By: Privoxy Developers
-$Id: user-manual.sgml,v 1.100 2002/04/29 03:05:55 hal9 Exp $
+$Id: user-manual.sgml,v 1.102 2002/05/03 17:46:00 oes Exp $
The user manual gives users information on how to install, configure and use
Privoxy.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents
-
1. Introduction
1.1. Features
-3. Installation
+2. Installation
- 3.1. Red Hat and SuSE RPMs
- 3.2. Debian
- 3.3. Windows
- 3.4. Solaris, NetBSD, FreeBSD, HP-UX
- 3.5. OS/2
- 3.6. Max OSX
- 3.7. AmigaOS
+ 2.1. Binary Packages
+
+ 2.1.1. Red Hat and SuSE RPMs
+ 2.1.2. Debian
+ 2.1.3. Windows
+ 2.1.4. Solaris, NetBSD, FreeBSD, HP-UX
+ 2.1.5. OS/2
+ 2.1.6. Max OSX
+ 2.1.7. AmigaOS
+
+ 2.2. Building from Source
-4. Note to Upgraders
-5. Quickstart to Using Privoxy
-6. Starting Privoxy
+3. Note to Upgraders
+4. Quickstart to Using Privoxy
+5. Starting Privoxy
- 6.1. RedHat and Debian
- 6.2. SuSE
- 6.3. Windows
- 6.4. Solaris, NetBSD, FreeBSD, HP-UX and others
- 6.5. OS/2
- 6.6. MAX OSX
- 6.7. AmigaOS
- 6.8. Command Line Options
+ 5.1. RedHat and Debian
+ 5.2. SuSE
+ 5.3. Windows
+ 5.4. Solaris, NetBSD, FreeBSD, HP-UX and others
+ 5.5. OS/2
+ 5.6. MAX OSX
+ 5.7. AmigaOS
+ 5.8. Command Line Options
-7. Privoxy Configuration
+6. Privoxy Configuration
- 7.1. Controlling Privoxy with Your Web Browser
- 7.2. Configuration Files Overview
+ 6.1. Controlling Privoxy with Your Web Browser
+ 6.2. Configuration Files Overview
-8. The Main Configuration File
+7. The Main Configuration File
- 8.1. Configuration and Log File Locations
+ 7.1. Configuration and Log File Locations
- 8.1.1. user-manual
- 8.1.2. confdir
- 8.1.3. logdir
- 8.1.4. actionsfile
- 8.1.5. filterfile
- 8.1.6. logfile
- 8.1.7. jarfile
- 8.1.8. trustfile
+ 7.1.1. confdir
+ 7.1.2. logdir
+ 7.1.3. actionsfile
+ 7.1.4. filterfile
+ 7.1.5. logfile
+ 7.1.6. jarfile
+ 7.1.7. trustfile
- 8.2. Local Set-up Documentation
+ 7.2. Local Set-up Documentation
- 8.2.1. trust-info-url
- 8.2.2. admin-address
- 8.2.3. proxy-info-url
+ 7.2.1. user-manual
+ 7.2.2. trust-info-url
+ 7.2.3. admin-address
+ 7.2.4. proxy-info-url
- 8.3. Debugging
+ 7.3. Debugging
- 8.3.1. debug
- 8.3.2. single-threaded
+ 7.3.1. debug
+ 7.3.2. single-threaded
- 8.4. Access Control and Security
+ 7.4. Access Control and Security
- 8.4.1. listen-address
- 8.4.2. toggle
- 8.4.3. enable-remote-toggle
- 8.4.4. enable-edit-actions
- 8.4.5. ACLs: permit-access and deny-access
- 8.4.6. buffer-limit
+ 7.4.1. listen-address
+ 7.4.2. toggle
+ 7.4.3. enable-remote-toggle
+ 7.4.4. enable-edit-actions
+ 7.4.5. ACLs: permit-access and deny-access
+ 7.4.6. buffer-limit
- 8.5. Forwarding
+ 7.5. Forwarding
- 8.5.1. forward
- 8.5.2. forward-socks4 and forward-socks4a
- 8.5.3. Advanced Forwarding Examples
+ 7.5.1. forward
+ 7.5.2. forward-socks4 and forward-socks4a
+ 7.5.3. Advanced Forwarding Examples
- 8.6. Windows GUI Options
+ 7.6. Windows GUI Options
-9. Actions Files
+8. Actions Files
- 9.1. Finding the Right Mix
- 9.2. How to Edit
- 9.3. How Actions are Applied to URLs
- 9.4. Patterns
+ 8.1. Finding the Right Mix
+ 8.2. How to Edit
+ 8.3. How Actions are Applied to URLs
+ 8.4. Patterns
- 9.4.1. The Domain Pattern
- 9.4.2. The Path Pattern
+ 8.4.1. The Domain Pattern
+ 8.4.2. The Path Pattern
- 9.5. Actions
+ 8.5. Actions
- 9.5.1. +add-header
- 9.5.2. +block
- 9.5.3. +deanimate-gifs
- 9.5.4. +downgrade-http-version
- 9.5.5. +fast-redirects
- 9.5.6. +filter
- 9.5.7. +hide-forwarded-for-headers
- 9.5.8. +hide-from-header
- 9.5.9. +hide-referer
- 9.5.10. +hide-user-agent
- 9.5.11. +handle-as-image
- 9.5.12. +set-image-blocker
- 9.5.13. +limit-connect
- 9.5.14. +prevent-compression
