Privoxy 3.0.13 User Manual
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7. The Main Configuration File

Again, the main configuration file is named config on - Linux/Unix/BSD and OS/2, and config.txt on Windows. - Configuration lines consist of an initial keyword followed by a list of - values, all separated by whitespace (any number of spaces or tabs). For - example:

confdir /etc/privoxy

-

Assigns the value /etc/privoxy to the option - confdir and thus indicates that the configuration - directory is named "/etc/privoxy/".

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.

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).

7.1. Local Set-up Documentation

If you intend to operate Privoxy for more users - than just yourself, it might be a good idea to let them know how to reach - you, what you block and why you do that, your policies, etc. -

7.1.1. user-manual

Specifies:

Location of the Privoxy User Manual. -

Type of value:

A fully qualified URI

Default value:

Unset

Effect if unset:

http://www.privoxy.org/version/user-manual/ - will be used, where version is the Privoxy version. -

Notes:

The User Manual URI is the single best source of information on - Privoxy, and is used for help links from some - of the internal CGI pages. The manual itself is normally packaged with the - binary distributions, so you probably want to set this to a locally - installed copy. -

Examples: -

The best all purpose solution is simply to put the full local - PATH to where the User Manual is - located: -

user-manual /usr/share/doc/privoxy/user-manual
-

The User Manual is then available to anyone with access to - Privoxy, by following the built-in URL: - http://config.privoxy.org/user-manual/ - (or the shortcut: http://p.p/user-manual/). -

If the documentation is not on the local system, it can be accessed - from a remote server, as: -

user-manual http://example.com/privoxy/user-manual/
-

Warning

If set, this option should be the first option in the config - file, because it is used while the config file is being read - on start-up. -

7.1.2. 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:

Unset

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 below.) -

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! -

7.1.3. admin-address

Specifies:: An email address to reach the Privoxy 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. -

7.1.4. 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 ;-) -

7.2. Configuration and Log File Locations

Privoxy can (and normally does) use a number of - other files for additional configuration, help and logging. - This section of the configuration file tells Privoxy - where to find those other files.

The user running Privoxy, must have read - permission for all configuration files, and write permission to any files - that would be modified, such as log files and actions files.

7.2.1. confdir

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. -

7.2.2. templdir

Specifies:: An alternative directory where the templates are loaded from.
Type of value:: Path name
Default value:: unset
Effect if unset:: The templates are assumed to be located in confdir/template.
Notes:: Privoxy's original templates are usually - overwritten with each update. Use this option to relocate customized - templates that should be kept. As template variables might change - between updates, you shouldn't expect templates to work with - Privoxy releases other than the one - they were part of, though. -

7.2.3. logdir

Specifies:: The directory where all logging takes place - (i.e. where the logfile is 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. -

7.2.4. actionsfile

Specifies:

The actions file(s) to use -

Type of value:

Complete file name, relative to confdir

Default values:

match-all.action # Actions that are applied to all sites and maybe overruled later on.

default.action # Main actions file

user.action # User customizations

Effect if unset:

No actions are taken at all. More or less neutral proxying. -

Notes:

Multiple actionsfile lines are permitted, and are in fact recommended! -

- The default values are default.action, which is the - "main" actions file maintained by the developers, and - user.action, where you can make your personal additions. -

- Actions files contain all the per site and per URL configuration for - ad blocking, cookie management, privacy considerations, etc. - There is no point in using Privoxy without at - least one actions file. -

Note that since Privoxy 3.0.7, the complete filename, including the ".action" - extension has to be specified. The syntax change was necessary to be consistent - with the other file options and to allow previously forbidden characters. -

7.2.5. filterfile

Specifies:

The filter file(s) to use -

Type of value:

File name, relative to confdir

Default value:

default.filter (Unix) or default.filter.txt (Windows)

Effect if unset:

No textual content filtering takes place, i.e. all - +filter{name} - actions in the actions files are turned neutral. -

Notes:

Multiple filterfile lines are permitted. -

The filter files contain content modification - rules that use regular expressions. These rules permit - powerful changes on the content of Web pages, and optionally the headers - as well, e.g., you could try to disable your favorite JavaScript annoyances, - re-write the actual displayed text, or just have some fun - playing buzzword bingo with web pages. -

The - +filter{name} - actions rely on the relevant filter (name) - to be defined in a filter file! -

A pre-defined filter file called default.filter that contains - a number of useful filters for common problems is included in the distribution. - See the section on the filter - action for a list. -

It is recommended to place any locally adapted filters into a separate - file, such as user.filter. -

7.2.6. logfile

Specifies:

The log file to use -

Type of value:

File name, relative to logdir

Default value:

Unset (commented out). When activated: logfile (Unix) or privoxy.log (Windows).

Effect if unset:

No logfile is written. -

Notes:

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) and it can help you to monitor what your browser - is doing. -

Depending on the debug options below, the logfile may be a privacy risk - if third parties can get access to it. As most users will never look - at it, Privoxy 3.0.7 and later only log fatal - errors by default. -

For most troubleshooting purposes, you will have to change that, - please refer to the debugging section for details. -

Your logfile will grow indefinitely, and you will probably want to - periodically remove it. On Unix systems, you can do this with a cron job - (see "man cron"). For Red Hat based Linux distributions, a - logrotate script has been included. -

Any log files must be writable by whatever user Privoxy - is being run as (on Unix, default user id is "privoxy"). -

7.2.7. trustfile

Specifies:

The name of 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 entire trust mechanism is disabled. -

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 specified in the trustfile. Sites can be listed - in one of two ways: -

Prepending a ~ character limits access to this site - only (and any sub-paths within this site), e.g. - ~www.example.com allows access to - ~www.example.com/features/news.html, etc. -

Or, you can designate sites as trusted referrers, by - prepending the name with a + character. The effect is that - access to untrusted sites will be granted -- but only if a link from this - trusted referrer was used to get there. The link target will then be added - to the "trustfile" so that future, direct accesses will be - granted. Sites added via this mechanism do not become trusted referrers - themselves (i.e. they are added with a ~ designation). - There is a limit of 512 such entries, after which new entries will not be - made. -

If you use the + operator in the trust file, it may grow - considerably over time. -

It is recommended that Privoxy be compiled with - the --disable-force, --disable-toggle and - --disable-editor options, if this feature is to be - used. -

Possible applications include limiting Internet access for children. -

7.3. Debugging

These options are mainly useful when tracing a problem. - Note that you might also want to invoke - Privoxy with the --no-daemon - command line option when debugging. -

7.3.1. debug

Specifies:

Key values that determine what information gets logged. -

Type of value:

Integer values

Default value:

0 (i.e.: only fatal errors (that cause Privoxy to exit) are logged)

Effect if unset:

Default value is used (see above). -

Notes:

