4. Quickstart to - Using Privoxy
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-
-
-
Install Privoxy. See the Installation Section below for platform - specific information.
-
-
- -
-
Advanced users and those who want to offer Privoxy service to more than just their local - machine should check the main config file, - especially the security-relevant options. These are - off by default.
-
-
- -
-
Start Privoxy, if the - installation program has not done this already (may vary according to - platform). See the section Starting - Privoxy.
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-
- -
-
Set your browser to use Privoxy - as HTTP and HTTPS (SSL) proxy - by setting the proxy configuration for address of 127.0.0.1 and port 8118. - DO NOT activate proxying - for FTP or any protocols besides HTTP and - HTTPS (SSL) unless you intend to prevent your browser from using - these protocols.
-
-
- -
-
Flush your browser's disk and memory caches, to remove any cached - ad images. If using Privoxy to - manage cookies, you should remove any currently stored cookies - too.
-
-
- -
-
A default installation should provide a reasonable starting point - for most. There will undoubtedly be occasions where you will want to - adjust the configuration, but that can be dealt with as the need - arises. Little to no initial configuration is required in most cases, - you may want to enable the web-based action editor though. Be sure to read the - warnings first.
- -See the Configuration section for - more configuration options, and how to customize your installation. - You might also want to look at the next section for a quick - introduction to how Privoxy blocks - ads and banners.
-
-
- -
-
If you experience ads that slip through, innocent images that are - blocked, or otherwise feel the need to fine-tune Privoxy's behavior, take a look at the actions files. As a quick start, you might - find the richly commented - examples helpful. You can also view and edit the actions files - through the web-based user interface. The Appendix "Troubleshooting: Anatomy - of an Action" has hints on how to understand and debug - actions that "misbehave".
-
-
- -
-
Please see the section Contacting the - Developers on how to report bugs, problems with websites or to - get help.
-
-
- -
-
Now enjoy surfing with enhanced control, comfort and privacy!
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-
4.1. Quickstart to Ad Blocking
- -Ad blocking is but one of Privoxy's - array of features. Many of these features are for the technically - minded advanced user. But, ad and banner blocking is surely common - ground for everybody.
- -This section will provide a quick summary of ad blocking so you can - get up to speed quickly without having to read the more extensive - information provided below, though this is highly recommended.
- -First a bit of a warning ... blocking ads is much like blocking - SPAM: the more aggressive you are about it, the more likely you are to - block things that were not intended. And the more likely that some - things may not work as intended. So there is a trade off here. If you - want extreme ad free browsing, be prepared to deal with more - "problem" sites, and to spend more time - adjusting the configuration to solve these unintended consequences. In - short, there is not an easy way to eliminate all ads. Either take the easy way and - settle for most ads blocked - with the default configuration, or jump in and tweak it for your - personal surfing habits and preferences.
- -Secondly, a brief explanation of Privoxy's "actions". - "Actions" in this context, are the - directives we use to tell Privoxy to - perform some task relating to HTTP transactions (i.e. web browsing). We - tell Privoxy to take some "action". Each action has a unique name and function. - While there are many potential actions - in Privoxy's arsenal, only a few are - used for ad blocking. Actions, - and action configuration files, are - explained in depth below.
- -Actions are specified in Privoxy's - configuration, followed by one or more URLs to which the action should - apply. URLs can actually be URL type patterns that use wildcards so they - can apply potentially to a range of similar URLs. The actions, together - with the URL patterns are called a section.
- -When you connect to a website, the full URL will either match one or - more of the sections as defined in Privoxy's configuration, or not. If so, then - Privoxy will perform the respective - actions. If not, then nothing special happens. Furthermore, web pages - may contain embedded, secondary URLs that your web browser will use to - load additional components of the page, as it parses the original - page's HTML content. An ad image for instance, is just an URL embedded - in the page somewhere. The image itself may be on the same server, or a - server somewhere else on the Internet. Complex web pages will have many - such embedded URLs. Privoxy can deal - with each URL individually, so, for instance, the main page text is not - touched, but images from such-and-such server are blocked.
