SOCKS5
SOCKS5 is the proxy protocol Tor Browser uses to send application traffic through Tor. Tor Browser binds SOCKS5 on localhost:9150 (default).
Tor Browser and SOCKS5
Tor Browser forwards HTTP(S) traffic internally over SOCKS5 to the Tor daemon. Other programs can use the same proxy — but only if they are configured correctly. DNS leaks are a common failure mode of a bad SOCKS setup.
Limits
SOCKS5 over Tor protects only the traffic that is configured to use it. Programs that ignore the proxy connect directly — without Tor.
Category: Technical
This page is a short glossary definition, not a full encyclopedia article. See the Tor glossary A–Z for the rest of the set.