The available debug levels are: -

debug 1 # Log the destination for each request Privoxy let through. See also debug 1024. + + + + + The Main Configuration File + + + + + + + + + + +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + +
Privoxy 3.0.25 User Manual
Prev Next
+
+
+ +
+
7. The Main Configuration + File
+ +
By default, the main configuration file is named config, with the exception of Windows, where it is named + config.txt. Configuration lines consist of an + initial keyword followed by a list of values, all separated by whitespace + (any number of spaces or tabs). For example:
+ +
  confdir /etc/privoxy
+ +
Assigns the value /etc/privoxy to the option + confdir and thus indicates that the + configuration directory is named "/etc/privoxy/".
+ +
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.
+ +
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). Like + the filter and action files, the config file is a plain text file and can + be modified with a text editor like emacs, vim or notepad.exe.
+ +
+
7.1. Local + Set-up Documentation
+ +
If you intend to operate Privoxy + for more users than just yourself, it might be a good idea to let them + know how to reach you, what you block and why you do that, your + policies, etc.
+ +
+
7.1.1. + user-manual
+ +
+
+
Specifies:
+ +
+
Location of the Privoxy + User Manual.
+
+ +
Type of value:
+ +
+
A fully qualified URI
+
+ +
Default value:
+ +
+
Unset
+
+ +
Effect if unset:
+ +
+
http://www.privoxy.org/version/user-manual/ will be + used, where version is the + Privoxy version.
+
+ +
Notes:
+ +
+
The User Manual URI is the single best source of information + on Privoxy, and is used for + help links from some of the internal CGI pages. The manual + itself is normally packaged with the binary distributions, so + you probably want to set this to a locally installed copy.
+ +
Examples:
+ +
The best all purpose solution is simply to put the full + local PATH to where the User Manual is located:
+ + + + + +
+
+ user-manual /usr/share/doc/privoxy/user-manual +
+
+ +
The User Manual is then available to anyone with access to + Privoxy, by following the + built-in URL: http://config.privoxy.org/user-manual/ (or the + shortcut: http://p.p/user-manual/).
+ +
If the documentation is not on the local system, it can be + accessed from a remote server, as:
+ + + + + +
+
+ user-manual http://example.com/privoxy/user-manual/ +
+
+ +
+ + + + + + + + +
Warning
+
If set, this option should be the first option in the + config file, because it is used while the + config file is being read on start-up.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ +
+
7.1.2. + 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:
+ +
+
Unset
+
+ +
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 below.)
+ +
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!
+
+
+
+
+ +
+
7.1.3. + admin-address
+ +
+
+
Specifies:
+ +
+
An email address to reach the Privoxy 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.
+
+
+
+
+ +
+
7.1.4. + 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 ;-)
+
+
+
+
+
+ +
+
7.2. + Configuration and Log File Locations
+ +
Privoxy can (and normally does) use + a number of other files for additional configuration, help and logging. + This section of the configuration file tells Privoxy where to find those other files.
+ +
The user running Privoxy, must have + read permission for all configuration files, and write permission to + any files that would be modified, such as log files and actions + files.
+ +
+
7.2.1. + confdir
+ +
+
+
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.
+
+
+
+
+ +
+
7.2.2. + templdir
+ +
+
+
Specifies:
+ +
+
An alternative directory where the templates are loaded + from.
+
+ +
Type of value:
+ +
+
Path name
+
+ +
Default value:
+ +
+
unset
+
+ +
Effect if unset:
+ +
+
The templates are assumed to be located in + confdir/template.
+
+ +
Notes:
+ +
+
Privoxy's original + templates are usually overwritten with each update. Use this + option to relocate customized templates that should be kept. As + template variables might change between updates, you shouldn't + expect templates to work with Privoxy releases other than the one they + were part of, though.
+
+
+
+
+ +
+
7.2.3. temporary-directory
+ +
+
+
Specifies:
+ +
+
A directory where Privoxy can create temporary files.
+
+ +
Type of value:
+ +
+
Path name
+
+ +
Default value:
+ +
+
unset
+
+ +
Effect if unset:
+ +
+
No temporary files are created, external filters don't + work.
+
+ +
Notes:
+ +
+
To execute external + filters, Privoxy has + to create temporary files. This directive specifies the + directory the temporary files should be written to.
+ +
It should be a directory only Privoxy (and trusted users) can + access.
+
+
+
+
+ +
+
7.2.4. logdir
+ +
+
+
Specifies:
+ +
+
The directory where all logging takes place (i.e. where the + logfile is 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.
+
+
+
+
+ +
+
7.2.5. + actionsfile
+ +
+
+
Specifies:
+ +
+
The actions file(s) to + use
+
+ +
Type of value:
+ +
+
Complete file name, relative to confdir
+
+ +
Default values:
+ +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
+
+   match-all.action # Actions that are applied to all sites and maybe overruled later on.
+
+
+   default.action   # Main actions file
+
+
+   user.action      # User customizations
+
+
+ +
Effect if unset:
+ +
+
No actions are taken at all. More or less neutral + proxying.
+
+ +
Notes:
+ +
+
Multiple actionsfile lines are + permitted, and are in fact recommended!
+ +
The default values are default.action, which is the "main" actions file maintained by the + developers, and user.action, where + you can make your personal additions.
+ +
Actions files contain all the per site and per URL + configuration for ad blocking, cookie management, privacy + considerations, etc.
+
+
+
+
+ +
+
7.2.6. + filterfile
+ +
+
+
Specifies:
+ +
+
The filter file(s) to use
+
+ +
Type of value:
+ +
+
File name, relative to confdir
+
+ +
Default value:
+ +
+
default.filter (Unix) or default.filter.txt (Windows)
+
+ +
Effect if unset:
+ +
+
No textual content filtering takes place, i.e. all + +filter{name} actions in the actions + files are turned neutral.
+
+ +
Notes:
+ +
+
Multiple filterfile lines are + permitted.
+ +
The filter files contain + content modification rules that use regular expressions. These rules + permit powerful changes on the content of Web pages, and + optionally the headers as well, e.g., you could try to disable + your favorite JavaScript annoyances, re-write the actual + displayed text, or just have some fun playing buzzword bingo + with web pages.
+ +
The +filter{name} actions rely on the + relevant filter (name) to + be defined in a filter file!
+ +
A pre-defined filter file called default.filter that contains a number of useful + filters for common problems is included in the distribution. + See the section on the filter action for a + list.
+ +
It is recommended to place any locally adapted filters into + a separate file, such as user.filter.
+
+
+
+
+ +
+
7.2.7. + logfile
+ +
+
+
Specifies:
+ +
+
The log file to use
+
+ +
Type of value:
+ +
+
File name, relative to logdir
+
+ +
Default value:
+ +
+
Unset (commented + out). When activated: logfile (Unix) or privoxy.log + (Windows).
+
+ +
Effect if unset:
+ +
+
No logfile is written.
+
+ +
Notes:
+ +
+
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) and it can help you + to monitor what your browser is doing.
+ +
Depending on the debug options below, the logfile may be a + privacy risk if third parties can get access to it. As most + users will never look at it, Privoxy only logs fatal errors by + default.
+ +
For most troubleshooting purposes, you will have to change + that, please refer to the debugging section for details.
+ +
Any log files must be writable by whatever user Privoxy is being run as (on Unix, default + user id is "privoxy").
+ +
To prevent the logfile from growing indefinitely, it is + recommended to periodically rotate or shorten it. Many + operating systems support log rotation out of the box, some + require additional software to do it. For details, please refer + to the documentation for your operating system.
+
+
+
+
+ +
+
7.2.8. + trustfile
+ +
+
+
Specifies:
+ +
+
The name of 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 entire trust mechanism is disabled.
+
+ +
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 specified in the trustfile. Sites can be listed in one + of two ways:
+ +
Prepending a ~ character limits + access to this site only (and any sub-paths within this site), + e.g. ~www.example.com allows access to + ~www.example.com/features/news.html, + etc.
+ +
Or, you can designate sites as trusted referrers, by + prepending the name with a + + character. The effect is that access to untrusted sites will be + granted -- but only if a link from this trusted referrer was + used to get there. The link target will then be added to the + "trustfile" so that future, direct + accesses will be granted. Sites added via this mechanism do not + become trusted referrers themselves (i.e. they are added with a + ~ designation). There is a limit of + 512 such entries, after which new entries will not be made.
+ +
If you use the + operator in the + trust file, it may grow considerably over time.
+ +
It is recommended that Privoxy be compiled with the --disable-force, --disable-toggle and --disable-editor options, if this feature is to + be used.
+ +
Possible applications include limiting Internet access for + children.
+
+
+
+
+
+ +
+
7.3. + Debugging
+ +
These options are mainly useful when tracing a problem. Note that + you might also want to invoke Privoxy + with the --no-daemon command line option when + debugging.
+ +
+
7.3.1. debug
+ +
+
+
Specifies:
+ +
+
Key values that determine what information gets logged.
+
+ +
Type of value:
+ +
+
Integer values
+
+ +
Default value:
+ +
+
0 (i.e.: only fatal errors (that cause Privoxy to exit) are + logged)
+
+ +
Effect if unset:
+ +
+
Default value is used (see above).
+
+ +
Notes:
+ +
+
The available debug levels are:
+ + + +
+
+ debug 1 # Log the destination for each request Privoxy let through. See also debug 1024. debug 2 # show each connection status debug 4 # show I/O status debug 8 # show header parsing - debug 16 # log all data written to the network into the logfile + debug 16 # log all data written to the network debug 32 # debug force feature debug 64 # debug regular expression filters debug 128 # debug redirects debug 256 # debug GIF de-animation debug 512 # Common Log Format - debug 1024 # Log the destination for requests Privoxy didn't let through, and the reason why. + debug 1024 # Log the destination for requests Privoxy didn't let through, and the reason why. debug 2048 # CGI user interface 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, 1024, 4096 and 8192 are 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). - -
Privoxy used to ship with the debug levels recommended above enabled by - default, but due to privacy concerns 3.0.7 and later are configured to - only log fatal errors. -
If you are used to the more verbose settings, simply enable the debug lines - below again. -
If you want to use pure CLF (Common Log Format), you should set "debug - 512" ONLY and not enable anything else. -
Privoxy has a hard-coded limit for the - length of log messages. If it's reached, messages are logged truncated - and marked with "... [too long, truncated]". -
Please don't file any support requests without trying to reproduce - the problem with increased debug level first. Once you read the log - messages, you may even be able to solve the problem on your own. -
7.3.2. single-threaded
Specifies:
Whether to run only one server thread. -
Type of value:
None
Default value:
Unset
Effect if unset:
Multi-threaded (or, where unavailable: forked) operation, i.e. the ability to - serve multiple requests simultaneously. -
Notes:
This option is only there for debugging purposes. - It will drastically reduce performance. -
7.3.3. hostname
Specifies:
The hostname shown on the CGI pages. -
Type of value:
Text
Default value:
Unset
Effect if unset:
The hostname provided by the operating system is used. -
Notes:
On some misconfigured systems resolving the hostname fails or - takes too much time and slows Privoxy down. Setting a fixed hostname - works around the problem. -
In other circumstances it might be desirable to show a hostname - other than the one returned by the operating system. For example - if the system has several different hostnames and you don't want - to use the first one. -
Note that Privoxy does not validate the specified hostname value. -
7.4. Access Control and Security
This section of the config file controls the security-relevant aspects - of Privoxy's configuration. -
7.4.1. listen-address
Specifies:
The IP address and TCP port on which Privoxy will - listen for client requests. -
Type of value:
[IP-Address]:Port
Default value:
127.0.0.1:8118
Effect if unset:
Bind to 127.0.0.1 (IPv4 localhost), port 8118. This is suitable and - recommended for home users who run Privoxy on - the same machine as their browser. -
Notes:
You will need to configure your browser(s) to this proxy address and port. -
If you already have another service running on port 8118, or if you want to - serve requests from other machines (e.g. on your local network) as well, you - will need to override the default. -
IPv6 addresses containing colons have to be quoted by brackets. -
If you leave out the IP address, Privoxy will - bind to all IPv4 interfaces (addresses) on your machine and may become reachable - from the Internet. In that case, consider using access control lists (ACL's, see below), and/or - a firewall. If the hostname is localhost, Privoxy - will explicitly try to bind to an IPv4 address. For other hostnames it depends - on the operating system which IP version will be used. -
If you open Privoxy to untrusted users, you will - also want to make sure that the following actions are disabled: enable-edit-actions and - enable-remote-toggle -
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
-
Suppose you are running Privoxy on an - IPv6-capable machine and you want it to listen on the IPv6 address - of the loopback device: -

