Proxy over SSH (POSSH)

Updated 1 month ago by Yelena

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Generally, SSH (or "secure shell") is used to securely connect to a remote terminal session. A proxy over SSH tunnel plugin allows your browser profiles to connect via an SSH server as a Socks proxy. The traffic enters the Socks proxy running in your browser profiles, and the SSH server forwards it through the SSH connection – this is known as SSH tunneling.

The biggest advantage of using an SSH tunnel over a conventional HTTP or Socks proxy is that it can be easily set up without any extra proxy-related installations on the server. Additionally, SSH tunnels encrypt your traffic, enhancing data security. 

Using POSSH in Multilogin

Before you start, make sure you have the following details (if you don’t, ask your proxy provider):

  • SSH server IP (or host) and port
  • SSH server credentials, such as your username and password

Once you have all these details, you are ready to set up a Multilogin profile.

  1. Go to the "Plugins" section
  2. Activate the POSSH proxy plugin
  3. Click "Create new" and go to the "Proxy" tab
  4. Select "POSSH" in "Connection type"
  5. Fill out the "IP or host", "Port", "Username" and "Password" fields
Paste the proxy details into the "IP or host" field in the format IP:port:username:password or host:port:username:password and other fields will be populated automatically.
  1. Click "Check proxy"
    1. "Connection test passed" means that Multilogin was able to connect to the proxy successfully and get the required IP-dependent data (TimezoneGeolocation and WebRTC)
    2. "Connection test failed" means that Multilogin couldn't connect to the proxy. You can check this page for possible solutions
  2. Click "Create profile" → "Start"

Restarting the SSH tunnel in the browser

Due to the nature of SSH tunnels, they can sometimes drop mid-session. In this case, you can try the solution below:

  1. Click on the Multilogin icon in the top right corner of the browser profile window
  2. Click "Restart SSH"
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