- 9.5.15. +session-cookies-only
- 9.5.16. +prevent-reading-cookies
- 9.5.17. +prevent-setting-cookies
- 9.5.18. +kill-popups
- 9.5.19. +send-vanilla-wafer
- 9.5.20. +send-wafer
- 9.5.21. Summary
- 9.5.22. Sample Actions Files
+ 8.5.1. +add-header
+ 8.5.2. +block
+ 8.5.3. +deanimate-gifs
+ 8.5.4. +downgrade-http-version
+ 8.5.5. +fast-redirects
+ 8.5.6. +filter
+ 8.5.7. +hide-forwarded-for-headers
+ 8.5.8. +hide-from-header
+ 8.5.9. +hide-referer
+ 8.5.10. +hide-user-agent
+ 8.5.11. +handle-as-image
+ 8.5.12. +set-image-blocker
+ 8.5.13. +limit-connect
+ 8.5.14. +prevent-compression
+ 8.5.15. +session-cookies-only
+ 8.5.16. +prevent-reading-cookies
+ 8.5.17. +prevent-setting-cookies
+ 8.5.18. +kill-popups
+ 8.5.19. +send-vanilla-wafer
+ 8.5.20. +send-wafer
+ 8.5.21. Summary
+ 8.5.22. Sample Actions Files
- 9.6. Aliases
+ 8.6. Aliases
-10. The Filter File
+9. The Filter File
- 10.1. The +filter Action
+ 9.1. The +filter Action
-11. Templates
-12. Contacting the Developers, Bug Reporting and Feature Requests
+10. Templates
+11. Contacting the Developers, Bug Reporting and Feature Requests
- 12.1. Get Support
- 12.2. Report bugs
- 12.3. Request new features
- 12.4. Report ads or other filter problems
- 12.5. Other
+ 11.1. Get Support
+ 11.2. Report bugs
+ 11.3. Request new features
+ 11.4. Report ads or other filter problems
+ 11.5. Other
-13. Copyright and History
+12. Copyright and History
- 13.1. Copyright
- 13.2. History
+ 12.1. Copyright
+ 12.2. History
-14. See Also
-15. Appendix
+13. See Also
+14. Appendix
- 15.1. Regular Expressions
- 15.2. Privoxy's Internal Pages
+ 14.1. Regular Expressions
+ 14.2. Privoxy's Internal Pages
- 15.2.1. Bookmarklets
+ 14.2.1. Bookmarklets
- 15.3. Chain of Events
- 15.4. Anatomy of an Action
+ 14.3. Chain of Events
+ 14.4. Anatomy of an Action
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
1. Introduction
This documentation is included with the current beta version of Privoxy,
blocking and cookie management, Privoxy provides new features, some of them
currently under development:
- * FIXME: complete the list of features. change the order: most important
- features to the top of the list. prefix new features with "NEW".
-
* Integrated browser based configuration and control utility at http://
config.privoxy.org/ (shortcut: http://p.p/). Browser-based tracing of rule
and filter effects. Remote toggling.
- * Blocking of annoying pop-up browser windows.
+ * Web page content filtering (removes banners based on size, invisible
+ "web-bugs", JavaScript and HTML annoyances, pop-up windows, etc.)
+
+ * Modularized configuration that allows for standard settings and user
+ settings to reside in separate files, so that installing updated actions
+ files won't overwrite idividual user settings.
* HTTP/1.1 compliant (but not all optional 1.1 features are supported).
and generally a more sophisticated and flexible configuration syntax over
previous versions.
- * GIF de-animation.
+ * Improved cookie management features (e.g. session based cookies).
- * Web page content filtering (removes banners based on size, invisible
- "web-bugs", JavaScript and HTML annoyances, pop-ups, etc.)
+ * GIF de-animation.
* Bypass many click-tracking scripts (avoids script redirection).
* Multi-threaded (POSIX and native threads).
- * Auto-detection and re-reading of config file changes.
-
- * User-customizable HTML templates (e.g. 404 error page).
+ * User-customizable HTML templates for all proxy-generated pages (e.g.
+ "blocked" page).
- * Improved cookie management features (e.g. session based cookies).
+ * Auto-detection and re-reading of config file changes.