- -The most important actions for basic ad blocking are: block, handle-as-image, - handle-as-empty-document,and - set-image-blocker:
- + ++ 4. Quickstart to Using Privoxy +
++
-
-
block - this is perhaps the - single most used action, and is particularly important for ad - blocking. This action stops any contact between your browser and - any URL patterns that match this action's configuration. It can be - used for blocking ads, but also anything that is determined to be - unwanted. By itself, it simply stops any communication with the - remote server and sends Privoxy's - own built-in BLOCKED page instead to let you now what has happened - (with some exceptions, see below).
++ Install Privoxy. See the Installation Section below for + platform specific information. +
-
-
-
handle-as-image - - tells Privoxy to treat this URL as - an image. Privoxy's default - configuration already does this for all common image types (e.g. - GIF), but there are many situations where this is not so easy to - determine. So we'll force it in these cases. This is particularly - important for ad blocking, since only if we know that it's an image - of some kind, can we replace it with an image of our choosing, - instead of the Privoxy BLOCKED - page (which would only result in a "broken - image" icon). There are some limitations to this though. For - instance, you can't just brute-force an image substitution for an - entire HTML page in most situations.
++ Advanced users and those who want to offer Privoxy service to more than just their + local machine should check the main config + file, especially the security-relevant options. These + are off by default. +
-
-
-
handle-as-empty-document - - sends an empty document instead of Privoxy's normal BLOCKED HTML page. This is - useful for file types that are neither HTML nor images, such as - blocking JavaScript files.
++ Start Privoxy, if the + installation program has not done this already (may vary + according to platform). See the section Starting Privoxy. +
-
-
-
set-image-blocker - - tells Privoxy what to display in - place of an ad image that has hit a block rule. For this to come - into play, the URL must match a block action somewhere in the - configuration, and, it - must also match an handle-as-image - action.
- -The configuration options on what to display instead of the ad - are:
- -- -
- -- - -pattern - a checkerboard - pattern, so that an ad replacement is obvious. This is the - default. -- -
- -- - -blank - A very small empty GIF - image is displayed. This is the so-called "invisible" configuration option. -- -
+- - -http://<URL> - A redirect - to any image anywhere of the user's choosing (advanced - usage). -+ Set your browser to use Privoxy + as HTTP and HTTPS (SSL) proxy by setting the proxy configuration for address + of 127.0.0.1 and port 8118. DO NOT activate proxying for FTP or any protocols besides HTTP and HTTPS (SSL) + unless you intend to prevent your browser from using these + protocols. +
-
Advanced users will eventually want to explore Privoxy filters as well. Filters are very - different from blocks. A "block" blocks a site, page, or unwanted contented. - Filters are a way of filtering or modifying what is actually on the - page. An example filter usage: a text replacement of "no-no" for "nasty-word". - That is a very simple example. This process can be used for ad - blocking, but it is more in the realm of advanced usage and has some - pitfalls to be wary off.
- -The quickest way to adjust any of these settings is with your - browser through the special Privoxy - editor at http://config.privoxy.org/show-status (shortcut: http://p.p/show-status). This is an - internal page, and does not require Internet access.
- -Note that as of Privoxy 3.0.7 beta - the action editor is disabled by default. Check the enable-edit-actions - section in the configuration file to learn why and in which cases - it's safe to enable again.
- -If you decided to enable the action editor, select the appropriate - "actions" file, and click "Edit". It is best to put - personal or local preferences in user.action - since this is not meant to be overwritten during upgrades, and will - over-ride the settings in other files. Here you can insert new - "actions", and URLs for ad blocking or other - purposes, and make other adjustments to the configuration. Privoxy will detect these changes - automatically.
- -A quick and simple step by step example:
- --
-
Right click on the ad image to be blocked, then select - "Copy Link - Location" from the pop-up menu.
