1 /*********************************************************************
5 * Purpose : Give a short intro about Privoxy.
7 * Copyright : Written by and Copyright (C) 2001-2021 the
8 * Privoxy team. https://www.privoxy.org/
10 * Based on the Internet Junkbuster originally written
11 * by and Copyright (C) 1997 Anonymous Coders and
12 * Junkbusters Corporation. http://www.junkbusters.com
14 * This program is free software; you can redistribute it
15 * and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General
16 * Public License as published by the Free Software
17 * Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at
18 * your option) any later version.
20 * This program is distributed in the hope that it will
21 * be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the
22 * implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A
23 * PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public
24 * License for more details.
26 * The GNU General Public License should be included with
27 * this file. If not, you can view it at
28 * http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html
29 * or write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
30 * 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301,
33 *********************************************************************/
35 This README is included with Privoxy 3.0.34. See https://www.privoxy.org/ for
36 more information. The current code maturity level is "stable".
38 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 Privoxy is a non-caching web proxy with advanced filtering capabilities for
41 enhancing privacy, modifying web page data and HTTP headers, controlling
42 access, and removing ads and other obnoxious Internet junk. Privoxy has a
43 flexible configuration and can be customized to suit individual needs and
44 tastes. It has application for both stand-alone systems and multi-user
47 Privoxy is Free Software and licensed under the GNU GPLv2 or later.
49 Privoxy is an associated project of Software in the Public Interest (SPI).
51 Helping hands and donations are welcome:
53 * https://www.privoxy.org/participate
55 * https://www.privoxy.org/donate
57 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
61 For a list of changes in this release, please have a look at the "ChangeLog",
62 the "What's New" section or the "Upgrader's Notes" in the User Manual.
64 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
68 See the INSTALL file in this directory, for installing from raw source, and the
69 User Manual, for all other installation types.
71 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
75 privoxy [--help] [--version] [--no-daemon] [--pidfile PIDFILE] [--user USER
76 [.GROUP]] [--chroot] [--pre-chroot-nslookup HOSTNAME ][config_file]
78 See the man page or User Manual for an explanation of each option, and other
79 configuration and usage issues.
81 If no config_file is specified on the command line, Privoxy will look for a
82 file named 'config' in the current directory (except Win32 which will look for
83 'config.txt'). If no config_file is found, Privoxy will fail to start.
85 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
89 See: 'config', 'default.action', 'user.action', 'default.filter', and
90 'user.filter'. 'user.action' and 'user.filter' are for personal and local
91 configuration preferences. These are all well commented. Most of the magic is
92 in '*.action' files. 'user.action' should be used for any actions
93 customizations. On Unix-like systems, these files are typically installed in /
94 etc/privoxy. On Windows, then wherever the executable itself is installed.
95 There are many significant changes and advances from earlier versions. The User
96 Manual has an explanation of all configuration options, and examples: https://
97 www.privoxy.org/user-manual/.
99 Be sure to set your browser(s) for HTTP/HTTPS Proxy at <IP>:<Port>, or whatever
100 you specify in the config file under 'listen-address'. DEFAULT is
101 127.0.0.1:8118. Note that Privoxy ONLY proxies HTTP (and HTTPS) traffic. Do not
102 try it with FTP or other protocols for the simple reason it does not work.
104 The actions list can be configured via the web interface accessed via http://
105 p.p/, as well other options.
107 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
111 There should be documentation in the 'doc' subdirectory. In particular, see the
112 User Manual there, the FAQ, and those interested in Privoxy development, should
113 look at developer-manual.
115 The source and configuration files are all well commented. The main
116 configuration files are: 'config', 'default.action', and 'default.filter'.
118 Included documentation may vary according to platform and packager. All
119 documentation is posted on https://www.privoxy.org, in case you don't have it,
122 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
124 6. CONTACTING THE DEVELOPERS, BUG REPORTING AND FEATURE REQUESTS
126 We value your feedback. In fact, we rely on it to improve Privoxy and its
127 configuration. However, please note the following hints, so we can provide you
128 with the best support.
130 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
132 6.1. Please provide sufficient information
134 A lot of support requests don't contain enough information and can't be solved
135 without a lot of back and forth which causes unnecessary delays. Reading this
136 section should help to prevent that.
138 Before contacting us to report a problem, please try to verify that it is a
139 Privoxy problem, and not a browser or site problem or documented behaviour that
140 just happens to be different than what you expected. If unsure, try toggling
141 off Privoxy, and see if the problem persists.
143 If you are using your own custom configuration, please try the default
144 configuration to see if the problem is configuration related. If you're having
145 problems with a feature that is disabled by default, please ask around on the
146 mailing list if others can reproduce the problem.
148 If you aren't using the latest Privoxy version, the problem may have been found
149 and fixed in the meantime. We would appreciate if you could take the time to
150 upgrade to the latest version and verify that the problem still exists.
152 Please be sure to provide the following information when reporting problems or
155 * The exact Privoxy version you are using.
157 * The operating system and versions you run Privoxy on, e.g. Windows XP SP2.
159 * The name, platform, and version of the browser you were using (e.g.
160 Internet Explorer v5.5 for Mac).
162 * The URL where the problem occurred, or some way for us to duplicate the
163 problem (e.g. http://somesite.example.com/?somethingelse=123).
165 * Whether your version of Privoxy is one supplied by the Privoxy developers,
166 or if you got your copy somewhere else.
168 * Whether you are using Privoxy together with another proxy such as Tor. If
169 so, please temporary disable the other proxy to see if the symptoms change.