* Improved signal handling, and a true daemon mode (Unix).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-3. Installation
+2. Installation
Privoxy is available both in convenient pre-compiled packages for a wide range
of operating systems, and as raw source code. For most users, we recommend
-using the packages, which can be downloaded from our Privoxy Project Page. For
-installing and compiling the source code, please look into our Developer
-Manual.
-
-If you like to live on the bleeding edge and are not afraid of using possibly
-unstable development versions, you can check out the up-to-the-minute version
-directly from the CVS repository or simply download the nightly CVS tarball.
-Again, we refer you to the Developer Manual.
-
-At present, Privoxy is known to run on Windows(95, 98, ME, 2000, XP), Linux
-(RedHat, Suse, Debian), Mac OSX, OS/2, AmigaOS, FreeBSD, NetBSD, BeOS, and many
-more flavors of Unix.
+using the packages, which can be downloaded from our Privoxy Project Page.
Note: If you have a previous Junkbuster or Privoxy installation on your system,
you will need to remove it. Some platforms do this for you as part of their
-installation procedure. (See below for your platform).
+installation procedure. (See below for your platform). In any case be sure to
+backup your old configuration if it is valuable to you. See the note to
+upgraders section below.
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+2.1. Binary Packages
-In any case be sure to backup your old configuration if it is valuable to you.
-See the note to upgraders section below.
+How to install the binary packages depends on your operating system:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-3.1. Red Hat and SuSE RPMs
+2.1.1. Red Hat and SuSE RPMs
RPMs can be installed with rpm -Uvh privoxy-2.9.14-1.rpm, and will use /etc/
privoxy for the location of configuration files.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-3.2. Debian
+2.1.2. Debian
FIXME.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-3.3. Windows
+2.1.3. Windows
Just double-click the installer, which will guide you through the installation
process. You will find the configuration files in the same directory as you
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-3.4. Solaris, NetBSD, FreeBSD, HP-UX
+2.1.4. Solaris, NetBSD, FreeBSD, HP-UX
Create a new directory, cd to it, then unzip and untar the archive. For the
most part, you'll have to figure out where things go. FIXME.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-3.5. OS/2
+2.1.5. OS/2
First, make sure that no previous installations of Junkbuster and / or Privoxy
are left on your system. You can do this by
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-3.6. Max OSX
+2.1.6. Max OSX
Unzip the downloaded package (you can either double-click on the file in the
finder, or on the desktop if you downloaded it there). Then, double-click on
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-3.7. AmigaOS
+2.1.7. AmigaOS
Copy and then unpack the lha archive to a suitable location. All necessary
files will be installed into Privoxy directory, including all configuration and
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-4. Note to Upgraders
+2.2. Building from Source
+
+The most convenient way to obtain the Privoxy sources is to download the source
+tarball from our project page.
+
+If you like to live on the bleeding edge and are not afraid of using possibly
+unstable development versions, you can check out the up-to-the-minute version
+directly from the CVS repository or simply download the nightly CVS tarball.
+
+To build Privoxy from source, autoconf, GNU make (gmake), and, of course, a C
+compiler like gcc are required.
+
+When building from a source tarball (either release version or nightly CVS
+tarball), first unpack the source:
+
+ tar xzvf privoxy-2.9.14-beta-src* [.tgz or .tar.gz]
+ cd privoxy-2.9.14-beta
+
+For retrieving the current CVS sources, you'll need CVS installed. Note that
+sources from CVS are development quality, and may not be stable, or well
+tested. To download CVS source:
+
+ cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa login
+ cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa co current
+ cd current
+
+This will create a directory named current/, which will contain the source
+tree.
+
+Then, in either case, to build from unpacked tarball or CVS source:
+
+ autoheader
+ autoconf
+ ./configure # (--help to see options)
+ make # (the make from gnu, gmake for *BSD)
+ su
+ make -n install # (to see where all the files will go)
+ make install # (to really install)
+
+If you have gnu make, you can have the first four steps automatically done for
+you by just typing:
+
+ make
+
+in the freshly downloaded or unpacked source directory.
+
+For more detailed instructions on how to build Redhat and SuSE RPMs, Windows
+self-extracting installers, building on platforms with special requirements
+etc, please consult the developer manual.
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+3. Note to Upgraders
-There are very significant changes from older versions of Junkbuster to the
-current Privoxy. Configuration is substantially changed. Junkbuster 2.0.x and
-earlier configuration files will not migrate. The functionality of the old
-blockfile, cookiefile and imagelist, are now combined into the "actions files".
-default.action, is the main actions file. Local exceptions should best be put
-into user.action.
+There are very significant changes from earlier Junkbuster versions to the
+current Privoxy. The number, names, syntax, and purposes of configuration files
+have substantially changed. Junkbuster 2.0.x configuration files will not
+migrate, Junkbuster 2.9.x and Privoxy configurations will need to be ported.