++ Flush your browser's disk and memory caches, to remove any cached + ad images. If using Privoxy to + manage cookies, you should remove any currently stored + cookies too. +
-
-
-
Set your browser to http://config.privoxy.org/show-status
++ A default installation should provide a reasonable starting point + for most. There will undoubtedly be occasions where you will want + to adjust the configuration, but that can be dealt with as the + need arises. Little to no initial configuration is required in + most cases, you may want to enable the web-based action + editor though. Be sure to read the warnings first. +
++ See the Configuration section + for more configuration options, and how to customize your + installation. You might also want to look at the next section for a + quick introduction to how Privoxy blocks ads and banners. +
-
-
-
Find user.action in the top section, - and click on "Edit":
- - ++ If you experience ads that slip through, innocent images that are + blocked, or otherwise feel the need to fine-tune Privoxy's behavior, take a look at the actions files. As a quick start, you + might find the richly + commented examples helpful. You can also view and edit the + actions files through the web-based user interface. The Appendix "Troubleshooting: Anatomy of an + Action" has hints on how to understand and debug + actions that "misbehave". +
-
-
-
You should have a section with only block listed under "Actions:". If not, click a "Insert new section - below" button, and in the new section that just - appeared, click the Edit button - right under the word "Actions:". This - will bring up a list of all actions. Find block near the - top, and click in the "Enabled" column, - then "Submit" just below the list.
++ Please see the section Contacting the + Developers on how to report bugs, problems with websites or + to get help. +
-
-
-
Now, in the block actions section, click the - "Add" - button, and paste the URL the browser got from "Copy Link - Location". Remove the http:// at the beginning of the URL. Then, click - "Submit" - (or "OK" - if in a pop-up window).
-
-
- -
-
Now go back to the original page, and press SHIFT-Reload (or flush all browser caches). The image - should be gone now.
++ Now enjoy surfing with enhanced control, comfort and privacy! +
This is a very crude and simple example. There might be good reasons - to use a wildcard pattern match to include potentially similar images - from the same site. For a more extensive explanation of "patterns", and the entire actions concept, see the Actions section.
- -For advanced users who want to hand edit their config files, you - might want to now go to the Actions Files Tutorial. The ideas - explained therein also apply to the web-based editor.
- -There are also various filters that can be used for ad blocking - (filters are a special subset of actions). These fall into the - "advanced" usage category, and are explained - in depth in later sections.
++ 4.1. Quickstart to Ad Blocking +
++ Ad blocking is but one of Privoxy's array of features. Many of these + features are for the technically minded advanced user. But, ad and + banner blocking is surely common ground for everybody. +
++ This section will provide a quick summary of ad blocking so you can + get up to speed quickly without having to read the more extensive + information provided below, though this is highly recommended. +
++ First a bit of a warning ... blocking ads is much like blocking + SPAM: the more aggressive you are about it, the more likely you are + to block things that were not intended. And the more likely that + some things may not work as intended. So there is a trade off here. + If you want extreme ad free browsing, be prepared to deal with more + "problem" sites, and to spend more time + adjusting the configuration to solve these unintended consequences. + In short, there is not an easy way to eliminate all ads. Either take the + easy way and settle for most ads blocked with the default + configuration, or jump in and tweak it for your personal surfing + habits and preferences. +
++ Secondly, a brief explanation of Privoxy's "actions". "Actions" in + this context, are the directives we use to tell Privoxy to perform some task relating to HTTP + transactions (i.e. web browsing). We tell Privoxy to take some "action". Each action has a unique name and + function. While there are many potential actions in Privoxy's arsenal, only a few are used for ad + blocking. Actions, and action configuration files, are + explained in depth below. +
++ Actions are specified in Privoxy's + configuration, followed by one or more URLs to which the action + should apply. URLs can actually be URL type patterns that use wildcards so + they can apply potentially to a range of similar URLs. The actions, + together with the URL patterns are called a section. +
++ When you connect to a website, the full URL will either match one + or more of the sections as defined in Privoxy's configuration, or not. If so, then + Privoxy will perform the + respective actions. If not, then nothing special happens. + Furthermore, web pages may contain embedded, secondary URLs that + your web browser will use to load additional components of the + page, as it parses the original page's HTML content. An ad image + for instance, is just an URL embedded in the page somewhere. The + image itself may be on the same server, or a server somewhere else + on the Internet. Complex web pages will have many such embedded + URLs. Privoxy can deal with each + URL individually, so, for instance, the main page text is not + touched, but images from such-and-such server are blocked. +