171 * Whether you are using a personal firewall product. If so, does Privoxy work
174 * Any other pertinent information to help identify the problem such as config
175 or log file excerpts (yes, you should have log file entries for each action
176 taken). To get a meaningful logfile, please make sure that the logfile
177 directive is being used and the following debug options are enabled (all of
180 debug 1 # Log the destination for each request. See also debug 1024.
181 # See also debug 1024.
182 debug 2 # show each connection status
183 debug 4 # show tagging-related messages
184 debug 8 # show header parsing
185 debug 128 # debug redirects
186 debug 256 # debug GIF de-animation
187 debug 512 # Common Log Format
188 debug 1024 # Log the destination for requests Privoxy didn't let through,
189 # and the reason why.
190 debug 4096 # Startup banner and warnings.
191 debug 8192 # Non-fatal errors
192 debug 65536 # Log applying actions
194 If you are having trouble with a filter, please additionally enable
196 debug 64 # debug regular expression filters
198 If you suspect that Privoxy interprets the request or the response
199 incorrectly, please enable additionally
201 debug 32768 # log all data read from the network
203 It's easy for us to ignore log messages that aren't relevant but missing
204 log messages may make it impossible to investigate a problem. If you aren't
205 sure which of the debug directives are relevant, please just enable all of
206 them and let us worry about it.
208 Note that Privoxy log files may contain sensitive information so please
209 don't submit any logfiles you didn't read first. You can mask sensitive
210 information as long as it's clear that you removed something.
212 Please clear the browser cache before reproducing the problem.
214 You don't have to tell us your actual name when filing a problem report, but if
215 you don't, please use a nickname so we can differentiate between your messages
216 and the ones entered by other "anonymous" users that may respond to your
217 request if they have the same problem or already found a solution. Note that
218 due to spam the trackers may not always allow to post without being logged into
219 SourceForge. If that's the case, you are still free to create a login that
220 isn't directly linked to your name, though.
222 Please also check the status of your request a few days after submitting it, as
223 we may request additional information. If you use a SF id, you should
224 automatically get a mail when someone responds to your request. Please don't
225 bother to add an email address when using the tracker. If you prefer to
226 communicate through email, just use one of the mailing lists directly.
228 The appendix of the Privoxy User Manual also has helpful information on
229 understanding actions, and action debugging.
231 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
235 All users are welcome to discuss their issues on the users mailing list, where
236 the developers also hang around.
238 Please don't send private support requests to individual Privoxy developers,
239 either use the mailing lists or the support trackers.
241 If you have to contact a Privoxy developer directly for other reasons, please
242 send a real mail and do not bother with SourceForge's messaging system. Answers
243 to SourceForge messages are usually bounced by SourceForge's mail server in
244 which case the developer wasted time writing a response you don't get. From
245 your point of view it will look like your message has been completely ignored,
246 so this is frustrating for all parties involved.
248 Note that the Privoxy mailing lists are moderated. Posts from unsubscribed
249 addresses have to be accepted manually by a moderator. This may cause a delay
250 of several days and if you use a subject that doesn't clearly mention Privoxy
251 or one of its features, your message may be accidentally discarded as spam.
253 If you aren't subscribed, you should therefore spend a few seconds to come up
254 with a proper subject. Additionally you should make it clear that you want to
255 get CC'd. Otherwise some responses will be directed to the mailing list only,
256 and you won't see them.
258 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
260 6.3. Reporting Problems
262 "Problems" for our purposes, come in two forms:
264 * Configuration issues, such as ads that slip through, or sites that don't
265 function properly due to one Privoxy "action" or another being turned "on".
267 * "Bugs" in the programming code that makes up Privoxy, such as that might
268 cause a crash. Documentation issues, for example spelling errors and
269 unclear descriptions, are bugs, too.
271 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
273 6.3.1. Reporting Ads or Other Configuration Problems
275 Please send feedback on ads that slipped through, innocent images that were
276 blocked, sites that don't work properly, and other configuration related
277 problem of default.action file, to https://sourceforge.net/p/ijbswa/
278 actionsfile-feedback/, the Actions File Tracker.
280 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
282 6.3.2. Reporting Bugs
284 Before reporting bugs, please make sure that the bug has not already been
285 submitted and observe the additional hints at the top of the submit form. If
286 already submitted, please feel free to add any info to the original report that
287 might help to solve the issue.
289 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
291 6.4. Reporting security problems
293 If you discovered a security problem or merely suspect that a bug might be a
294 security issue, please mail Fabian Keil <fk@fabiankeil.de> (OpenPGP
295 fingerprint: 4F36 C17F 3816 9136 54A1 E850 6918 2291 8BA2 371C).
297 Usually you should get a response within a day, otherwise it's likely that
298 either your mail or the response didn't make it. If that happens, please mail
299 to the developer list to request a status update.
301 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
305 If you prefer to communicate through email, instead of using a web interface,
306 feel free to use one of the mailing lists. To discuss issues that haven't been
307 completely diagnosed yet, please use the Privoxy users list. Technically
308 interested users and people who wish to contribute to the project are always
309 welcome on the developers list. You can find an overview of all Privoxy-related
310 mailing lists, including list archives, at: https://lists.privoxy.org/mailman/
311 listinfo. The lists hosted on privoxy.org have been created in 2016, the
312 previously-used lists hosted at SourceForge are deprecated but the archives may
313 still be useful: https://sourceforge.net/p/ijbswa/mailman/.
315 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
317 6.6. SourceForge support trackers
319 The SourceForge support trackers may be used as well, but have various
320 technical problems that are unlikely to be fixed anytime soon. If you don't get
321 a timely response, please try the mailing list as well.