+The functionalities of the old blockfile, cookiefile and imagelist are now
+combined into the "actions files". default.action, is the main actions file.
+Local exceptions should best be put into user.action.
A "filter file" (typically default.filter) is new as of Privoxy 2.9.x, and
provides some of the new sophistication (explained below). config is much the
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-5. Quickstart to Using Privoxy
+4. Quickstart to Using Privoxy
- * Install Privoxy. See the section Installing.
+ * If upgrading, please back up any configuration files. See the Note to
+ Upgraders Section.
- * Start Privoxy. See the section Starting Privoxy.
+ * Install Privoxy. See the Installation Section for platform specific
+ information.
- * Change your browser's configuration to use the proxy localhost on port
- 8118. See the section Starting Privoxy.
+ * Start Privoxy, if the installation program has not done this already. See
+ the section Starting Privoxy.
- * Enjoy surfing with enhanced comfort and privacy. Please see the section
- Contacting the Developers on how to report bugs or problems with websites
- or to get help. You may want to change the file user.action to further
- tweak your new browsing experience.
+ * Set your browser to use Privoxy as HTTP and HTTPS proxy by setting the
+ proxy configuration for address of localhost and port 8118. (Junkbuster and
+ earlier versions of Privoxy used port 8000.) See the section Starting
+ Privoxy.
+
+ * Flush your browser's caches, to remove any cached ad images.
+
+ * Enjoy surfing with enhanced comfort and privacy. You may want to customize
+ the user.action file to personalize your new browsing experience. See the
+ Configuration section for more configuration options, and how to further
+ customize your installation.
+
+ * If you experience problems with sites that "misbehave", see the Anatomy of
+ an Action section in the Appendix.
+
+ * Please see the section Contacting the Developers on how to report bugs or
+ problems with websites or to get help.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-6. Starting Privoxy
+5. Starting Privoxy
Before launching Privoxy for the first time, you will want to configure your
browser(s) to use Privoxy as a HTTP and HTTPS proxy. The default is localhost
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-6.1. RedHat and Debian
+5.1. RedHat and Debian
We use a script. Note that RedHat does not start Privoxy upon booting per
default. It will use the file /etc/privoxy/config as its main configuration
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-6.2. SuSE
+5.2. SuSE
We use a script. It will use the file /etc/privoxy/config as its main
configuration file. Note that SuSE starts Privoxy upon booting your PC.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-6.3. Windows
+5.3. Windows
Click on the Privoxy Icon to start Privoxy. If no configuration file is
specified on the command line, Privoxy will look for a file named config.txt.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-6.4. Solaris, NetBSD, FreeBSD, HP-UX and others
+5.4. Solaris, NetBSD, FreeBSD, HP-UX and others
Example Unix startup command:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-6.5. OS/2
+5.5. OS/2
FIXME.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-6.6. MAX OSX
+5.6. MAX OSX
FIXME.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-6.7. AmigaOS
+5.7. AmigaOS
FIXME.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-6.8. Command Line Options
+5.8. Command Line Options
Privoxy may be invoked with the following command-line options:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7. Privoxy Configuration
+6. Privoxy Configuration
All Privoxy configuration is stored in text files. These files can be edited
with a text editor. Many important aspects of Privoxy can also be controlled
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.1. Controlling Privoxy with Your Web Browser
+6.1. Controlling Privoxy with Your Web Browser
Privoxy's user interface can be reached through the special URL http://
config.privoxy.org/ (shortcut: http://p.p/), which is a built-in page and works
This should be self-explanatory. Note the first item leads to an editor for the
-"actions list", which is where the ad, banner, cookie, and URL blocking magic
-is configured as well as other advanced features of Privoxy. This is an easy
-way to adjust various aspects of Privoxy configuration. The actions file, and
-other configuration files, are explained in detail below.
+actions files, which is where the ad, banner, cookie, and URL blocking magic is
+configured as well as other advanced features of Privoxy. This is an easy way
+to adjust various aspects of Privoxy configuration. The actions file, and other
+configuration files, are explained in detail below.
"Toggle Privoxy On or Off" is handy for sites that might have problems with
your current actions and filters. You can in fact use it as a test to see
whether it is Privoxy causing the problem or not. Privoxy continues to run as a
-proxy in this case, but all filtering is disabled. There is even a toggle
-Bookmarklet offered, so that you can toggle Privoxy with one click from your
-browser.
+proxy in this case, but all manipulation is disabled, i.e. Privoxy acts like a
+normal forwarding proxy. There is even a toggle Bookmarklet offered, so that
+you can toggle Privoxy with one click from your browser.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.2. Configuration Files Overview
+6.2. Configuration Files Overview
For Unix, *BSD and Linux, all configuration files are located in /etc/privoxy/
by default. For MS Windows, OS/2, and AmigaOS these are all in the same
* The main configuration file is named config on Linux, Unix, BSD, OS/2, and
AmigaOS and config.txt on Windows. This is a required file.
