What is sockslib?

SocksLib is a Java library that lets you build applications using the SOCKS5 protocol, which is a standard way for software to route network traffic through a proxy server. Think of it like giving your app the ability to send its internet requests through a middleman (a proxy), useful when you need to hide your location, bypass network restrictions, or channel traffic securely through a corporate gateway. The library comes in two flavors: a client side and a server side. On the client side, you can connect to a SOCKS5 proxy server and route different types of traffic through it, regular internet connections, UDP connections for real-time data, or even set up listening ports that accept incoming connections. On the server side, you can build your own SOCKS5 proxy that other applications connect to. The server can authenticate users with a password, maintain allowlists or blocklists of IP addresses, and chain proxies together if you need traffic to hop through multiple proxies in sequence. Who would use this? A developer building a privacy-focused app, a company setting up internal proxying infrastructure, or anyone working on network tools that need to speak the SOCKS5 standard. The README shows examples like connecting to a remote server through a proxy with just a few lines of code, or spinning up a basic SOCKS5 server. You can even secure your connections using SSL encryption between the client and proxy. The library requires Java 8 or newer and relies on standard logging and utility libraries to work.