How to Set Up Proxies with Postern (Configuration Tutorial)

60 Views

Postern is one of the most popular proxy management apps for Android. It allows you to easily add proxies and set up rules to tunnel your mobile traffic through them.

Integrating proxies in Postern can enhance privacy, security, and access restricted content on your Android device. This comprehensive guide will show you how to add and configure various types of proxies in Postern.

An Introduction to Postern

For those new to Postern, let's do a quick rundown of what it is and its core features:

Open source proxy manager – Postern is a free, open source app developed by SandroProxy to manage proxies and VPNs on Android
Multiple protocol support – It can handle HTTP, SOCKS5, Shadowsocks, and HTTPS proxies
Unlimited proxies – There is no limit on the number of proxy servers you can add
Flexible rules engine – Rules match traffic based on domain, IP, app package name etc. and route it through desired proxies
Proxy chaining – You can chain together multiple proxies for greater anonymity
DNS encryption – Postern secures your DNS queries via Intra protocol
Firewall capabilities – The firewall lets you block connections to/from specific apps and domains
Proxy scripts – Postern supports proxy scripts and plugins for added functionality
Auto-configuration – It can import PAC files and auto-configure proxies accordingly
Local HTTP proxy – You can use Postern itself as an HTTP proxy on your local network
Port forwarding – Maps remote proxy ports to local ports for easier access

As you can see, Postern is extremely versatile and gives you total control over proxies on Android.

Key advantages of using Postern:

Bypass geographic restrictions to access restricted content
Hide your IP address from sites for greater anonymity
Route traffic through multiple proxy hops for maximum privacy
Scrape data and bypass bot detection with proxy rotation
Avoid tracking, ads and malware on mobile
Speed up browsing by using caching proxies
Overcome throttling and get faster data transfers
Automate mobile activities including social media posting, sneaker copping etc.

Now let's dive into configuring various types of proxies within Postern.

Best Proxy Providers

Postern is compatible with residential and datacenter proxies from all major providers like:

Bright Data – Top-tier residential proxies with excellent mobile support. Highly recommended.
Soax – Reliable residential proxies ideal for web scraping.
Smartproxy – Residential and static datacenter proxies with great backend panel.
Proxy-Seller – Leading residential mobile proxies for sneaker copping.

Adding Residential Proxies

Residential proxies are one of the most popular proxy types used with Postern on mobile devices. As the name suggests, residential proxies come from residential IP addresses like homes and apartments. This makes them great for mimicking real mobile user behavior.

Activities where residential proxies shine:

Accessing sneaker and streetwear sites to cop limited drops
Automating social media accounts without getting banned
Running mobile bots that require residential IP ranges
Gathering intel from geo-targeted sites and apps
Web scraping while avoiding blockades

Here are the steps to add residential proxies in Postern:

Tap the + button in the top right and select Add Proxy
Enter a descriptive name like “Bright Data Mobile Proxies”
Set the Server Address to the proxy provider's hostname
- For Bright Data use pr.brightdata.com
- Or use country-specific domains like us-pr.brightdata.com
Enter the proxy Port, usually 8080 or 8000
Choose the Server Type as HTTPS/HTTP Connect.
Enter your proxy provider Username and Password
- For Bright Data use your account username and password
- Prepend customer- before the username eg. customer-johndoe
Tap Save to add the proxy server

That's it! The residential proxies are now integrated within Postern.

Pro Tip: Always use fresh residential IP addresses in Postern to avoid bans when performing sensitive activities like sneaker copping. Proxy providers like Bright Data allow quickly rotating IPs through their panels.

You can add multiple residential proxy servers in Postern to create a robust pool. Next, we'll cover how to configure authentication.

Residential Proxy Authentication

Proxy providers would require you to authenticate to access their residential IPs.

By default, you can directly enter the username and password when adding proxies in Postern. However, I recommend using custom HTTP headers instead for improved security:

After adding the proxy, tap on it to open proxy settings
Scroll down and enable the Use custom HTTP headers option
Add a header in the format:
Proxy-Authorization: Basic BASE64ENCODED
In the encoded value, insert your username:password
For example:
Proxy-Authorization: Basic bXl1c2VyOm15cGFzc3dvcmQ=
The credentials are now securely base64 encoded
Tap Update to save the changes

This method prevents sending plain text credentials over the network. Of course, always use good password practices – unique, complex passwords and enabling 2FA where available. For providers like Bright Data you can also leverage IP allowlisting for enhanced security. Only your devices' IPs can access the proxies.

Residential Proxy Geotargeting

Targeting specific countries and cities is crucial for many mobile proxy use cases. Luckily, residential proxies make geotargeting easy. For example with Bright Data:

Use country-specific hostnames like us-pr.brightdata.com
Or city-level targeting via pr.brightdata.com:10001
- Where 10001 = Los Angeles, 10002 = New York etc.

This ensures your mobile traffic always routes through US-based IPs for example. Certain providers also allow setting a custom GEO target to receive IPs from your desired location.

