X-Git-Url: http://www.privoxy.org/gitweb/?p=privoxy.git;a=blobdiff_plain;f=doc%2Fsource%2Fuser-manual.sgml;h=32c0171040046d993a600babf16cdd25050f5a83;hp=faac158fa990170f6e21a51679fde759b785e343;hb=e1efc2ecd4db05418776e31a0169ba23574cb3d8;hpb=4a5121c3b907c377584ac09d4e5401c4107eaf5a diff --git a/doc/source/user-manual.sgml b/doc/source/user-manual.sgml index faac158f..32c01710 100644 --- a/doc/source/user-manual.sgml +++ b/doc/source/user-manual.sgml @@ -1,4 +1,22 @@ - + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +]> -
Privoxy User Manual -$Id: user-manual.sgml,v 1.52 2002/03/24 11:01:06 swa Exp $ +$Id: user-manual.sgml,v 1.81 2002/04/18 11:50:24 oes Exp $ @@ -39,20 +56,32 @@ Hal Burgiss + - 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. + + 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 + +]]> + -You can find the latest version of the user manual at http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/user-manual/. - + The user manual gives users information on how to install, configure and use + Privoxy. + + + + &p-intro; + + + + 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. + @@ -61,420 +90,537 @@ You can find the latest version of the user manual at + + + + -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. - +Introduction - 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 ;-) + This documentation is included with the current &p-status; version of + Privoxy, v.&p-version;soon ;-)]]>. + - Since this is a BETA version, not all new features are well tested. This + 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! - +]]> - + New Features 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: + features of ad and banner blocking and cookie management, + Privoxy provides new features: + - - - - - - - Integrated browser based configuration and control utility (http://i.j.b). Browser-based tracing of rule - and filter effects. - - - - - - Blocking of annoying pop-up browser windows. - - + + &newfeatures; + + - - - HTTP/1.1 compliant (most, but not all 1.1 features are supported). - - + - - - Support for Perl Compatible Regular Expressions in the configuration files, and - generally a more sophisticated and flexible configuration syntax over - previous versions. - - + - - - 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). - - - - - - - Multi-threaded (POSIX and native threads). - - - - - Auto-detection and re-reading of config file changes. - - + +Installation - - - User-customizable HTML templates (e.g. 404 error page). - - + + 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. + - - - Improved cookie management features (e.g. session based cookies). - - + + 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. + - - - 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. - - - + + &supported; + - - - In addition, the configuration is much more powerful and versatile over-all. - - + +Binary Packages - + + Note: If you have a previous Junkbuster or + Privoxy installation on your system, you + will either need to remove it, or that might be done by the setup + procedure. (See below for your platform). - + + In any case be sure to backup your old configuration + if it is valuable to you. In that case, also see the + note to upgraders. + - + + How to install the binary packages depends on your operating system: + - + +Redhat and SuSE RPMs + + RPMs can be installed with rpm -Uvh <name-of-rpm.rpm>, + and will use /etc/privoxy for configuration files. + - -Installation - 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. + Note that if you have a Junkbuster RPM installed + on your system, you need to remove it first, because the packages conflict. + -Source +Debian - For gzipped tar archives, unpack the source: + FIXME. + + + +Windows - - tar xzvf ijb_source_* [.tgz or .tar.gz] - cd ijb_source_2.9.11_beta - + Just double-click the installer, which will guide you through + the installation process. + + + +Solaris, NetBSD, FreeBSD, HP-UX - For retrieving the current CVS sources, you'll need the CVS - package installed first. To download CVS source: + 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 - - 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 - + First, make sure that no previous installations of + Junkbuster and / or + Privoxy are left on your + system. - This will create a directory named current/, which will - contain the source tree. + 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. - Then, in either case, to build from tarball/CVS source: + The directory you choose to install Privoxy + into will contain all of the configuration files. + + +Max OSX - - ./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) - + FIXME. + + +AmigaOS - For Redhat and SuSE Linux RPM packages, see below. + Unpack the .lha archive, then FIXME. + + + + +Building from Source + +&buildsource; + + + + + -Red Hat - - To build Redhat RPM packages, install source as above. Then: - +Quickstart to Using <application>Privoxy</application> + + + + +Note to Upgraders - - autoheader [suggested for CVS source] - autoconf [suggested for CVS source] - ./configure - make redhat-dist - + There are very significant changes from older versions of + Junkbuster to the current + Privoxy. Configuration is substantially + changed. Junkbuster 2.0.x and earlier + configuration files will not migrate. The functionality of the old + blockfile, cookiefile and + imagelist, are now combined into the + actions file (default.action + for most installations). - - This will create both binary and src RPMs in the usual places. Example: + A filter file (typically default.filter) + is new with Privoxy 2.9.x, and provides some + of the new sophistication (explained below). config is + much the same as before. - -    /usr/src/redhat/RPMS/i686/privoxy-2.9.11-1.i686.rpm + 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 