listen-address [::1]:8118
-
7.4.2. toggle
Specifies:
Initial state of "toggle" status -
Type of value:
1 or 0
Default value:
1
Effect if unset:
Act as if toggled on -
Notes:
If set to 0, Privoxy will start in - "toggled off" mode, i.e. mostly behave like a normal, - content-neutral proxy with both ad blocking and content filtering - disabled. See enable-remote-toggle below. -
The windows version will only display the toggle icon in the system tray - if this option is present. -
7.4.3. enable-remote-toggle
Specifies:
Whether or not the web-based toggle - feature may be used -
Type of value:
0 or 1
Default value:
0
Effect if unset:
The web-based toggle feature is disabled. -
Notes:
When toggled off, Privoxy mostly acts like a normal, - content-neutral proxy, i.e. doesn't block ads or filter content. -
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 malicious client side code (e.g Java) is also - capable of using this option. -
As a lot of Privoxy users don't read - documentation, this feature is disabled by default. -
Note that you must have compiled Privoxy with - support for this feature, otherwise this option has no effect. -
7.4.4. enable-remote-http-toggle
Specifies:
Whether or not Privoxy recognizes special HTTP headers to change its behaviour. -
Type of value:
0 or 1
Default value:
0
Effect if unset:
Privoxy ignores special HTTP headers. -
Notes:
When toggled on, the client can change Privoxy's - behaviour by setting special HTTP headers. Currently the only supported - special header is "X-Filter: No", to disable filtering for - the ongoing request, even if it is enabled in one of the action files. -
This feature is disabled by default. If you are using - Privoxy in a environment with trusted clients, - you may enable this feature at your discretion. Note that malicious client - side code (e.g Java) is also capable of using this feature. -
This option will be removed in future releases as it has been obsoleted - by the more general header taggers. -
7.4.5. enable-edit-actions
Specifies:
Whether or not the web-based actions - file editor may be used -
Type of value:
0 or 1
Default value:
0
Effect if unset:
The web-based actions file editor is disabled. -
Notes:
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. -
This option is not recommended for environments - with untrusted users and as a lot of Privoxy - users don't read documentation, this feature is disabled by default. -
Note that malicious client side code (e.g Java) is also - capable of using the actions editor and you shouldn't enable - this options unless you understand the consequences and are - sure your browser is configured correctly. -
Note that you must have compiled Privoxy with - support for this feature, otherwise this option has no effect. -
7.4.6. enforce-blocks
Specifies:
Whether the user is allowed to ignore blocks and can "go there anyway". -
Type of value:
0 or 1 -
Default value:
0
Effect if unset:
Blocks are not enforced. -
Notes:
Privoxy is mainly used to block and filter - requests as a service to the user, for example to block ads and other - junk that clogs the pipes. Privoxy's configuration - isn't perfect and sometimes innocent pages are blocked. In this situation it - makes sense to allow the user to enforce the request and have - Privoxy ignore the block. -
In the default configuration Privoxy's - "Blocked" page contains a "go there anyway" - link to adds a special string (the force prefix) to the request URL. - If that link is used, Privoxy will - detect the force prefix, remove it again and let the request pass. -
Of course Privoxy can also be used to enforce - a network policy. In that case the user obviously should not be able to - bypass any blocks, and that's what the "enforce-blocks" - option is for. If it's enabled, Privoxy hides - the "go there anyway" link. If the user adds the force - prefix by hand, it will not be accepted and the circumvention attempt - is logged. -
Examples:
enforce-blocks 1 -
7.4.7. ACLs: permit-access and deny-access
Specifies:
Who can access what. -
Type of value:
src_addr[:port][/src_masklen] - [dst_addr[:port][/dst_masklen]] -
Where src_addr and - dst_addr are IPv4 addresses in dotted decimal notation or valid - DNS names, port is a port - number, 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. -
If your system implements - RFC 3493, then - src_addr and dst_addr can be IPv6 addresses delimeted by - brackets, port can be a number - or a service name, and - src_masklen and - dst_masklen can be a number - from 0 to 128. -
Default value:
Unset
If no port is specified, - any port will match. If no src_masklen or - src_masklen is given, the complete IP - address has to match (i.e. 32 bits for IPv4 and 128 bits for IPv6). -
Effect if unset:
Don't restrict access further than implied by listen-address -
Notes:
Access controls are included at the request of ISPs and systems - administrators, and are not usually needed by individual users. - For a typical home user, it will normally suffice to ensure that - Privoxy only listens on the localhost - (127.0.0.1) or internal (home) network address by means of the - listen-address - option. -
Please see the warnings in the FAQ that Privoxy - 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, Privoxy only talks - 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. -
Some systems allows IPv4 client to connect to IPv6 server socket. - Then the client's IPv4 address will be translated by system into - IPv6 address space with special prefix ::ffff:0:0/96 (so called IPv4 - mapped IPv6 address). Privoxy can handle it - and maps such ACL addresses automatically. -
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 - (most sites are). -
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 (or other domains hosted on the same system): -