- * default.action (the main actions file) is used to define the default
- settings for various "actions" relating to images, banners, pop-ups, access
- restrictions, banners and cookies.
+ * default.action (the main actions file) is used to define which "actions"
+ relating to banner-blocking, images, pop-ups, content modification, cookie
+ handling etc should be applied by default. It also defines many exceptions
+ (both positive and negative) from this default set of actions that enable
+ Privoxy to selectively eliminate the junk, and only the junk, on as many
+ websites as possible.
Multiple actions files may be defined in config. These are processed in the
order they are defined. Local customizations and locally preferred
- exceptions to the default policies as defined in default.action are
- probably best applied in user.action, which should be preserved across
- upgrades. standard.action is also included. This is mostly for Privoxy's
- internal use.
+ exceptions to the default policies as defined in default.action (which you
+ will most propably want to define sooner or later) are probably best
+ applied in user.action, where you can preserve them across upgrades.
+ standard.action is for Privoxy's internal use.
There is also a web based editor that can be accessed from http://
- config.privoxy.org/show-status/ (Shortcut: http://p.p/show-status/) for the
+ config.privoxy.org/show-status (Shortcut: http://p.p/show-status) for the
various actions files.
* default.filter (the filter file) can be used to re-write the raw page
pre-defined here; whether to apply them or not is up to the actions files.
All files use the "#" character to denote a comment (the rest of the line will
-be ignored) angd understand line continuation through placing a backslash ("\")
+be ignored) and understand line continuation through placing a backslash ("\")
as the very last character in a line. If the # is preceded by a backslash, it
looses its special function. Placing a # in front of an otherwise valid
configuration line to prevent it from being interpreted is called "commenting
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8. The Main Configuration File
+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
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/".
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.1. Configuration and Log File Locations
+7.1. 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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.1.1. user-manual
-
-Specifies:
-
- Location of the Privoxy User Manual.
-
-Type of value:
-
- A fully qualified URI
-
-Default value:
-
- http://www.privoxy.org/user-manual/
-
-Effect if unset:
-
- The default will be used.
-
-Notes:
-
- The User Manual is used for help hints from some of the internal CGI pages.
- It is normally packaged with the binary distributions, and would make more
- sense to have this pointed at a locally installed copy.
-
- A more useful example (Unix):
-
- user-manual file:///usr/share/doc/privoxy-2.9.14/user-manual/
-
- +-----------------------------------------------------------------+
- | Warning |
- |-----------------------------------------------------------------|
- |If this option is defined, it must come first! It is needed |
- |before the rest of config is read. |
- +-----------------------------------------------------------------+
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-8.1.2. confdir
+7.1.1. confdir
Specifies:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.1.3. logdir
+7.1.2. logdir
Specifies:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.1.4. actionsfile
+7.1.3. actionsfile
Specifies:
Type of value:
- File name, relative to confdir
+ File name, relative to confdir, without the .action suffix
Default value:
- standard # Internal purposes, recommended not editing
-
- default # Main actions file
-
- user # User customizations
+ standard # Internal purposes, no editing recommended
+
+ default # Main actions file
+
+ user # User customizations
Effect if unset:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.1.5. filterfile
+7.1.4. filterfile
Specifies:
Effect if unset:
No textual content filtering takes place, i.e. all +filter{name} actions in
- the actions files are turned off
+ the actions files are turned neutral.
Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.1.6. logfile
+7.1.5. logfile
Specifies:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.1.7. jarfile
+7.1.6. jarfile
Specifies:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.1.8. trustfile
+7.1.7. trustfile
Specifies:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.2. Local Set-up Documentation
+7.2. Local Set-up Documentation
If you intend to operate Privoxy for more users that just yourself, it might be
a good idea to let them know how to reach you, what you block and why you do
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.2.1. trust-info-url
+7.2.1. 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 used for help links from some of the internal CGI
+ pages. The manual itself is normally packaged with the binary
+ distributions, so you propably want to set this to a locally installed
+ copy. For multi-user setups, you could provide a copy on a local webserver
+ for all your users and use the corresponding URL here.