file, 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. -    /usr/src/redhat/SRPMS/privoxy-2.9.11-1.src.rpm + A quick list of things to be aware of before upgrading: - To install, of course: + + + + + The default listening port is now 8118 due to a conflict with another + service (NAS). + + + + + Some installers may remove earlier versions completely. Save any + important configuration files! + + + + + 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. + + + + + The primary configuration file for cookie management, ad and banner + blocking, and many other aspects of Privoxy + configuration is default.action. It is strongly + recommended to become familiar with the new actions concept below, + before modifying this file. + + + + + + + Some installers may not automatically start + Privoxy after installation. + + + + + + + + +Starting <application>Privoxy</application> - - rpm -Uvv /usr/src/redhat/RPMS/i686/privoxy-2.9.11-1.i686.rpm - + 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 localhost for the proxy address, + and port 8118 (earlier versions used port 8000). This is the one required + configuration that must be done! + + + + 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. - This will place the Privoxy configuration - files in /etc/privoxy/, and log files in - /var/log/privoxy/. + 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. - - -SuSE - To build SuSE RPM packages, install source as above. Then: + Privoxy is typically started by specifying the + main configuration file to be used on the command line. Example Unix startup + command: - autoheader [suggested for CVS source] - autoconf [suggested for CVS source] - ./configure - make suse-dist + + # /usr/sbin/privoxy /etc/privoxy/config + - This will create both binary and src RPMs in the usual places. Example: + An init script is provided for SuSE and Redhat. -    /usr/src/packages/RPMS/i686/privoxy-2.9.11-1.i686.rpm + For for SuSE: rcprivoxy start + -    /usr/src/packages/SRPMS/privoxy-2.9.11-1.src.rpm + For RedHat: /etc/rc.d/init.d/privoxy start + - To install, of course: + 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. + - - rpm -Uvv /usr/src/packages/RPMS/i686/privoxy-2.9.11-1.i686.rpm - + The included default configuration files should give a reasonable starting + point. Most of the per site configuration is done in the + actions files. These are where various cookie actions are + defined, ad and banner blocking, and other aspects of + Privoxy configuration. There are several such + files included, with varying levels of aggressiveness. - This will place the Privoxy configuration - files in /etc/privoxy/, and log files in - /var/log/privoxy/. + You will probably want to keep an eye out for sites that require persistent + cookies, and add these to default.action as needed. By + default, most of these will be accepted only during the current browser + session (aka session cookies), until you add them to the + configuration. If you want the browser to handle this instead, you will need + to edit default.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. - - - - -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. + Another feature where you will probably want to define exceptions for trusted + sites is the popup-killing (through the +popup and + +filter{popups} actions), because your favorite shopping, + banking, or leisure site may need popups. - The directory you choose to install Privoxy - into will contain all of the configuration files. + Privoxy is HTTP/1.1 compliant, but not all of + the optional 1.1 features are as yet supported. In the unlikely event that + you experience inexplicable problems with browsers that use HTTP/1.1 per default + (like Mozilla or recent versions of I.E.), you might + try to force HTTP/1.0 compatibility. For Mozilla, look under Edit -> + Preferences -> Debug -> Networking. + Alternatively, set the +downgrade config option in + default.action which will downgrade your browser's HTTP + requests from HTTP/1.1 to HTTP/1.0 before processing them. - 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. + 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 default.action) + can be adjusted by pointing your browser to + http://config.privoxy.org/ + (shortcut: http://p.p/), + and then follow the link to edit the actions list. + (This is an internal page and does not require Internet access.) - 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. + 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 default.action file + editor mentioned above, Privoxy can also + be turned on and off (toggled) from this page. - - - - -Windows -Click-click. (I need help on this. Not a clue here. Also for -configuration section below. HB.) + + 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. - - -Other - Some quick notes on other Operating Systems. + 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. - 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. + 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 + chapter "Contacting the Developers, .." below. - - - - - - -<application>Privoxy</application> Configuration - - All Privoxy configuration is kept - 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. - - - - -Controlling <application>Privoxy</application> with Your Web Browser +Command Line Options - 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 may be invoked with the following + command-line options: + + + + + + + + --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. 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. