Shadowrocket 101: How to Integrate Proxies with Shadowrocket

What do you know about Shadowrocket? If you have little knowledge about this tool, then come in now and discover all you need to know about Shadowrocket including what it is, how to set it up, and integrate proxies.

Shadowrocket 101

Proxies can be so tricky to use because of the way they are engineered. Unlike in the case of VPN software that works at the system layer and would force all web traffic via the VPN server of your choice, proxies are not wired that way.

Proxies work at the application layer which means that if an application does not come with native support for proxies, then you will find a hard time getting it to work through proxies. Some applications are notorious for bypassing global settings if no added work has been done on your part. If you are using an iPhone/iPad, the added work is using a proxy client like the Shadowrocket application.

We would be discussing this application in this article. At the end of the article, you should not only have an overview of the application, but you would also learn how to use it by configuring proxies. We would also be recommending some of the best proxies in the market you can use together with the application.


What is Shadowrocket?

Shadowrocket overview

Shadowrocket is a utility application developed for the iPhone and iPad to help force all of one’s web traffic via proxy servers. It is simple a proxy client and that enabled you to get applications that do not use the default proxy server setting to use proxies.

You can see this as the equivalent of Proxifier on PC and Postern on Android. It is arguably one of the most popular utility applications in the App Store. This application is a rule-based software, that does more than just capture and routing all of your web traffic via proxy servers.

It comes with some advanced features which include ability to ability to measure traffic usage and speed, configure rules to match domain, domain keyword, CIDR IP range, and/or GeoIP lookup, and the ability to import rule files from any URL or iCloud.

Other advanced features that it comes with include an ads blocker that you can configure based on domain and user agent, script filtering support, local DNS mapping, and performing URL rewriting, among others. One advantage of using Shadowrocket is that it is faster than when you use VPN software. It does have other advantages and why you should use it. But you need to know that it comes with a $2.99 price tag.


Best Proxies for Shadowrocket

The best proxies to use for Shadowrocket are residential proxies. This is because they use IP addresses assigned by Internet Service Providers (ISPs). They are undetectable and quite affordable when compared to the pricing of mobile proxies. Below are some of the best residential proxies for Shadowrocket.

  • Bright Data: 72+ million IPs in Pool – <Start from $300 for 20 Gb | $15 per GB> – Overall best proxy provider in the Market
  • Smartproxy: 40+ million IPs in Pool – <Start $75 for 5 GB | $15 per GB> – Best price with performance
  • Soax: 5+ million IPs in pool – <Start from $75 for 5 GB \ $15 per GB> – Detail geo-targeting options
  • Shifter: 26+ million IPs in Pool – <Start from 10 Ports for $249> – GEO targeting & unlimited bandwidth
  • Stormproxies: 40+ thousand IPs in Pool – <Start from 5 Ports for $50> – Cheapest residential proxies that work

How to Set Up Shadowrocket for Use and Integrate Proxies

YouTube video

In this section, you will be shown how you can set up Shadowrocket to use proxies. You need to know that the Shadowrocket is just a proxy client – it does not come with proxies – you will need to add your own proxies. While you can use any proxy you want, we would be making use of Smartproxy in this guide.

  • Smartproxy is a paid premium proxies and as such, you will need to buy their proxies in other to make use of their service. Head over to the Smartproxy official website to create an account, add funds to your account, and pay for a subscription. We advise you to use their residential proxies and the starting price is $75.
  • With an active subscription, log into the user dashboard and head over to the Endpoint Generator page. You will be generating a list of proxies from this page which you will use for setting Shadowrocket.

smartproxy Endpoint Generator page

  • Choose residential proxies as the proxy type. For the authentication method, we would be using a username and password. Provide a username and password pair which would be used for authentication.
  • Next is to choose the geolocation of the proxy IPs. This is especially useful if you want to access geo-targeted content. Simply choose from the about 190 locations supported by Smartproxy. If your task does not require proxies from any location, you can simply choose the random option.
  • For the session type, choose sticky if you need to manage your accounts on websites as changing IP address too frequently is suspicious. The sticky session can maintain the same IP for up to 10 minutes. The rotating option would change IP after every request.
  • The output format should be endpoint:port. On the right-hand side, you should see a list of proxies including the username and password you entered earlier. Copy one and write it down – that is what we would be using to configure Shadowrocket.
  • Download the Shadowrocket application from the App Store. As stated earlier, it comes with a price tag of $2.99 which is considered affordable and a good value for the money.

Shadowrocket in App Store

  • Launch the Shadowrocket application and you will see the interface below after providing your authentication details.

Launch the Shadowrocket application

  • Click on the “Add Server” link and you will be taken to a page where you will enter the information for the proxy.

setting-up-proxies-with-Shadowrocket

  • Smartproxy only has support for HTTPS proxies. So for the type of proxy, click it and choose the HTTPS from the options provided.

choose the HTTPS with Shadowrocket

  • In the “Host” field, enter the proxy endpoint you wrote down earlier. It is something like this – smartproxy.com. enter the proxy port in the “Port” field and then provide the authentication details (username and password) too.

Host field with Shadowrocket

  • When you are done adding the proxy details, click on the “done” button at the top right corner of the page and the proxy would be added.
  • To start using it, active the toggle after “Not Connected”. If this is your first time, you will see a prompt telling you Shadowrocket wants to add a VPN configuration.

toggle Not Connected with Shadowrocket

You will need to provide your passcode to get continue. After you are done doing this, all of your web traffic would be routed via the proxies you configured in Shadowrocket.


FAQs About Shadowrocket

  • Difference Between Shadowsocks and Shadowrocket?

Both Shadowsocks and Shadowrocket are proxy clients for tunneling web traffic via proxy servers.  However, they are two different software. The Shadowsocks software is an open-source project designed specifically for the Chinese audience.

The tool from the name is meant to work majorly with socks proxies and it is cross-platform – you can use it on Windows, Android, iOS, and macOS, among others. On the other hand, the Shadowrocket software on the other hand is meant only for iOS and has support for most popular protocols aside from socks.

  • Why Configure Proxies Before Using Shadowrocket?

Without adding proxies to the Shadowrocket application, the application itself is useless. This is because Shadowrocket is not a proxy server but just a proxy client. You will need real proxy servers that Shadowrocket would tunnel your web traffic through.


Conclusion

From the above, you should have known what Shadowrocket is and how to set it up. For the proxies to use, if Bright Data is considered expensive, then the best proxies for Shadowrocket is Smartproxy and that is why it is Smartproxy residential proxies we used in the how-to guide above. With the proxies rightfully set up, all of your web traffic should be routed via proxies as configured according to your rules.


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