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 the IP address behind - www.dirty-stuff.example.com: -

permit-access 192.168.45.64/26 - deny-access 192.168.45.73 www.dirty-stuff.example.com
-
Allow access from the IPv4 network 192.0.2.0/24 even if listening on - an IPv6 wild card address (not supported on all platforms): -

permit-access 192.0.2.0/24
-
This is equivalent to the following line even if listening on an - IPv4 address (not supported on all platforms): -

permit-access [::ffff:192.0.2.0]/120
-
7.4.8. buffer-limit
Specifies:
Maximum size of the buffer for content filtering. -
Type of value:
Size in Kbytes
Default value:
4096
Effect if unset:
Use a 4MB (4096 KB) limit. -
Notes:
For content filtering, i.e. the +filter and - +deanimate-gif actions, it is necessary that - Privoxy buffers the entire document body. - This can be potentially dangerous, since a server could just keep sending - data indefinitely and wait for your RAM to exhaust -- with nasty consequences. - Hence this option. -
When a document buffer size reaches the buffer-limit, it is - flushed to the client unfiltered and no further attempt to - filter the rest of the document is made. Remember that there may be multiple threads - running, which might require up to buffer-limit Kbytes - each, unless you have enabled "single-threaded" - above. -
7.5. Forwarding
This feature allows routing of HTTP requests through a chain of - multiple proxies.
Forwarding can be used to chain Privoxy with a caching proxy to speed - up browsing. Using a parent proxy may also be necessary if the machine - that Privoxy runs on has no direct Internet access.
Note that parent proxies can severely decrease your privacy level. - For example a parent proxy could add your IP address to the request - headers and if it's a caching proxy it may add the "Etag" - header to revalidation requests again, even though you configured Privoxy - to remove it. It may also ignore Privoxy's header time randomization and use the - original values which could be used by the server as cookie replacement - to track your steps between visits.
Also specified here are SOCKS proxies. Privoxy - supports the SOCKS 4 and SOCKS 4A protocols.
7.5.1. forward
Specifies:
To which parent HTTP proxy specific requests should be routed. -
Type of value:
target_pattern - http_parent[:port] -
where target_pattern is a URL pattern - that specifies to which requests (i.e. URLs) this forward rule shall apply. Use / to - denote "all URLs". - http_parent[:port] - is the DNS name or IP address of the parent HTTP proxy through which the requests should be forwarded, - optionally followed by its listening port (default: 8000). - Use a single dot (.) to denote "no forwarding". -
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. -
http_parent can be a - numerical IPv6 address (if - RFC 3493 is - implemented). To prevent clashes with the port delimiter, the whole IP - address has to be put into brackets. On the other hand a target_pattern containing an IPv6 address - has to be put into angle brackets (normal brackets are reserved for - regular expressions already). -
Multiple lines are OK, they are checked in sequence, and the last match wins. -
Examples:
Everything goes to an example parent proxy, except SSL on port 443 (which it doesn't handle): -

forward / parent-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.isp.example.net:8000 - forward .isp.example.net .
-
Parent proxy specified by an IPv6 address: -

foward / [2001:DB8::1]:8000
-
Suppose your parent proxy doesn't support IPv6: -

forward / parent-proxy.example.org:8000 - forward ipv6-server.example.org . - forward <[2-3][0-9a-f][0-9a-f][0-9a-f]:*> .
-
7.5.2. forward-socks4, forward-socks4a and forward-socks5
Specifies:
Through which SOCKS proxy (and optionally to which parent HTTP proxy) specific requests should be routed. -
Type of value:
target_pattern - socks_proxy[:port] - http_parent[:port] -
where target_pattern is a - URL pattern that specifies to which - requests (i.e. URLs) this forward rule shall apply. Use / to - denote "all URLs". 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 65535 -
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. -
With forward-socks5 the DNS resolution will happen on the remote server as well. -
socks_proxy and - http_parent can be a - numerical IPv6 address (if - RFC 3493 is - implemented). To prevent clashes with the port delimiter, the whole IP - address has to be put into brackets. On the other hand a target_pattern containing an IPv6 address - has to be put into angle brackets (normal brackets are reserved for - regular expressions already). -
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.isp.example.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 .
-
To chain Privoxy and Tor, both running on the same system, you would use - something like: -

forward-socks5 / 127.0.0.1:9050 .
-
The public Tor network can't be used to - reach your local network, if you need to access local servers you - therefore might want to make some exceptions: -

forward 192.168.*.*/ . - forward 10.*.*.*/ . - forward 127.*.*.*/ .
-
Unencrypted connections to systems in these address ranges will - be as (un)secure as the local network is, but the alternative is that you - can't reach the local network through Privoxy - at all. Of course this may actually be desired and there is no reason - to make these exceptions if you aren't sure you need them. -
If you also want to be able to reach servers in your local network by - using their names, you will need additional exceptions that look like - this: -

forward localhost/ .
-
7.5.3. Advanced Forwarding Examples
If you have links to multiple ISPs that provide various special content - only to their subscribers, you can configure multiple Privoxies - which have connections to the respective ISPs to act as forwarders to each other, so that - your users can see the internal content of all ISPs.
Assume that host-a has a PPP connection to isp-a.example.net. And host-b has a PPP connection to - isp-b.example.org. Both run Privoxy. Their forwarding - configuration can look like this:
host-a:

forward / . - forward .isp-b.example.net host-b:8118
host-b:

forward / . - forward .isp-a.example.org host-a:8118
Now, your users can set their browser's proxy to use either - host-a or host-b and be able to browse the internal content - of both isp-a and isp-b.
If you intend to chain Privoxy and - squid locally, then chaining as - browser -> squid -> privoxy is the recommended way.
Assuming that Privoxy and squid - run on the same box, your squid configuration could then look like this:
+ +
# Define Privoxy as parent proxy (without ICP) - cache_peer 127.0.0.1 parent 8118 7 no-query - - # Define ACL for protocol FTP - acl ftp proto FTP + debug 8192 # Non-fatal errors + debug 32768 # log all data read from the network + debug 65536 # Log the applying actions +
+
- # Do not forward FTP requests to Privoxy - always_direct allow ftp +
To select multiple debug levels, you can either add them or + use multiple debug lines.
- # 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.

You could just as well decide to only forward requests you suspect - of leading to Windows executables through a virus-scanning parent proxy, - say, on antivir.example.com, port 8010:

forward / . - forward /.*\.(exe|com|dll|zip)$ antivir.example.com:8010

7.5.4. forwarded-connect-retries

Specifies:

How often Privoxy retries if a forwarded connection request fails. -

Type of value:

Number of retries. -

Default value:

Effect if unset:

Connections forwarded through other proxies are treated like direct connections and no retry attempts are made. -

Notes:

forwarded-connect-retries is mainly interesting - for socks4a connections, where Privoxy can't detect why the connections failed. - The connection might have failed because of a DNS timeout in which case a retry makes sense, - but it might also have failed because the server doesn't exist or isn't reachable. In this - case the retry will just delay the appearance of Privoxy's error message. -

Note that in the context of this option, "forwarded connections" includes all connections - that Privoxy forwards through other proxies. This option is not limited to the HTTP CONNECT method. -

Only use this option, if you are getting lots of forwarding-related error messages - that go away when you try again manually. Start with a small value and check Privoxy's - logfile from time to time, to see how many retries are usually needed. -

Examples:

forwarded-connect-retries 1 -

7.6. Miscellaneous

7.6.1. accept-intercepted-requests

Specifies:

Whether intercepted requests should be treated as valid. -

Type of value:

0 or 1 -

Default value:

Effect if unset:

Only proxy requests are accepted, intercepted requests are treated as invalid. -

Notes:

If you don't trust your clients and want to force them - to use Privoxy, enable this - option and configure your packet filter to redirect outgoing - HTTP connections into Privoxy. -