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +<application>Privoxy</application> Configuration + + 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. + + + + + + + +Controlling <application>Privoxy</application> with Your Web Browser + + 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: + @@ -482,9 +628,10 @@ configuration section below. HB.) Please choose from the following options: + * Privoxy main page * Show information about the current configuration * Show the source code version numbers - * Show the client's request headers. + * Show the request headers. * Show which actions apply to a URL and why * Toggle Privoxy on or off * Edit the actions list @@ -499,16 +646,16 @@ Please choose from the following options: 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 filtering is disabled. There + is even a toggle Bookmarklet offered, so that you can toggle + Privoxy with one click from your browser. @@ -527,15 +674,15 @@ Please choose from the following options: 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): + default configuration files (this may change in time): @@ -551,44 +698,62 @@ Please choose from the following options: - The default.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 actions file) is used to define + which of a set of various actions relating to images, banners, + pop-ups, access restrictions, banners and cookies are to be applied where. + There is a web based editor for this file that can be accessed at http://config.privoxy.org/edit-actions/ + (Shortcut: http://p.p/edit-actions/). + (Other actions files are included as well with differing levels of filtering + and blocking, e.g. basic.action.) - The default.filter file can be used to re-write the raw + 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. + 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 file. + + 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. + + default.action and default.filter - 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 + 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. +]]> @@ -608,793 +773,1102 @@ Please choose from the following options: - blockfile blocklist.ini + confdir /etc/privoxy - - - - - - 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 - \. + + - 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 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. - - - 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 - - The default.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 default.filter. 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. - + + + Specifies: + + + The actions file to use + + + + + Type of value: + + File name, relative to confdir + + + + Default value: + + default.action (Unix) or default.action.txt (Windows) + + + + Effect if unset: + + + No action is taken at all. Simple neutral proxying. + + + + + Notes: + + + There is no point in using Privoxy without + an actions file. There are three different actions files included in the + distribution, with varying degrees of aggressiveness: + default.action, intermediate.action and + advanced.action. + + + + + - - - - - actionsfile default.action - - - - +filterfile - - 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. Default: whatever the developers are playing with - :-/ - + + + 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 file are turned off + + + + + 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. + + + + + - - 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. +logfile - + + + 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 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. + + + + + - - - - - filterfile default.filter - - - - +jarfile - - 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. - + + + 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. + + + + + - - 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. - +trustfile - - 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. - + + + 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. + + + + + - - Default: Log to the a file named logfile. - Comment out to disable logging. - + - - - - - logfile logfile - - - - + - - 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. - - - - - - #jarfile jarfile - - - - - - 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. - + - - - - - #trustfile trust - - - - - - - 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. - + +Local Set-up Documentation - - - - - trust-info-url http://www.your-site.com/why_we_block.html - trust-info-url http://www.your-site.com/what_we_allow.html - - - - + + If you intend to operate Privoxy for more users + that 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. + - +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 ;-) + + + + + + + -Other Configuration Options - - - This part of the configuration file contains options that control how - Privoxy operates. - - - - 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. - - - - - - - #admin-address fill@me.in.please - - - - - - - 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. - - - - - - - proxy-info-url http://www.your-site.com/proxy.html - - - - - - - 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). - +Debugging - - 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. - + + 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. + - - 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: - +debug - - - - - listen-address 192.168.0.1:8118 - - - - + + + Specifies: + + + Key values that determine what information gets logged. + + + + + 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. + + + + + - - If you want it to listen on all addresses (including the outside - connection): - +single-threaded - - - - - listen-address :8118 - - - - + + + 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. + + + + + - - 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). - + - - 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. - + - - - - - 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 - - - - + +Access Control and Security - - It is highly recommended that you enable ERROR - reporting (debug 