+
+ Examples:
+
+ Unix, in local filesystem:
+
+ user-manual file:///usr/share/doc/privoxy-2.9.14/user-manual/
+
+ Any platform, on local webserver (called "local-webserver"):
+
+ user-manual http://local-webserver/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. |
+ +-----------------------------------------------------------------+
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+7.2.2. trust-info-url
Specifies:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.2.2. admin-address
+7.2.3. admin-address
Specifies:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.2.3. proxy-info-url
+7.2.4. proxy-info-url
Specifies:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.3. Debugging
+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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.3.1. debug
+7.3.1. debug
Specifies:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.3.2. single-threaded
+7.3.2. single-threaded
Specifies:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.4. Access Control and Security
+7.4. Access Control and Security
This section of the config file controls the security-relevant aspects of
Privoxy's configuration.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.4.1. listen-address
+7.4.1. listen-address
Specifies:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.4.2. toggle
+7.4.2. toggle
Specifies:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.4.3. enable-remote-toggle
+7.4.3. enable-remote-toggle
Specifies:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.4.4. enable-edit-actions
+7.4.4. enable-edit-actions
Specifies:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.4.5. ACLs: permit-access and deny-access
+7.4.5. ACLs: permit-access and deny-access
Specifies:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.4.6. buffer-limit
+7.4.6. buffer-limit
Specifies:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.5. Forwarding
+7.5. Forwarding
This feature allows routing of HTTP requests through a chain of multiple
proxies. It can be used to better protect privacy and confidentiality when
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.5.1. forward
+7.5.1. forward
Specifies:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.5.2. forward-socks4 and forward-socks4a
+7.5.2. forward-socks4 and forward-socks4a
Specifies:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.5.3. Advanced Forwarding Examples
+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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.6. Windows GUI Options
+7.6. Windows GUI Options
Privoxy has a number of options specific to the Windows GUI interface:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9. Actions Files
+8. Actions Files
The actions files are used to define what actions Privoxy takes for which URLs,
-and thus determines how ad images, cookies and various other aspects of HTTP
+and thus determine how ad images, cookies and various other aspects of HTTP
content and transactions are handled, and on which sites (or even parts
thereof). There are three such files included with Privoxy (as of version
2.9.15), with differing purposes:
* standard.action - is used by the web based editor, to set various
pre-defined sets of rules for the default actions section in
- default.action. These have increasing levels of aggressiveness. It is not
- recommend to edit this file.
+ default.action. These have increasing levels of aggressiveness and have no
+ influence on your browsing unless you select them explicitly in the editor.
+ It is not recommend to edit this file.
* default.action - is the primary action file that sets the initial values
for all actions. It is intended to provide a base level of functionality
file, and are processed in the order they are defined. The content of these can
all be viewed and edited from http://config.privoxy.org/show-status.
-An actions file typically has sections. Near the top, "aliases" are optionally
-defined (discussed below), then the default set of rules which will apply
-universally to all sites and pages. And then below that, exceptions to the
-defined universal policies.
+An actions file typically has multiple sections. If you want to use "aliases"
+in an actions file, you have to place the (optional) alias section at the top
+of that file. Then comes the default set of rules which will apply universally
+to all sites and pages (be very careful with using such a universal set in
+user.action or any other actions file after default.action, because it will
+override the result from consulting any previous file). And then below that,
+exceptions to the defined universal policies. You can regard user.action as an
+appendix to default.action, with the advantage that is a separate file, which
+makes preserving your personal settings across Privoxy upgrades easier.
Actions can be used to block anything you want, including ads, banners, or just
some obnoxious URL that you would rather not see. Cookies can be accepted or
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.1. Finding the Right Mix
+8.1. Finding the Right Mix
Note that some actions, like cookie suppression or script disabling, may render
some sites unusable that rely on these techniques to work properly. Finding the
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.2. How to Edit
+8.2. How to Edit
-The easiest way to edit the "actions" files is with a browser by using our
+The easiest way to edit the actions files is with a browser by using our
browser-based editor, which can be reached from http://config.privoxy.org/
-show-status.
+show-status. The editor allows both fine-grained control over every single
+feature on a per-URL basis, and easy choosing from wholesale sets of defaults
+like "Cautious", "Medium" or "Advanced".
If you prefer plain text editing to GUIs, you can of course also directly edit
-the the actions files.
+the the actions files. Look at default.action which is richly commented.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.3. How Actions are Applied to URLs
+8.3. How Actions are Applied to URLs
Actions files are divided into sections. There are special sections, like the "
alias" sections which will be discussed later. For now let's concentrate on
on a separate line.
To determine which actions apply to a request, the URL of the request is
-compared to all patterns in this file. Every time it matches, the list of
-applicable actions for the URL is incrementally updated, using the heading of
-the section in which the pattern is located. If multiple matches for the same
-URL set the same action differently, the last match wins. If not, the effects
-are aggregated (e.g. a URL might match both the "+handle-as-image" and "+block"
-actions).
+compared to all patterns in each action file file. Every time it matches, the
+list of applicable actions for the URL is incrementally updated, using the
+heading of the section in which the pattern is located. If multiple matches for
+the same URL set the same action differently, the last match wins. If not, the
+effects are aggregated (e.g. a URL might match both the "+handle-as-image" and
+"+block" actions).
-You can trace this process by visiting http://config.privoxy.org/show-url-info.
+You can trace this process for any given URL by visiting http://
+config.privoxy.org/show-url-info.