Make sure that Privoxy's own requests - aren't redirected as well. Additionally take care that - Privoxy can't intentionally connect - to itself, otherwise you could run into redirection loops if - Privoxy's listening port is reachable - by the outside or an attacker has access to the pages you visit. -

Examples:

accept-intercepted-requests 1 -

7.6.2. allow-cgi-request-crunching

Specifies:

Whether requests to Privoxy's CGI pages can be blocked or redirected. -

Type of value:

0 or 1 -

Default value:

Effect if unset:

Privoxy ignores block and redirect actions for its CGI pages. -

Notes:

By default Privoxy ignores block or redirect actions - for its CGI pages. Intercepting these requests can be useful in multi-user - setups to implement fine-grained access control, but it can also render the complete - web interface useless and make debugging problems painful if done without care. -

Don't enable this option unless you're sure that you really need it. -

Examples:

allow-cgi-request-crunching 1 -

7.6.3. split-large-forms

Specifies:

Whether the CGI interface should stay compatible with broken HTTP clients. -

Type of value:

0 or 1 -

Default value:

Effect if unset:

The CGI form generate long GET URLs. -

Notes:

Privoxy's CGI forms can lead to - rather long URLs. This isn't a problem as far as the HTTP - standard is concerned, but it can confuse clients with arbitrary - URL length limitations. -

Enabling split-large-forms causes Privoxy - to divide big forms into smaller ones to keep the URL length down. - It makes editing a lot less convenient and you can no longer - submit all changes at once, but at least it works around this - browser bug. -

If you don't notice any editing problems, there is no reason - to enable this option, but if one of the submit buttons appears - to be broken, you should give it a try. -

Examples:

split-large-forms 1 -

7.6.4. keep-alive-timeout

Specifies:

Number of seconds after which an open connection will no longer be reused. -

Type of value:

Time in seconds. -

Default value:

None

Effect if unset:

Connections are not kept alive. -

Notes:

This option allows clients to keep the connection to Privoxy - alive. If the server supports it, Privoxy will keep - the connection to the server alive as well. Under certain - circumstances this may result in speed-ups. -

By default, Privoxy will close the connection to the server if - the client connection gets closed, or if the specified timeout - has been reached without a new request coming in. This behaviour - can be changed with the connection-sharing option. -

This option has no effect if Privoxy - has been compiled without keep-alive support. -

Examples:

keep-alive-timeout 300 -

7.6.5. connection-sharing

Specifies:

Whether or not outgoing connections that have been kept alive - should be shared between different incoming connections. -

Type of value:

0 or 1 -

Default value:

None

Effect if unset:

Connections are not shared. -

Notes:

This option has no effect if Privoxy - has been compiled without keep-alive support, or if it's disabled. -

Notes:

Note that reusing connections doesn't necessary cause speedups. - There are also a few privacy implications you should be aware of. -

If this option is effective, outgoing connections are shared between - clients (if there are more than one) and closing the client that initiated - the outgoing connection does no longer affect the connection between Privoxy - and the server unless the client's request hasn't been completed yet. -

If the outgoing connection is idle, it will not be closed until either - Privoxy's or the server's timeout is reached. - While it's open, the server knows that the system running Privoxy is still - there. -

If there are more than one client (maybe even belonging to multiple users), - they will be able to reuse each others connections. This is potentially - dangerous in case of authentication schemes like NTLM where only the - connection is authenticated, instead of requiring authentication for - each request. -

If there is only a single client, and if said client can keep connections - alive on its own, enabling this option has next to no effect. If the client - doesn't support connection keep-alive, enabling this option may make sense - as it allows Privoxy to keep outgoing connections alive even if the client - itself doesn't support it. -

This option should only be used by experienced users who - understand the risks and can weight them against the benefits. -

Examples:

connection-sharing 1 -

7.6.6. socket-timeout

Specifies:: Number of seconds after which a socket times out if - no data is received. -
Type of value:: Time in seconds. -
Default value:: None
Effect if unset:: A default value of 300 seconds is used. -
Notes:: For SOCKS requests the timeout currently doesn't start until - the SOCKS server accepted the request. This will be fixed in - the next release. -
Examples:: socket-timeout 300 -

7.6.7. max-client-connections

Specifies:

Maximum number of client connections that will be served. -

Type of value:

Positive number. -

Default value:

None

Effect if unset:

Connections are served until a resource limit is reached. -

Notes:

Privoxy creates one thread (or process) for every incoming client - connection that isn't rejected based on the access control settings. -

If the system is powerful enough, Privoxy can theoretically deal with - several hundred (or thousand) connections at the same time, but some - operating systems enforce resource limits by shutting down offending - processes and their default limits may be below the ones Privoxy would - require under heavy load. -

Configuring Privoxy to enforce a connection limit below the thread - or process limit used by the operating system makes sure this doesn't - happen. Simply increasing the operating system's limit would work too, - but if Privoxy isn't the only application running on the system, - you may actually want to limit the resources used by Privoxy. -

If Privoxy is only used by a single trusted user, limiting the - number of client connections is probably unnecessary. If there - are multiple possibly untrusted users you probably still want to - additionally use a packet filter to limit the maximal number of - incoming connections per client. Otherwise a malicious user could - intentionally create a high number of connections to prevent other - users from using Privoxy. -

Obviously using this option only makes sense if you choose a limit - below the one enforced by the operating system. -

Examples:

max-client-connections 256 -

7.7. Windows GUI Options

Privoxy has a number of options specific to the - Windows GUI interface:

If "activity-animation" is set to 1, the - Privoxy icon will animate when - "Privoxy" is active. To turn off, set to 0.

activity-animation 1 -

-

If "log-messages" is set to 1, - Privoxy will log messages to the console - window:

log-messages 1 -

-

- If "log-buffer-size" is set to 1, the size of the log buffer, - i.e. the amount of memory used for the log messages displayed in the - console window, will be limited to "log-max-lines" (see below).

Warning: Setting this to 0 will result in the buffer to grow infinitely and - eat up all your memory!

log-buffer-size 1 -

-

log-max-lines is the maximum number of lines held - in the log buffer. See above.

log-max-lines 200 -

-

If "log-highlight-messages" is set to 1, - Privoxy will highlight portions of the log - messages with a bold-faced font:

log-highlight-messages 1 -

-

The font used in the console window:

log-font-name Comic Sans MS -

-

Font size used in the console window:

log-font-size 8 -

-

- "show-on-task-bar" controls whether or not - Privoxy will appear as a button on the Task bar - when minimized:

show-on-task-bar 0 -

-

If "close-button-minimizes" is set to 1, the Windows close - button will minimize Privoxy instead of closing - the program (close with the exit option on the File menu).

close-button-minimizes 1 -

-

The "hide-console" option is specific to the MS-Win console - version of Privoxy. If this option is used, - Privoxy will disconnect from and hide the - command console.

#hide-console -

-

Prev	Home	Next
Privoxy Configuration		Actions Files

\ No newline at end of file +

A debug level of 1 is informative because it will show you + each request as it happens. 1, 1024, 4096 and 8192 are 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).

+ +

If you are used to the more verbose settings, simply enable + the debug lines below again.

+ +

If you want to use pure CLF (Common Log Format), you should + set "debug 512" ONLY and not enable + anything else.

+ +

Privoxy has a hard-coded + limit for the length of log messages. If it's reached, messages + are logged truncated and marked with "... + [too long, truncated]".

+ +

Please don't file any support requests without trying to + reproduce the problem with increased debug level first. Once + you read the log messages, you may even be able to solve the + problem on your own.

+ + +

7.4. + Access Control and Security

+ +

This section of the config file controls the security-relevant + aspects of Privoxy's + configuration.

+ +

7.4.1. + listen-address

+ +

Specifies:

The address and TCP port on which Privoxy will listen for client + requests.

Type of value:

[IP-Address]:Port

+ +

[Hostname]:Port

Default value:

127.0.0.1:8118

Effect if unset:

Bind to 127.0.0.1 (IPv4 localhost), port 8118. This is + suitable and recommended for home users who run Privoxy on the same machine as their + browser.