8192), at least until v3.0 is released. - + + This section of the config file controls the security-relevant aspects + of Privoxy's configuration. + - - The reporting of FATAL errors (i.e. ones which crash - Privoxy) is always on and cannot be disabled. - +listen-address - - If you want to use CLF (Common Log Format), you should set debug - 512 ONLY, do not enable anything else. - + + + Specifies: + + + The IP address and TCP port on which Privoxy will + listen for client requests. + + + + + Type of value: + + [IP-Address]:Port + + + + Default value: + + localhost:8118 + + + + Effect if unset: + + + Bind to localhost (127.0.0.1), 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 + + + + + + - - Multiple debug directives, are OK - they're logical-OR'd - together. - +toggle - - - - - debug 15 # same as setting the first 4 listed above - - - - + + + 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. See enable-remote-toggle + below. This is not really useful anymore, since toggling is much easier + via the web + interface then via editing the conf file. + + + The windows version will only display the toggle icon in the system tray + if this option is present. + + + + + - - Default: - - - - - - debug 1 # URLs - debug 4096 # Info - debug 8192 # Errors - *we highly recommended enabling this* - - - - +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. + + + + + - - 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. - - - - toggle 1 means Privoxy runs - normally, toggle 0 means that - Privoxy becomes a non-anonymizing non-blocking - proxy. Default: 1 (on). - - - - - - - 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. - - - - 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. - - - - - - - buffer-limit 4069 - - - - - - - To enable the web-based default.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. - - - - - - - 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. - - - - 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. - - - - - - - enable-remote-toggle 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - -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. - - - - 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. - - - - Summary -- if using an ACL: - - - - - Client must have permission to receive service. - - - - - LAST match in ACL wins. - - - - - Default behavior is to deny service. - - - - - The syntax for an entry in the Access Control List is: - - - - - - - ACTION SRC_ADDR[/SRC_MASKLEN] [ DST_ADDR[/DST_MASKLEN] ] - - - - - - - Where the individual fields are: - - - - - - - ACTION = permit-access or deny-access - - SRC_ADDR = client hostname or dotted IP address - SRC_MASKLEN = number of bits in the subnet mask for the source - - DST_ADDR = server or forwarder hostname or dotted IP address - DST_MASKLEN = number of bits in the subnet mask for the target - - - - - - - - The field separator (FS) is whitespace (space or tab). - - - - 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). - - - - 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 - - - - - - - A silly example to illustrate permitting any host on the class-C subnet with - Privoxy to go anywhere: - - - - - - - permit-access www.privoxy.com/24 - - - - - - - Except deny one particular IP address from using it at all: - - - - - - - deny-access ident.privoxy.com - - - - - - - You can also specify an explicit network address and subnet mask. - Explicit addresses do not have to be resolved to be used. - - - - - - - permit-access 207.153.200.0/24 - - - - - - - A subnet mask of 0 matches anything, so the next line permits everyone. - - - - - - - permit-access 0.0.0.0/0 - - - - - - - Note, you cannot say: - - - - - - - permit-access .org - - - - - - - to allow all *.org domains. Every IP address listed must resolve fully. - - - - 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: - - - - - - - permit-access 0.0.0.0/0 0.0.0.0/0 # other clients can go anywhere - # with the following exceptions: - - deny-access 0.0.0.0/0 123.124.0.0/16 # block all external requests for - # sites on the ISP's network - - permit 0.0.0.0/0 www.my_isp.com # except for the ISP's main - # web site +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 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 + + + + + + - permit 123.124.0.0/16 0.0.0.0/0 # the ISP's clients can go - # anywhere - - - - +buffer-limit - - 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. - + + + 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. + + + + + @@ -1403,254 +1877,236 @@ Please choose from the following options: - + Forwarding - This feature allows chaining of HTTP requests via multiple proxies. + 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 - to a special purpose filtering proxy such as lpwa.com. Or to use - a caching proxy to speed up browsing. - - - - 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. + 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 - 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. - - - - The syntax of each line is: - - - - - - - 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] - - - - - - - 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: - - - - - - - forward .* . # implicit - - - - - - - In the following common configuration, everything goes to Lucent's LPWA, - except SSL on port 443 (which it doesn't handle): - - - - - - - forward .* lpwa.com:8000 - forward :443 . - - - - - - - - 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 - - - - - - - (NOTE: the syntax for specifying target_domain has changed since the - previous paragraph was written -- it will not work now. More information - is welcome.) - - - - In this fictitious example, everything goes via an ISP's caching proxy, - except requests to that ISP: + supports the SOCKS 4 and SOCKS 4A protocols. - - - - - forward .