More detail on this is provided in the Appendix, Anatomy of an Action.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.4. Patterns
+8.4. Patterns
Generally, a pattern has the form <domain>/<path>, where both the <domain> and
<path> are optional. (This is why the pattern / matches all URLs).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.4.1. The Domain Pattern
+8.4.1. The Domain Pattern
The matching of the domain part offers some flexible options: if the domain
starts or ends with a dot, it becomes unanchored at that end. For example:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.4.2. The Path Pattern
+8.4.2. The Path Pattern
Privoxy uses Perl compatible regular expressions (through the PCRE library) for
matching the path.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.5. Actions
+8.5. Actions
All actions are disabled by default, until they are explicitly enabled
somewhere in an actions file. Actions are turned on if preceded with a "+", and
-turned off if preceded with a "-". So a "+action" means "do that action", e.g.
-"+block" means please "block the following URL patterns".
+turned off if preceded with a "-". So a +action means "do that action", e.g.
++block means "please block URLs that match the following patterns", and -block
+means "don't block URLs that match the following patterns, even if +block
+previously applied."
+
+Again, actions are invoked by placing them on a line, enclosed in curly braces
+and separated by whitespace, like in {+some-action -some-other-action
+{some-parameter}}, followed by a list of URL patterns, one per line, to which
+they apply. Together, the actions line and the following pattern lines make up
+a section of the actions file.
-Actions are invoked by enclosing the action name in curly braces (e.g.
-{+some_action}), followed by a list of URLs (or patterns that match URLs) to
-which the action applies. There are three classes of actions:
+There are three classes of actions:
- * Boolean, i.e the action can only be "on" or "off". Examples:
+ * Boolean, i.e the action can only be "enabled" or "disabled". Syntax:
- {+name} # enable this action
- {-name} # disable this action
-
+ +name # enable action name
+ -name # disable action name
- * Parameterized, e.g. "+/-hide-user-agent{ Mozilla 1.0 }", where some value
- is required in order to enable this type of action. Examples:
+ Example: +block
- {+name{param}} # enable action and set parameter to "param"
- {-name} # disable action ("parameter") can be omitted
-
+ * Parameterized, where some value is required in order to enable this type of
+ action. Syntax:
- * Multi-value, e.g. "{+/-add-header{Name: value}}" or "{+/-send-wafer{name=
- value}}"), where some value needs to be defined in addition to simply
- enabling the action. Examples:
+ +name{param} # enable action and set parameter to param,
+ # overwriting parameter from previous match if necessary
+ -name # disable action. The parameter can be omitted
- {+name{param=value}} # enable action and set "param" to "value"
- {-name{param=value}} # remove the parameter "param" completely
- {-name} # disable this action totally and remove param too
-
+ Note that if the URL matches multiple positive forms of a parameterized
+ action, the last match wins, i.e. the params from earlier matches are
+ simply ignored.
+
+ Example: +hide-user-agent{ Mozilla 1.0 }
+
+ * Multi-value. These look exactly like parameterized actions, but they behave
+ differently: If the action applies multiple times to the same URL, but with
+ different parameters, all the parameters from all matches are remembered.
+ This is used for actions that can be executed for the same request
+ repeatedly, like adding multiple headers, or filtering through multiple
+ filters. Syntax:
+
+ +name{param} # enable action and add param to the list of parameters
+ -name{param} # remove the parameter param from the list of parameters
+ # If it was the last one left, disable the action.
+ -name # disable this action completely and remove all parameters from the list
+
+ Examples: +add-header{X-Fun-Header: Some text} and +filter{html-annoyances}
If nothing is specified in any actions file, no "actions" are taken. So in this
case Privoxy would just be a normal, non-blocking, non-anonymizing proxy. You
the actions are applied in the order they are specified. Actions files are
processed in the order they are defined in config (the default installation has
three actions files). It also quite possible for any given URL pattern to match
-more than one action!
+more than one pattern and thus more than one set of actions!
-The list of valid Privoxy "actions" are:
+The list of valid Privoxy actions are:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.5.1. +add-header
+8.5.1. +add-header
Type:
Multi-value.
-Typical uses:
+Purpose and typical uses:
- Send a user defined HTTP header to the web server.
+ Send a user defined HTTP header to the web server. Can be used to confuse
+ log analysis.
Possible values:
Any value is possible. Validity of the defined HTTP headers is not checked.
+ It is recommended that you use the "X-" prefix for custom headers.
Example usage:
{+add-header{X-User-Tracking: sucks}}
.example.com
-
Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.5.2. +block
+8.5.2. +block
Type:
Boolean.
-Typical uses:
+Purpose and typical uses:
- Used to block a URL from reaching your browser. The URL may be anything,
- but is typically used to block ads or other obnoxious content.
+ Requests for URLs to which this action applies are blocked, i.e. the
+ requests are not forwarded to the remote server, but answered locally with
+ a substitute page or image, as determined by the handle-as-image and
+ set-image-blocker actions. It is typically used to block ads or other
+ obnoxious content.