Notes:

You will need to configure your browser(s) to this proxy + address and port.

+ +

If you already have another service running on port 8118, or + if you want to serve requests from other machines (e.g. on your + local network) as well, you will need to override the + default.

+ +

You can use this statement multiple times to make + Privoxy listen on more ports + or more IP addresses. Suitable if + your operating system does not support sharing IPv6 and IPv4 + protocols on the same socket.

+ +

If a hostname is used instead of an IP address, Privoxy will try to resolve it to an IP + address and if there are multiple, use the first one + returned.

+ +

If the address for the hostname isn't already known on the + system (for example because it's in /etc/hostname), this may + result in DNS traffic.

+ +

If the specified address isn't available on the system, or + if the hostname can't be resolved, Privoxy will fail to start.

+ +

IPv6 addresses containing colons have to be quoted by + brackets. They can only be used if Privoxy has been compiled with IPv6 + support. If you aren't sure if your version supports it, have a + look at http://config.privoxy.org/show-status.

+ +

Some operating systems will prefer IPv6 to IPv4 addresses + even if the system has no IPv6 connectivity which is usually + not expected by the user. Some even rely on DNS to resolve + localhost which mean the "localhost" address used may not + actually be local.

+ +

It is therefore recommended to explicitly configure the + intended IP address instead of relying on the operating system, + unless there's a strong reason not to.

+ +

If you leave out the address, Privoxy will bind to all IPv4 interfaces + (addresses) on your machine and may become reachable from the + Internet and/or the local network. Be aware that some GNU/Linux + distributions modify that behaviour without updating the + documentation. Check for non-standard patches if your + Privoxy version behaves + differently.

+ +

If you configure Privoxy to + be reachable from the network, consider using access control lists (ACL's, see below), + and/or a firewall.

+ +

If you open Privoxy to + untrusted users, you will also want to make sure that the + following actions are disabled: enable-edit-actions + and enable-remote-toggle

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
+

+ +

Suppose you are running Privoxy on an IPv6-capable machine and you + want it to listen on the IPv6 address of the loopback + device:

+ + + + + +

+  listen-address [::1]:8118
+

+ +

7.4.2. toggle

+ +

Specifies:: +
Initial state of "toggle" status
+
Type of value:: +
1 or 0
+
Default value:: +
1
+
Effect if unset:: +
Act as if toggled on
+
Notes:: +
If set to 0, Privoxy will + start in "toggled off" mode, i.e. + mostly behave like a normal, content-neutral proxy with both ad + blocking and content filtering disabled. See enable-remote-toggle below.
+

+ +

7.4.3. enable-remote-toggle

+ +

Specifies:

Whether or not the web-based + toggle feature may be used

Type of value:

0 or 1

Default value:

Effect if unset:

The web-based toggle feature is disabled.

Notes:

When toggled off, Privoxy + mostly acts like a normal, content-neutral proxy, i.e. doesn't + block ads or filter content.

+ +

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 malicious client side code (e.g Java) is also + capable of using this option.

+ +

As a lot of Privoxy users + don't read documentation, this feature is disabled by + default.

+ +

Note that you must have compiled Privoxy with support for this feature, + otherwise this option has no effect.

+ +

7.4.4. enable-remote-http-toggle

+ +

Specifies:

Whether or not Privoxy recognizes special HTTP headers to + change its behaviour.

Type of value:

0 or 1

Default value:

Effect if unset:

Privoxy ignores special HTTP headers.

Notes:

When toggled on, the client can change Privoxy's behaviour by setting special + HTTP headers. Currently the only supported special header is + "X-Filter: No", to disable filtering + for the ongoing request, even if it is enabled in one of the + action files.

+ +

This feature is disabled by default. If you are using + Privoxy in a environment with + trusted clients, you may enable this feature at your + discretion. Note that malicious client side code (e.g Java) is + also capable of using this feature.

+ +

This option will be removed in future releases as it has + been obsoleted by the more general header taggers.

+ +

7.4.5. enable-edit-actions

+ +

Specifies:

Whether or not the web-based + actions file editor may be used

Type of value:

0 or 1

Default value:

Effect if unset:

The web-based actions file editor is disabled.

Notes:

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.

+ +

This option is not recommended for environments with + untrusted users and as a lot of Privoxy users don't read documentation, + this feature is disabled by default.

+ +

Note that malicious client side code (e.g Java) is also + capable of using the actions editor and you shouldn't enable + this options unless you understand the consequences and are + sure your browser is configured correctly.

+ +

Note that you must have compiled Privoxy with support for this feature, + otherwise this option has no effect.

+ +

7.4.6. + enforce-blocks

+ +

Specifies:

Whether the user is allowed to ignore blocks and can + "go there anyway".

Type of value:

0 or 1

Default value:

Effect if unset:

Blocks are not enforced.

Notes:

Privoxy is mainly used to + block and filter requests as a service to the user, for example + to block ads and other junk that clogs the pipes. Privoxy's configuration isn't perfect and + sometimes innocent pages are blocked. In this situation it + makes sense to allow the user to enforce the request and have + Privoxy ignore the block.

+ +

In the default configuration Privoxy's "Blocked" page contains a "go there anyway" link to adds a special string + (the force prefix) to the request URL. If that link is used, + Privoxy will detect the force + prefix, remove it again and let the request pass.

+ +

Of course Privoxy can also + be used to enforce a network policy. In that case the user + obviously should not be able to bypass any blocks, and that's + what the "enforce-blocks" option is + for. If it's enabled, Privoxy + hides the "go there anyway" link. If + the user adds the force prefix by hand, it will not be accepted + and the circumvention attempt is logged.

Examples:

enforce-blocks 1

+ +

7.4.7. ACLs: permit-access + and deny-access

+ +

Specifies:

Who can access what.

Type of value:

src_addr[:port][/src_masklen] [dst_addr[:port][/dst_masklen]]

+ +

Where src_addr and + dst_addr are IPv4 addresses + in dotted decimal notation or valid DNS names, port is a port number, 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.

+ +

If your system implements RFC + 3493, then src_addr and + dst_addr can be IPv6 + addresses delimeted by brackets, port can be a number or a service + name, and src_masklen and + dst_masklen can be a number + from 0 to 128.

Default value:

Unset

+ +

If no port is specified, + any port will match. If no src_masklen or src_masklen is given, the complete IP + address has to match (i.e. 32 bits for IPv4 and 128 bits for + IPv6).

Effect if unset:

Don't restrict access further than implied by listen-address

Notes:

Access controls are included at the request of ISPs and + systems administrators, and are not usually needed by individual + users. For a typical home user, it will normally + suffice to ensure that Privoxy + only listens on the localhost (127.0.0.1) or internal (home) + network address by means of the listen-address option.

+ +

Please see the warnings in the FAQ that Privoxy 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, + Privoxy only talks 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.

+ +

Some systems allow IPv4 clients to connect to IPv6 server + sockets. Then the client's IPv4 address will be translated by + the system into IPv6 address space with special prefix + ::ffff:0:0/96 (so called IPv4 mapped IPv6 address). + Privoxy can handle it and maps + such ACL addresses automatically.

+ +

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 (most sites are).

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 (or other domains hosted + on the same system):

+ + + + + +

+  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 the IP address behind + www.dirty-stuff.example.com:

+ + + + + +

+  permit-access  192.168.45.64/26
+  deny-access    192.168.45.73    www.dirty-stuff.example.com
+

+ +

Allow access from the IPv4 network 192.0.2.0/24 even if + listening on an IPv6 wild card address (not supported on all + platforms):

+ + + + + +

+  permit-access  192.0.2.0/24
+

+ +

This is equivalent to the following line even if listening + on an IPv4 address (not supported on all platforms):

+ + + + + +

+  permit-access  [::ffff:192.0.2.0]/120
+

+ +

7.4.8. + buffer-limit

+ +

Specifies:

Maximum size of the buffer for content filtering.