* caching.myisp.net:8000 - forward myisp.net . - - - - - - - For the @home network, we're told the forwarding configuration is this: - - - - - - - - forward .* proxy:8080 - - - - - - - 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. - - - - 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. - - - - - - - forward-socks4 .* lpwa.com:8000 firewall.my_company.com:1080 - forward my_company.com . - - - - - - - This is how you could set up a site that always uses SOCKS but no forwarders: - - - - - - - forward-socks4a .* . firewall.my_company.com:1080 - - - - - - - An advanced example for network administrators: - - - - 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. - - - - This is a bit tricky, but here's an example: - +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 actions 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 actions 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 - 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: + 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. - - - - forward .* . - forward isp-b.com host-b:8118 - - - + 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-b can run a Privoxy proxy with forwarding - like this: + host-a: - - - - forward .* . - forward isp-a.com host-a:8118 - - - + + forward .*. . + forward .isp-b.net host-b:8118 + - 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. + host-b: - 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. + + forward .*. . + forward .isp-a.net host-a:8118 + - - - - 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 - - - + 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. @@ -1660,35 +2116,33 @@ Please choose from the following options: - Your squid configuration could then look like this: + Assuming that Privoxy and squid + run on the same box, 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 + + # Define Privoxy as parent proxy (without ICP) + cache_peer 127.0.0.1 parent 8118 7 no-query - # Do not forward ACL FTP to privoxy - always_direct allow FTP + # Define ACL for protocol FTP + acl ftp proto FTP - # Do not forward ACL CONNECT (https) to privoxy - always_direct allow CONNECT + # Do not forward FTP requests to Privoxy + always_direct allow ftp - # Forward the rest to privoxy + # 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. + + @@ -1878,154 +2332,269 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01 The Actions File - The default.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 default.action should - be immediately visible to Privoxy without - the need to restart. + The actions file (default.action, formerly: + actionsfile or ijb.action) is used + to define what actions Privoxy takes for which + URLs, and thus determines how ad images, cookies and various other aspects + of HTTP content and transactions are handled on which sites (or even parts + thereof). - - 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. + + Anything you want can blocked, 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 available actions. + + +Finding the Right Mix - 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. + Note that some actions like cookie suppression or script disabling may + render some sites unusable, which rely on these techniques to work properly. + Finding the right mix of actions is not 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. - - 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. - + We have tried to provide you with reasonable rules to start from in the + distribution actions file. 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). - + -URL Domain and Path Syntax +How to Edit + + The easiest way to edit the actions file is with a browser by + using our browser-based editor, which is available at http://config.privoxy.org/edit-actions. + + - 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: + If you prefer plain text editing to GUIs, you can of course also directly edit the + default.action file. + + + +How Actions are Applied to URLs - www.example.com - is a domain only pattern and will match any request to - www.example.com. + The actions file is 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. - www.example.com/ - means exactly the same. + 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, 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. - www.example.com/index.html - matches only the single - document /index.html on www.example.com. + You can trace this process by visiting http://config.privoxy.org/show-url-info. - /index.html - matches the document /index.html, regardless of - the domain. + More detail on this is provided in the Appendix, + Anatomy of an Action. + + + +Patterns - index.html - matches nothing, since it would be - interpreted as a domain name and there is no top-level domain called - .html. + 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.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. And you can define character classes in square - brackets and they can be freely mixed: + any single character, you can define character classes in square + brackets and all of that can be freely mixed: - - ad*.example.com - matches adserver.example.com, - ads.example.com, etc but not sfads.example.com. - + + + 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. + + + + - - *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. - +The Path Pattern - 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. + Privoxy uses Perl compatible regular expressions + (through the PCRE library) for + matching the path. - 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: + 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. - /.*/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). + Note that the path pattern is automatically left-anchored at the /, + i.e. it matches as if it would start with a ^. - Please note that matching in the path is case + 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 + www.example.com/(?