Possible values:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.5.3. +deanimate-gifs
+8.5.3. +deanimate-gifs
Type:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.5.4. +downgrade-http-version
+8.5.4. +downgrade-http-version
Type:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.5.5. +fast-redirects
+8.5.5. +fast-redirects
Type:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.5.6. +filter
+8.5.6. +filter
Type:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.5.7. +hide-forwarded-for-headers
+8.5.7. +hide-forwarded-for-headers
Type:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.5.8. +hide-from-header
+8.5.8. +hide-from-header
Type:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.5.9. +hide-referer
+8.5.9. +hide-referer
Type:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.5.10. +hide-user-agent
+8.5.10. +hide-user-agent
Type:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.5.11. +handle-as-image
+8.5.11. +handle-as-image
Type:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.5.12. +set-image-blocker
+8.5.12. +set-image-blocker
Type:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.5.13. +limit-connect
+8.5.13. +limit-connect
Type:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.5.14. +prevent-compression
+8.5.14. +prevent-compression
Type:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.5.15. +session-cookies-only
+8.5.15. +session-cookies-only
Type:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.5.16. +prevent-reading-cookies
+8.5.16. +prevent-reading-cookies
Type:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.5.17. +prevent-setting-cookies
+8.5.17. +prevent-setting-cookies
Type:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.5.18. +kill-popups
+8.5.18. +kill-popups
Type:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.5.19. +send-vanilla-wafer
+8.5.19. +send-vanilla-wafer
Type:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.5.20. +send-wafer
+8.5.20. +send-wafer
Type:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.5.21. Summary
+8.5.21. Summary
Note that many of these actions have the potential to cause a page to
misbehave, possibly even not to display at all. There are many ways a site
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.5.22. Sample Actions Files
+8.5.22. Sample Actions Files
Remember that the meaning of any of the above references is reversed by
preceding the action with a "-", in place of the "+". Also, that some actions
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.6. Aliases
+8.6. Aliases
Custom "actions", known to Privoxy as "aliases", can be defined by combining
other "actions". These can in turn be invoked just like the built-in "actions".
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-10. The Filter File
+9. The Filter File
Any web page can be dynamically modified with the filter file. This
modification can be removal, or re-writing, of any web page content, including
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-10.1. The +filter Action
+9.1. The +filter Action
Filters are enabled with the "+filter" action from within one of the actions
files. "+filter" requires one parameter, which should match one of the section
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-11. Templates
+10. Templates
When Privoxy displays one of its internal pages, such as a 404 Not Found error
page (Privoxy must be running for link to work as intended), it uses the
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-12. Contacting the Developers, Bug Reporting and Feature Requests
+11. Contacting the Developers, Bug Reporting and Feature Requests
We value your feedback. However, to provide you with the best support, please
note the following sections.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-12.1. Get Support
+11.1. Get Support
To get support, use the Sourceforge Support Forum:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-12.2. Report bugs
+11.2. Report bugs
To submit bugs, use the Sourceforge Bug Forum:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-12.3. Request new features
+11.3. Request new features
To submit ideas on new features, use the Sourceforge feature request forum:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-12.4. Report ads or other filter problems
+11.4. Report ads or other filter problems
You can also send feedback on websites that Privoxy has problems with. Please
bookmark the following link: "Privoxy - Submit Filter Feedback". Once you surf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-12.5. Other
+11.5. Other
For any other issues, feel free to use the mailing lists:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-13. Copyright and History
+12. Copyright and History
-13.1. Copyright
+12.1. Copyright
Privoxy is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the
terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-13.2. History
+12.2. History
Privoxy is evolved, and derived from, the Internet Junkbuster, with many
improvments and enhancements over the original.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-14. See Also
+13. See Also
Other references and sites of interest to Privoxy users:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-15. Appendix
+14. Appendix
-15.1. Regular Expressions
+14.1. Regular Expressions
Privoxy can use "regular expressions" in various config files. Assuming support
for "pcre" (Perl Compatible Regular Expressions) is compiled in, which is the
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-15.2. Privoxy's Internal Pages
+14.2. Privoxy's Internal Pages
Since Privoxy proxies each requested web page, it is easy for Privoxy to trap
certain special URLs. In this way, we can talk directly to Privoxy, and see how
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-15.2.1. Bookmarklets
+14.2.1. Bookmarklets
Below are some "bookmarklets" to allow you to easily access a "mini" version of
some of Privoxy's special pages. They are designed for MS Internet Explorer,
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-15.3. Chain of Events
+14.3. Chain of Events
Let's take a quick look at the basic sequence of events when a web page is
requested by your browser and Privoxy is on duty:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-15.4. Anatomy of an Action
+14.4. Anatomy of an Action
The way Privoxy applies "actions" and "filters" to any given URL can be
complex, and not always so easy to understand what is happening. And sometimes
projects / privoxy.git / commitdiff