Python requests Proxy Setup: proxies Dict, Environment Variables and SOCKS5

The proxies parameter

The Requests documentation says you can configure a single request with the proxies argument, a dict whose key http or https names the scheme of the destination. Note that even for the https key the documentation examples give the proxy URL with the http:// scheme. The documentation stresses that proxy URLs must include the scheme.

If the username or password has special characters, encode them. The Python documentation says urllib.parse.quote keeps / as safe by default (safe='/'), so pass safe='' for a password.

The proxies parameter: example

import requests
from urllib.parse import quote

user = quote("USERNAME", safe="")
password = quote("PASSWORD", safe="")
proxy = f"http://{user}:{password}@proxy.proxy302.com:2222"
proxies = {"http": proxy, "https": proxy}

r = requests.get("https://ipinfo.io/json", proxies=proxies, timeout=(5, 20))
print(r.json())

Replace USERNAME and PASSWORD with the values from My assets. Proxy302 HTTP is on port 2222.

• Sources:
• Requests documentation: Advanced Usage (Proxies, SOCKS, Timeouts)
• Python documentation: urllib.parse.quote

Session and environment variables

When proxies is not passed to a request, Requests relies on the standard environment variables http_proxy, https_proxy, no_proxy and all_proxy, and the upper-case variants. The documentation warns that storing a username and password in an environment variable or a version-controlled file is a security risk and is highly discouraged.

For a Session the documentation shows session.proxies.update(proxies) but warns that values set this way may be overwritten by environmental proxies. To make sure your own proxies are used when environment variables exist, pass proxies explicitly on every request.

Session and environment variables: example

import requests

session = requests.Session()
r = session.get("https://ipinfo.io/json", proxies=proxies, timeout=(5, 20))
print(r.json())

proxies is the same dict as in the example above.

• Sources:
• Requests documentation: Advanced Usage (Proxies, SOCKS, Timeouts)

SOCKS5

The Requests documentation says SOCKS support is an optional feature that needs extra libraries: python -m pip install 'requests[socks]'. After that a SOCKS proxy is used just like an HTTP one, with the socks5:// scheme in the URL.

The scheme matters: with socks5 DNS resolution happens on the client, and with socks5h it happens on the proxy. The documentation points to socks5h if you want domains resolved on the proxy server.

SOCKS5: example

user = quote("USERNAME", safe="")
password = quote("PASSWORD", safe="")
socks = f"socks5h://{user}:{password}@proxy.proxy302.com:3333"
proxies = {"http": socks, "https": socks}

r = requests.get("https://ipinfo.io/json", proxies=proxies, timeout=(5, 20))
print(r.json())

This continues the first example (it needs import requests and from urllib.parse import quote) and needs requests[socks] installed. Proxy302 SOCKS5 is on port 3333; HTTP is on port 2222.

• Sources:
• Requests documentation: Advanced Usage (Proxies, SOCKS, Timeouts)

Timeouts

According to the Requests documentation, requests do not time out by default, and without a timeout your code may hang for minutes or more. A single timeout value applies to both connect and read; a tuple (connect, read) sets them separately. The connect timeout is the wait for the connection to be established, and the read timeout is the wait for the server's response. If a domain has several addresses, they are tried one after another, so the effective total can be a multiple of the value.

• Sources:
• Requests documentation: Advanced Usage (Proxies, SOCKS, Timeouts)

Check the exit

Request https://ipinfo.io/json as in the examples above. The country and org fields should describe the proxy, not your own connection. If your own address shows, the proxy was not applied: check the keys of the proxies dict and that it is passed to this request. The proxy location guide explains the fields.

• proxy location guide

Typical errors

In the Requests exceptions module, ProxyError is a subclass of ConnectionError described as "A proxy error occurred". ConnectTimeout means the request timed out while connecting, and requests that produced it are safe to retry; ReadTimeout means the server sent no data in the allotted time. Check the scheme in the proxy URL, the port (HTTP 2222, SOCKS5 3333) and the username and password. Status 407 means the proxy did not accept the credentials; see the authentication guide, and the connection failed guide has the checks step by step. The Requests documentation also notes that using a proxy for https connections typically requires your local machine to trust the proxy's root certificate.

• authentication guide
• connection failed guide

• Sources:
• Requests source: requests.exceptions
• Requests documentation: Advanced Usage (Proxies, SOCKS, Timeouts)

How to do it with Proxy302

The requests library needs the address, port, username and password of a Proxy302 proxy. Rotating residential traffic is billed per GB and the exit country is set when you generate the proxy; HTTP is on port 2222 and SOCKS5 on port 3333 of proxy.proxy302.com. A static ISP IP stays fixed for the whole lease term and does not rotate. The table shows exits in 7 countries from our latest hourly check; the probe sends its request to ChatGPT, which is only an example target of a network check. A proxy does not change ChatGPT's terms, and OpenAI's list of supported countries still applies. Details are on the rotating residential page and in the proxy location guide.

• rotating residential page
• proxy location guide
• ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini supported countries

Measured exits: ChatGPT from 7 countries

Hourly check of the Proxy302 probe, 25 October 2026, 08:29 UTC: one request to ChatGPT per country through a dynamic residential exit, using the public Proxy302 entry. Only the first three octets of an IP are public. One sample per country, not an average; later checks will differ.

• Sources:
• Proxy302 hourly connectivity check

How to do it with Proxy302: steps

1. Step 1

   Open the rotating residential page, choose the line, and keep Protocol on HTTP or choose SOCKS5, then click Review cost and generate.

2. Step 2

   Open My assets (the console page that holds everything you bought) and copy HOST, PORT, USERNAME and PASSWORD. The Connect page shows a ready example with your own endpoint.

3. Step 3

   Enter the details in the browser or tool you are setting up.

4. Step 4

   Confirm the exit with https://ipinfo.io/json through the proxy.

5. Step 5

   From mainland China, start the helper tool from the Connect page first and keep it open while you use the proxy.

   • Helper tool guide

Prices and limits

The Budget line costs US$1.50 per GB, US$1.35 per GB in a 100 GB package and US$1.20 per GB at 300 GB. There is no free trial, and the smallest purchase is 1 GB. Which exit locations are available changes daily.

• Sources:
• Proxy302 product facts and price list

FAQ

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