-i)PaTtErN.* will match only + documents whose path starts with PaTtErN in exactly this capitalization. + @@ -2110,8 +2679,10 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01 - Later defined actions always over-ride earlier ones. For multi-valued - actions, the actions are applied in the order they are specified. + Later defined actions always over-ride earlier ones. So exceptions + to any rules you make, should come in the latter part of the file. For + multi-valued actions, the actions are applied in the order they are + specified. @@ -2142,7 +2713,9 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01 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. + with a reason why it is being blocked, and an option to see it anyway. + The page displayed for this is the blocked template + file. @@ -2203,7 +2776,7 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01 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. + http://some.place/some_script?http://some.where-else. Sometimes, there are even multiple consecutive redirects encoded in the @@ -2215,9 +2788,9 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01 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. + types of 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 intermediate site(s). @@ -2235,7 +2808,9 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01 Apply the filters in the section_header section of the default.filter file to the site(s). default.filter sections are grouped according to like - functionality. + functionality. Filters can be used to + re-write any of the raw page content. This is a potentially a + very powerful feature! @@ -2266,12 +2841,17 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01 - no-poups: Kill all popups in JS and HTML + content-cookies: Kill cookies that come in the HTML or JS content + + + + + popups: Kill all popups in JS and HTML - frameset-borders: Give frames a border + frameset-borders: Give frames a border and make them resizable @@ -2281,7 +2861,7 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01 - no-refresh: Automatic refresh sucks on auto-dialup lines + refresh-tags: Kill automatic refresh tags (for dial-on-demand setups) @@ -2291,12 +2871,17 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01 - nimda: Remove (virus) Nimda code. + nimda: Remove Nimda (virus) code. + + + + + banners-by-size: Kill banners by size (very efficient!) - banners-by-size: Kill banners by size + shockwave-flash: Kill embedded Shockwave Flash objects @@ -2306,6 +2891,15 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01 + + + Note: 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. + + @@ -2346,7 +2940,7 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01 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. + constant, user defined string of your choice. @@ -2430,7 +3024,11 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01 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-blocker should be set to blank. Note you + cannot treat HTML pages as images in most cases. For instance, frames + require an HTML page to display. So a frame that is an ad, cannot be + treated as an image. Forcing an image in this + situation just will not work. @@ -2445,27 +3043,29 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01 Decides what to do with URLs that end up tagged with {+block - +image}, e.g an advertizement. There are five options. + +image}, e.g an advertisement. There are four 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{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 checkerboard type pattern: + + + - +image-blocker{logo} + +image-blocker{blank} +image-blocker{pattern} - +image-blocker{http://i.j.b/send-banner} + +image-blocker{http://p.p/send-banner} @@ -2518,7 +3118,7 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01 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. + though. Default is no-compression is turned on. @@ -2700,8 +3300,8 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01 Turn on page filtering according to rules in the defined sections - of refilterfile, and make one exception for - sourceforge: + of default.filter, and make one exception for + Sourceforge: @@ -2722,9 +3322,9 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01 - 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: + Now some URLs that we want blocked (normally generates + the blocked banner). Many of these use regular expressions + that will expand to match multiple URLs: @@ -2788,7 +3388,6 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01 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. - @@ -2808,7 +3407,7 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01 z, 0-9, +, and -. Alias names are not case sensitive, and must be defined before anything else in the - default.actionfile ! And there can only be one set of + default.actionfile! And there can only be one set of aliases defined. @@ -2820,7 +3419,7 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01 - # Useful customer aliases we can use later. These must come first! + # Useful custom 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 @@ -2871,6 +3470,13 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01 + + The shop and fragile aliases are often used for + problem sites that require most actions to be disabled + in order to function properly. + + + @@ -2887,12 +3493,18 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01 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. + + The included example file is divided into sections. Each section begins 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. - @@ -2939,253 +3551,62 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01 - - - - FILTER: fun - - s/microsoft(?!.com)/MicroSuck/ig - - # Buzzword Bingo: - # - s/industry-leading|cutting-edge|award-winning/<font color=red><b>BINGO!