++ The most important actions for basic ad blocking are: block, handle-as-image, handle-as-empty-document,and + set-image-blocker: +
++
+-
+
-
+
+ block - this is perhaps the + single most used action, and is particularly important for ad + blocking. This action stops any contact between your browser + and any URL patterns that match this action's configuration. It + can be used for blocking ads, but also anything that is + determined to be unwanted. By itself, it simply stops any + communication with the remote server and sends Privoxy's own built-in BLOCKED page + instead to let you now what has happened (with some exceptions, + see below). +
+
+ -
+
+ handle-as-image - + tells Privoxy to treat this + URL as an image. Privoxy's + default configuration already does this for all common image + types (e.g. GIF), but there are many situations where this is + not so easy to determine. So we'll force it in these cases. + This is particularly important for ad blocking, since only if + we know that it's an image of some kind, can we replace it with + an image of our choosing, instead of the Privoxy BLOCKED page (which would only + result in a "broken image" icon). + There are some limitations to this though. For instance, you + can't just brute-force an image substitution for an entire HTML + page in most situations. +
+
+ -
+
+ handle-as-empty-document + - sends an empty document instead of Privoxy's normal BLOCKED HTML page. This + is useful for file types that are neither HTML nor images, such + as blocking JavaScript files. +
+
+ -
+
+ set-image-blocker + - tells Privoxy what to + display in place of an ad image that has hit a block rule. For + this to come into play, the URL must match a block + action somewhere in the configuration, and, it must also + match an handle-as-image + action. +
++ The configuration options on what to display instead of the ad + are: +
++ +
++ + ++ pattern - a checkerboard pattern, + so that an ad replacement is obvious. This is the + default. + ++ +
++ + ++ blank - A very small empty GIF + image is displayed. This is the so-called "invisible" configuration option. + ++ +
++ + ++ http://<URL> - A redirect to + any image anywhere of the user's choosing (advanced + usage). + +
+
+ Advanced users will eventually want to explore Privoxy filters as well. Filters are + very different from blocks. A "block" blocks a site, page, or unwanted contented. + Filters are a way of filtering or modifying what is actually on the + page. An example filter usage: a text replacement of "no-no" for "nasty-word". + That is a very simple example. This process can be used for ad + blocking, but it is more in the realm of advanced usage and has + some pitfalls to be wary off. +
++ The quickest way to adjust any of these settings is with your + browser through the special Privoxy editor at http://config.privoxy.org/show-status (shortcut: http://p.p/show-status). This + is an internal page, and does not require Internet access. +
++ Note that as of Privoxy 3.0.7 beta + the action editor is disabled by default. Check the enable-edit-actions + section in the configuration file to learn why and in which + cases it's safe to enable again. +
++ If you decided to enable the action editor, select the appropriate + "actions" file, and click "Edit". It is best to + put personal or local preferences in user.action since this is not meant to be + overwritten during upgrades, and will over-ride the settings in + other files. Here you can insert new "actions", and URLs for ad blocking or other + purposes, and make other adjustments to the configuration. Privoxy will detect these changes + automatically. +
++ A quick and simple step by step example: +
++
+-
+
-
+
+ Right click on the ad image to be blocked, then select "Copy Link + Location" from the pop-up menu. +
+
+ -
+
+ Set your browser to http://config.privoxy.org/show-status +
+
+ -
+
+ Find user.action in the top section, + and click on "Edit": +
++
+ +
+ -
+
+ You should have a section with only block listed under + "Actions:". If not, click a "Insert new section + below" button, and in the new section that just + appeared, click the Edit button + right under the word "Actions:". + This will bring up a list of all actions. Find block near + the top, and click in the "Enabled" + column, then "Submit" just below the list. +
+
+ -
+
+ Now, in the block actions section, click + the "Add" button, and paste the URL the + browser got from "Copy Link Location". Remove the http:// at the beginning of the URL. Then, + click "Submit" (or "OK" if in a + pop-up window). +
+
+ -
+
+ Now go back to the original page, and press SHIFT-Reload (or flush all browser caches). The + image should be gone now. +
+
+
+ This is a very crude and simple example. There might be good + reasons to use a wildcard pattern match to include potentially + similar images from the same site. For a more extensive explanation + of "patterns", and the entire actions + concept, see the Actions section. +
++ For advanced users who want to hand edit their config files, you + might want to now go to the Actions Files Tutorial. The + ideas explained therein also apply to the web-based editor. +
++ There are also various filters that can be used for ad + blocking (filters are a special subset of actions). These fall into + the "advanced" usage category, and are + explained in depth in later sections. +
+