Type of value:

Size in Kbytes

Default value:

4096

Effect if unset:

Use a 4MB (4096 KB) limit.

Notes:

For content filtering, i.e. the +filter and +deanimate-gif actions, it is necessary that + Privoxy buffers the entire + document body. This can be potentially dangerous, since a + server could just keep sending data indefinitely and wait for + your RAM to exhaust -- with nasty consequences. Hence this + option.

+ +

When a document buffer size reaches the buffer-limit, it is flushed to the client + unfiltered and no further attempt to filter the rest of the + document is made. Remember that there may be multiple threads + running, which might require up to buffer-limit Kbytes each, unless you have + enabled "single-threaded" above.

+ +

7.4.9. + enable-proxy-authentication-forwarding

+ +

Specifies:

Whether or not proxy authentication through Privoxy should work.

Type of value:

0 or 1

Default value:

Effect if unset:

Proxy authentication headers are removed.

Notes:

Privoxy itself does not support proxy authentication, but + can allow clients to authenticate against Privoxy's parent + proxy.

+ +

By default Privoxy (3.0.21 and later) don't do that and + remove Proxy-Authorization headers in requests and + Proxy-Authenticate headers in responses to make it harder for + malicious sites to trick inexperienced users into providing + login information.

+ +

If this option is enabled the headers are forwarded.

+ +

Enabling this option is not recommended if there is no parent + proxy that requires authentication or if the local network + between Privoxy and the parent proxy isn't trustworthy. If + proxy authentication is only required for some requests, it is + recommended to use a client header filter to remove the + authentication headers for requests where they aren't + needed.

7.6. Miscellaneous

+ +

7.6.1. + accept-intercepted-requests

+ +

Specifies:

Whether intercepted requests should be treated as valid.

Type of value:

0 or 1

Default value:

Effect if unset:

Only proxy requests are accepted, intercepted requests are + treated as invalid.

Notes:

If you don't trust your clients and want to force them to + use Privoxy, enable this + option and configure your packet filter to redirect outgoing + HTTP connections into Privoxy.

+ +

Note that intercepting encrypted connections (HTTPS) isn't + supported.

+ +

Make sure that Privoxy's + own requests aren't redirected as well. Additionally take care + that Privoxy can't + intentionally connect to itself, otherwise you could run into + redirection loops if Privoxy's + listening port is reachable by the outside or an attacker has + access to the pages you visit.

Examples:

accept-intercepted-requests 1

+ +

7.6.2. + allow-cgi-request-crunching

+ +

Specifies:

Whether requests to Privoxy's CGI pages can be blocked or + redirected.

Type of value:

0 or 1

Default value:

Effect if unset:

Privoxy ignores block and + redirect actions for its CGI pages.

Notes:

By default Privoxy ignores + block or redirect actions for its CGI pages. Intercepting these + requests can be useful in multi-user setups to implement + fine-grained access control, but it can also render the + complete web interface useless and make debugging problems + painful if done without care.

+ +

Don't enable this option unless you're sure that you really + need it.

Examples:

allow-cgi-request-crunching 1

+ +

7.6.3. split-large-forms

+ +

Specifies:

Whether the CGI interface should stay compatible with broken + HTTP clients.

Type of value:

0 or 1

Default value:

Effect if unset:

The CGI form generate long GET URLs.

Notes:

Privoxy's CGI forms can + lead to rather long URLs. This isn't a problem as far as the + HTTP standard is concerned, but it can confuse clients with + arbitrary URL length limitations.

+ +

Enabling split-large-forms causes Privoxy to divide big forms into smaller + ones to keep the URL length down. It makes editing a lot less + convenient and you can no longer submit all changes at once, + but at least it works around this browser bug.

+ +

If you don't notice any editing problems, there is no reason + to enable this option, but if one of the submit buttons appears + to be broken, you should give it a try.

Examples:

split-large-forms 1

+ +

7.6.4. keep-alive-timeout

+ +

Specifies:

Number of seconds after which an open connection will no + longer be reused.

Type of value:

Time in seconds.

Default value:

None

Effect if unset:

Connections are not kept alive.

Notes:

This option allows clients to keep the connection to + Privoxy alive. If the server + supports it, Privoxy will keep + the connection to the server alive as well. Under certain + circumstances this may result in speed-ups.

+ +

By default, Privoxy will + close the connection to the server if the client connection + gets closed, or if the specified timeout has been reached + without a new request coming in. This behaviour can be changed + with the connection-sharing option.

+ +

This option has no effect if Privoxy has been compiled without + keep-alive support.

+ +

Note that a timeout of five seconds as used in the default + configuration file significantly decreases the number of + connections that will be reused. The value is used because some + browsers limit the number of connections they open to a single + host and apply the same limit to proxies. This can result in a + single website "grabbing" all the + connections the browser allows, which means connections to + other websites can't be opened until the connections currently + in use time out.

+ +

Several users have reported this as a Privoxy bug, so the + default value has been reduced. Consider increasing it to 300 + seconds or even more if you think your browser can handle it. + If your browser appears to be hanging, it probably can't.

Examples:

keep-alive-timeout 300

+ +

7.6.5. tolerate-pipelining

+ +

Specifies:

Whether or not pipelined requests should be served.

Type of value:

0 or 1.

Default value:

None

Effect if unset:

If Privoxy receives more than one request at once, it + terminates the client connection after serving the first + one.

Notes:

Privoxy currently doesn't + pipeline outgoing requests, thus allowing pipelining on the + client connection is not guaranteed to improve the + performance.

+ +

By default Privoxy tries to + discourage clients from pipelining by discarding aggressively + pipelined requests, which forces the client to resend them + through a new connection.

+ +

This option lets Privoxy + tolerate pipelining. Whether or not that improves performance + mainly depends on the client configuration.

+ +

If you are seeing problems with pages not properly loading, + disabling this option could work around the problem.

Examples:

tolerate-pipelining 1

+ +

7.6.6. default-server-timeout

+ +

Specifies:

Assumed server-side keep-alive timeout if not specified by + the server.

Type of value:

Time in seconds.

Default value:

None

Effect if unset:

Connections for which the server didn't specify the + keep-alive timeout are not reused.

Notes:

Enabling this option significantly increases the number of + connections that are reused, provided the keep-alive-timeout + option is also enabled.

+ +

While it also increases the number of connections problems + when Privoxy tries to reuse a + connection that already has been closed on the server side, or + is closed while Privoxy is + trying to reuse it, this should only be a problem if it happens + for the first request sent by the client. If it happens for + requests on reused client connections, Privoxy will simply close the connection + and the client is supposed to retry the request without + bothering the user.

+ +

Enabling this option is therefore only recommended if the + connection-sharing option is disabled.

+ +

It is an error to specify a value larger than the keep-alive-timeout + value.

+ +

This option has no effect if Privoxy has been compiled without + keep-alive support.

Examples:

default-server-timeout 60

+ +

7.6.7. connection-sharing

+ +

Specifies:

Whether or not outgoing connections that have been kept + alive should be shared between different incoming + connections.

Type of value:

0 or 1

Default value:

None

Effect if unset:

Connections are not shared.

Notes:

This option has no effect if Privoxy has been compiled without + keep-alive support, or if it's disabled.

Notes:

Note that reusing connections doesn't necessary cause + speedups. There are also a few privacy implications you should + be aware of.

+ +

If this option is effective, outgoing connections are shared + between clients (if there are more than one) and closing the + browser that initiated the outgoing connection does no longer + affect the connection between Privoxy and the server unless the client's + request hasn't been completed yet.

+ +

If the outgoing connection is idle, it will not be closed + until either Privoxy's or the + server's timeout is reached. While it's open, the server knows + that the system running Privoxy is still there.

+ +

If there are more than one client (maybe even belonging to + multiple users), they will be able to reuse each others + connections. This is potentially dangerous in case of + authentication schemes like NTLM where only the connection is + authenticated, instead of requiring authentication for each + request.

+ +

If there is only a single client, and if said client can + keep connections alive on its own, enabling this option has + next to no effect. If the client doesn't support connection + keep-alive, enabling this option may make sense as it allows + Privoxy to keep outgoing + connections alive even if the client itself doesn't support + it.