</b></font>/ig - - - - - - - Kill those pesky little web-bugs: - - - - - - - # webbugs: Squish WebBugs (1x1 invisible GIFs used for user tracking) - FILTER: webbugs - - s/<img\s+[^>]*?(width|height)\s*=\s*['"]?1\D[^>]*?(width|height)\s*=\s*['"]?1(\D[^>]*?)?>/<!-- Squished WebBug -->/sig - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -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 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 - default.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 default.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. - - - - If a particular site shows problems loading properly, try adding it - to the {fragile} section of - default.action. This will turn off most actions for - this site. - - - - 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 - default.action. - + + + + FILTER: fun - - 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 default.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.) + s/microsoft(?!.com)/MicroSuck/ig + + # Buzzword Bingo: + # + s/industry-leading|cutting-edge|award-winning/<font color=red><b>BINGO!</b></font>/ig + + + - 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 default.action file - editor mentioned above, Privoxy can also - be turned on and off from this page. + Kill those pesky little web-bugs: - 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). + + + + # webbugs: Squish WebBugs (1x1 invisible GIFs used for user tracking) + FILTER: webbugs + + s/<img\s+[^>]*?(width|height)\s*=\s*['"]?1\D[^>]*?(width|height)\s*=\s*['"]?1(\D[^>]*?)?>/<!-- Squished WebBug -->/sig + + + + + + + -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, 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 banner page with the bright red top + banner, is called just blocked. This + may be customized or replaced with something else if desired. - - @@ -3198,44 +3619,41 @@ 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. + + &contacting; + - + + +Submitting Ads and <quote>Action</quote> Problems + + Ads and banners that are not stopped by Privoxy + can be submitted to the developers by accessing a special page and filling + out the brief, required form. Conversely, you can also report pages, images, + etc. that Privoxy is blocking, but should not. + The form itself does require Internet access. - -For any other issues, feel free to use the mailing lists. + To do this, point your browser to Privoxy + at http://config.privoxy.org/ + (shortcut: http://p.p/), and then select + Actions file feedback system, + near the bottom of the page. Paste in the URL that is the cause of the + unwanted behavior, and follow the prompts. The developers will + try to incorporate a fix for the problem you reported into future versions. - Anyone interested in actively participating in development and related - discussions can join the appropriate mailing list - here. - Archives are available here too. + New default.actions files will occasionally be made + available based on your feedback. These + will be announced on the + ijbswa-announce + list. + @@ -3243,24 +3661,10 @@ For any other issues, feel free to use the 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. - - - - 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. - - +Copyright + + ©right; + @@ -3268,66 +3672,18 @@ For any other issues, feel free to use the 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 +3740,72 @@ 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 @@ -3602,13 +3958,13 @@ 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. @@ -3618,7 +3974,7 @@ For any other issues, feel free to use the http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/show-status + http://config.privoxy.org/show-status @@ -3629,7 +3985,7 @@ For any other issues, feel free to use the http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/show-version + http://config.privoxy.org/show-version @@ -3640,7 +3996,7 @@ For any other issues, feel free to use the http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/show-request + http://config.privoxy.org/show-request @@ -3651,18 +4007,19 @@ 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
@@ -3670,12 +4027,12 @@ 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
@@ -3686,7 +4043,7 @@ For any other issues, feel free to use the http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/edit-actions + http://config.privoxy.org/edit-actions @@ -3699,6 +4056,72 @@ For any other issues, feel free to use the +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. + + + + + + + + Enable Privoxy + + + + + + Disable Privoxy + + + + + + Toggle Privoxy (Toggles between enabled and disabled) + + + + + + View Privoxy Status + + + + + + Actions file feedback system + + + + + + + + + + Credit: The site which gave me the general idea for these bookmarklets is + www.bookmarklets.com. They + have more information about bookmarklets. + + + + + @@ -3708,15 +4131,15 @@ For any other issues, feel free to use the http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/show-url-info + 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. @@ -3724,15 +4147,15 @@ For any other issues, feel free to use the .google.com. + Just below this then are two explicit 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 @@ -3811,7 +4234,7 @@ For any other issues, feel free to use the Ooops, the /adsl/ is matching /ads! But we did not want this at all! Now we see why we get the blank page. We could - now add a new action below this that explictly does not + now add a new action below this that explicitly does not block (-block) pages with adsl. There are various ways to handle such exceptions. Example: @@ -3914,8 +4337,67 @@ For any other issues, feel free to use the