker{blank} +no-compression - +no-cookies-keep -no-cookies-read -no-cookies-set +no-popups - -vanilla-wafer -wafer } - / +--- File standard --- +(no matches in this file) + +--- File default --- + +{ -add-header -block +deanimate-gifs{last} -downgrade-http-version +fast-redirects + -filter{popups} -filter{fun} -filter{shockwave-flash} -filter{crude-parental} + +filter{html-annoyances} +filter{js-annoyances} +filter{content-cookies} + +filter{webbugs} +filter{refresh-tags} +filter{nimda} +filter{banners-by-size} + +hide-forwarded-for-headers +hide-from-header{block} +hide-referer{forge} + -hide-user-agent -handle-as-image +set-image-blocker{pattern} -limit-connect + +prevent-compression +session-cookies-only -crunch-outgoing-cookies + -crunch-incoming-cookies -kill-popups -send-vanilla-wafer -send-wafer } +/ - { -no-cookies-keep -no-cookies-read -no-cookies-set } - .google.com + { -session-cookies-only } + .google.com { -fast-redirects } - .google.com + .google.com - +--- File user --- +(no matches in this file) + - This is much more informative, and tells us how we have defined our - actions, and which ones match for our example, - google.com. The first grouping shows our default - settings, which would apply to all URLs. If you look at your actions - file, this would be the section just below the aliases section - near the top. This applies to all URLs as signified by the single forward - slash -- /. - + This tells us how we have defined our + actions, and + which ones match for our example, google.com. The first listing + is any matches for the standard.action file. No hits at + all here on standard. Then next is default, or + our default.action file. The large, multi-line listing, + is how the actions are set to match for all URLs, i.e. our default settings. + If you look at your actions file, this would be the section + just below the aliases section near the top. This will apply to + all URLs as signified by the single forward slash at the end of the listing + -- /. - These are the default actions we have enabled. But we can define additional - actions that would be exceptions to these general rules, and then list - specific URLs that these exceptions would apply to. Last match wins. - Just below this then are two explict matches for .google.com. - The first is negating our various cookie blocking actions (i.e. we will allow - cookies here). The second is allowing fast-redirects. Note - that there is a leading dot here -- .google.com. This will - match any hosts and sub-domains, in the google.com domain also, such as - www.google.com. So, apparently, we have these actions defined - somewhere in the lower part of our actions file, and - google.com is referenced in these sections. + But we can define additional actions that would be exceptions to these general + rules, and then list specific URLs (or patterns) that these exceptions would + apply to. Last match wins. Just below this then are two explicit matches for + .google.com. The first is negating our previous cookie setting, + which was for +session-cookies-only + (i.e. not persistent). So we will allow persistent cookies for google. The + second turns off any + +fast-redirects + action, allowing this to take place unmolested. Note that there is a leading + dot here -- .google.com. This will match any hosts and + sub-domains, in the google.com domain also, such as + www.google.com. So, apparently, we have these two actions + defined somewhere in the lower part of our default.action + file, and google.com is referenced somewhere in these latter + sections. + + + Then, for our user.action file, we again have no hits. - And now we pull it altogether in the bottom section and summarize how - Privoxy is appying all its actions + And finally we pull it all together in the bottom section and summarize how + Privoxy is applying all its actions to google.com: @@ -3820,16 +6081,20 @@ For any other issues, feel free to use the - { +block +image } + { +block +handle-as-image } .ad.doubleclick.net - { +block +image } + { +block +handle-as-image } ad*. - { +block +image } + { +block +handle-as-image } .doubleclick.net - - + We'll just show the interesting part here, the explicit matches. It is - matched three different times. Each as an +block +image, + matched three different times. Each as an +block +handle-as-image, which is the expanded form of one of our aliases that had been defined as: - +imageblock. (Aliases are defined in the - first section of the actions file and typically used to combine more + +imageblock. (Aliases are defined in + the first section of the actions file and typically used to combine more than one action.) @@ -3866,9 +6131,13 @@ For any other issues, feel free to use the +block + and an + +handle-as-image. + The custom alias +imageblock just simplifies the process and make + it more readable. @@ -3881,27 +6150,26 @@ For any other issues, feel free to use the + + + + + Now the page displays ;-) Be sure to flush your browser's caches when + making such changes. Or, try using Shift+Reload. + + + + But now what about a situation where we get no explicit matches like + we did with: + + + + + + { +block +handle-as-image } + /ads + + + + + That actually was very telling and pointed us quickly to where the problem + was. If you don't get this kind of match, then it means one of the default + rules in the first section is causing the problem. This would require some + guesswork, and maybe a little trial and error to isolate the offending rule. + One likely cause would be one of the {+filter} actions. Try + adding the URL for the site to one of aliases that turn off +filter: + + + + + + {shop} + .quietpc.com + .worldpay.com # for quietpc.com + .jungle.com + .scan.co.uk + .forbes.com + + + + + {shop} is an alias that expands to + { -filter -session-cookies-only }. + Or you could do your own exception to negate filtering: + + + + + + + {-filter} + .forbes.com + - Now the page displays ;-) + This would probably be most appropriately put in user.action, + for local site exceptions. + + + {fragile} is an alias that disables most actions. This can be + used as a last resort for problem sites. Remember to flush caches! If this + still does not work, you will have to go through the remaining actions one by + one to find which one(s) is causing the problem. @@ -3943,6 +6271,205 @@ For any other issues, feel free to use the