+ +

You should also be aware that enabling this option increases + the likelihood of getting the "No server or forwarder data" + error message, especially if you are using a slow connection to + the Internet.

+ +

This option should only be used by experienced users who + understand the risks and can weight them against the + benefits.

Examples:

connection-sharing 1

+ +

7.6.8. + socket-timeout

+ +

Specifies:: +
Number of seconds after which a socket times out if no data + is received.
+
Type of value:: +
Time in seconds.
+
Default value:: +
None
+
Effect if unset:: +
A default value of 300 seconds is used.
+
Notes:: +
The default is quite high and you probably want to reduce + it. If you aren't using an occasionally slow proxy like Tor, + reducing it to a few seconds should be fine.
+
Examples:: +
socket-timeout 300
+

+ +

7.6.9. max-client-connections

+ +

Specifies:

Maximum number of client connections that will be + served.

Type of value:

Positive number.

Default value:

128

Effect if unset:

Connections are served until a resource limit is + reached.

Notes:

Privoxy creates one thread + (or process) for every incoming client connection that isn't + rejected based on the access control settings.

+ +

If the system is powerful enough, Privoxy can theoretically deal with + several hundred (or thousand) connections at the same time, but + some operating systems enforce resource limits by shutting down + offending processes and their default limits may be below the + ones Privoxy would require + under heavy load.

+ +

Configuring Privoxy to + enforce a connection limit below the thread or process limit + used by the operating system makes sure this doesn't happen. + Simply increasing the operating system's limit would work too, + but if Privoxy isn't the only + application running on the system, you may actually want to + limit the resources used by Privoxy.

+ +

If Privoxy is only used by + a single trusted user, limiting the number of client + connections is probably unnecessary. If there are multiple + possibly untrusted users you probably still want to + additionally use a packet filter to limit the maximal number of + incoming connections per client. Otherwise a malicious user + could intentionally create a high number of connections to + prevent other users from using Privoxy.

+ +

Obviously using this option only makes sense if you choose a + limit below the one enforced by the operating system.

+ +

One most POSIX-compliant systems Privoxy can't properly deal with more than + FD_SETSIZE file descriptors at the same time and has to reject + connections if the limit is reached. This will likely change in + a future version, but currently this limit can't be increased + without recompiling Privoxy + with a different FD_SETSIZE limit.

Examples:

max-client-connections 256

+ +

7.6.10. + handle-as-empty-doc-returns-ok

+ +

Specifies:: +
The status code Privoxy returns for pages blocked with + +handle-as-empty-document.
+
Type of value:: +
0 or 1
+
Default value:: +
0
+
Effect if unset:: +
Privoxy returns a status 403(forbidden) for all blocked + pages.
+
Effect if set:: +
Privoxy returns a status 200(OK) for pages blocked with + +handle-as-empty-document and a status 403(Forbidden) for all + other blocked pages.
+
Notes:: +
This directive was added as a work-around for Firefox bug + 492459: "Websites are no longer rendered if + SSL requests for JavaScripts are blocked by a proxy." + (https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=492459), + the bug has been fixed for quite some time, but this directive + is also useful to make it harder for websites to detect whether + or not resources are being blocked.
+

+ +

7.6.11. enable-compression

+ +

Specifies:

Whether or not buffered content is compressed before + delivery.

Type of value:

0 or 1

Default value:

Effect if unset:

Privoxy does not compress buffered content.

Effect if set:

Privoxy compresses buffered content before delivering it to + the client, provided the client supports it.

Notes:

This directive is only supported if Privoxy has been + compiled with FEATURE_COMPRESSION, which should not to be + confused with FEATURE_ZLIB.

+ +

Compressing buffered content is mainly useful if Privoxy and + the client are running on different systems. If they are + running on the same system, enabling compression is likely to + slow things down. If you didn't measure otherwise, you should + assume that it does and keep this option disabled.

+ +

Privoxy will not compress buffered content below a certain + length.

+ +

7.6.12. compression-level

+ +

Specifies:

The compression level that is passed to the zlib library + when compressing buffered content.

Type of value:

Positive number ranging from 0 to + 9.

Default value:

Notes:

Compressing the data more takes usually longer than + compressing it less or not compressing it at all. Which level + is best depends on the connection between Privoxy and the + client. If you can't be bothered to benchmark it for yourself, + you should stick with the default and keep compression + disabled.

+ +

If compression is disabled, the compression level is + irrelevant.

Examples:

+ + + + +

+    # Best speed (compared to the other levels)
+    compression-level 1
+    # Best compression
+    compression-level 9
+    # No compression. Only useful for testing as the added header
+    # slightly increases the amount of data that has to be sent.
+    # If your benchmark shows that using this compression level
+    # is superior to using no compression at all, the benchmark
+    # is likely to be flawed.
+    compression-level 0
+
+

+ +

7.6.13. client-header-order

+ +

Specifies:

The order in which client headers are sorted before + forwarding them.

Type of value:

Client header names delimited by + spaces or tabs

Default value:

None

Notes:

By default Privoxy leaves + the client headers in the order they were sent by the client. + Headers are modified in-place, new headers are added at the end + of the already existing headers.

+ +

The header order can be used to fingerprint client requests + independently of other headers like the User-Agent.

+ +

This directive allows to sort the headers differently to + better mimic a different User-Agent. Client headers will be + emitted in the order given, headers whose name isn't explicitly + specified are added at the end.

+ +

Note that sorting headers in an uncommon way will make + fingerprinting actually easier. Encrypted headers are not + affected by this directive.

+ +

7.6.14. client-specific-tag

+ +

Specifies:

The name of a tag that will always be set for clients that + requested it through the webinterface.

Type of value:

Tag name followed by a + description that will be shown in the webinterface

Default value:

None

Notes:

+ + + + + + + + +

Warning

This is an experimental feature. The syntax is + likely to change in future versions.

+ +

Client-specific tags allow Privoxy admins to create + different profiles and let the users chose which one they want + without impacting other users.

+ +

One use case is allowing users to circumvent certain blocks + without having to allow them to circumvent all blocks. This is + not possible with the enable-remote-toggle + feature because it would bluntly disable all blocks for all + users and also affect other actions like filters. It also is + set globally which renders it useless in most multi-user + setups.

+ +

After a client-specific tag has been defined with the + client-specific-tag directive, action sections can be activated + based on the tag by using a CLIENT-TAG pattern. The CLIENT-TAG pattern is + evaluated at the same priority as URL patterns, as a result the + last matching pattern wins. Tags that are created based on + client or server headers are evaluated later on and can + overrule CLIENT-TAG and URL patterns!

+ +

The tag is set for all requests that come from clients that + requested it to be set. Note that "clients" are differentiated + by IP address, if the IP address changes the tag has to be + requested again.

+ +

Clients can request tags to be set by using the CGI + interface http://config.privoxy.org/show-client-tags. + The specific tag description is only used on the web page and + should be phrased in away that the user understand the effect + of the tag.

Examples:

+ + + + +

+    # Define a couple of tags, the described effect requires action sections
+    # that are enabled based on CLIENT-TAG patterns.
+    client-specific-tag circumvent-blocks Overrule blocks but do not affect other actions
+    disable-content-filters Disable content-filters but do not affect other actions
+
+

+ +

7.6.15. client-tag-lifetime

+ +

Specifies:

How long a temporarily enabled tag remains enabled.

Type of value:

Time in seconds.

Default value:

Notes:

+ + + + + + + + +

Warning

This is an experimental feature. The syntax is + likely to change in future versions.

+ +

In case of some tags users may not want to enable them + permanently, but only for a short amount of time, for example + to circumvent a block that is the result of an overly-broad URL + pattern.

+ +

The CGI interface http://config.privoxy.org/show-client-tags therefore + provides a "enable this tag temporarily" option. If it is used, + the tag will be set until the client-tag-lifetime is over.

Examples:

+ + + + +

+      # Increase the time to life for temporarily enabled tags to 3 minutes
+      client-tag-lifetime 180
+
+