Mobile Proxies vs ISP Proxies

Mobile proxies are regular residential proxies optimized for mobile usage. With providers like Bright Data, mobile proxies work seamlessly in Postern without any special configuration. However, some providers offer ISP proxies which are residential IPs directly from mobile phone carriers like AT&T, Verizon, Vodafone etc.

ISP proxies fully mimic mobile operator IPs. But they may require compatibility checks and custom APN settings. So I recommend sticking to regular mobile proxies for most use cases. Only use ISP proxies for activities where maximum mobile realism is absolutely mandatory.

Troubleshooting Residential Proxies

Here are some tips for troubleshooting residential proxies in Postern:

Double check server address, port and your account credentials
Try toggling between HTTP and SOCKS5 protocols in Postern
Rotate your IP address via the proxy provider's panel
For bans, contact your provider to request IP refresh
Enable Postern verbose logging to diagnose connection issues
Whitelist Postern app from battery optimization and any security software
If using shared WiFi networks, try cellular data instead

Used properly, residential proxies add immense value to Postern allowing you to automate and access restricted content from your mobile device. Next, let's go over how to add datacenter proxies.

Integrating Datacenter Proxies

Datacenter proxies are hosted on dedicated servers in datacenters and ISPs. Compared to residential proxies, datacenters provide:

Faster connection speeds
Higher uptime and reliability
Lower latency for real-time usage

But there are some downsides:

Tend to be easier to detect and block
No city-level targeting, only country-level IPs
Not suitable for activities like sneaker copping

Use cases where datacenter proxies work well:

Web scraping and crawling
Accessing content and APIs
Gathering data from websites
Testing and QA activities
Basic ad verification and brand monitoring

Many mobile proxy providers like Bright Data, Smartproxy, Proxy-Seller, etc. offer datacenter proxies alongside residential IPs.

Here's how to add datacenter proxies in Postern:

Tap on the + button and select Add Proxy
Enter a name like “Bright Data Datacenter”
Set the Server Address as zproxy.brightdata.com
Enter the proxy Port number, usually 22225
Select SOCKS5 as the Server Type
Input your Bright Data username and password
Click Save

The datacenter proxies are now available within Postern. To maximize performance, pick datacenter locations closest to your use case. For example, use US-based IPs for accessing American sites and content.

Datacenter Proxy Authentication

Like residential proxies, you can directly add your credentials when setting up datacenter proxies. For enhanced security, I advise using custom HTTP headers just like we did for residential proxies:

After adding, edit the datacenter proxy
Enable Use custom HTTP headers
Insert an authorization header containing your base64 encoded credentials
Click Update to apply the changes

This transmits your username and password securely without exposing it plainly.

Adding Shared Proxies

Shared proxies provide an affordable alternative to dedicated datacenter and residential proxies. As the name indicates, multiple users share access to a common pool of proxy IP addresses.

Advantages of shared proxies:

Extremely cheap proxy plans, often $1 to $5 per GB
Pay-as-you-go pricing instead of monthly commitments
Get started even with a low budget

Tradeoffs to keep in mind:

Overall lower reliability and uptime
Higher chances of IP conflicts with other users
Limited targeting options
Not suitable for sensitive usage like sneaker copping or account automation

Use cases where shared proxies may work:

Basic web scraping and data collection
Accessing public information
Entry-level marketplace research

Here's how to add shared proxies like Storm Proxies to Postern:

Tap Add Proxy
Give it name such as “Storm Shared Proxies”
Set the Server Address as the IP server.stormproxies.com
Enter the proxy Port number, usually 8080
Select “HTTP” as the Server Type
Input your Storm Proxies username and password
Click Save

And you're done setting up shared proxies! Given the affordable pricing, these are great for getting started with proxies on a budget.

Creating Proxy Rules

Simply adding proxies is not enough – you need to set up proper proxy rules to actually route your mobile traffic through them in Postern.

Let's see how to create rules:

From the side menu, go to the Rules section
Tap the + button to add a new rule
Give the rule a name like “Social Media Apps”
Set the Match Method appropriately:
- For apps, choose “App Package Name”
- For websites, select “Domain Name”
Enter the app package name or domain to match under Value
- For example com.instagram.android or .facebook.com
Under Actions, pick which proxy server to use
Toggle Active on to enable the rule

That's it! Traffic from the matched apps or domains will now route through the designated proxy. You can create multiple rules to precisely control traffic routing.

Some tips for efficient matching:

Use broad matches like .com instead of specific sites
Create rules for entire app categories like Social, Shopping etc.
Set a global default proxy to use if no other rules match

Now Postern will intelligently switch the appropriate proxies based on your rules.

Accessing Proxies in Postern

Once proxy setup is complete, using them is straightforward:

Open Postern and tap on VPN Off to activate the VPN
Connected proxies display a green icon while disconnected ones appear red
You can select specific proxies to use from the main menu
Otherwise matching rules will automatically pick suitable proxies
Visit your desired apps and websites
Traffic will seamlessly tunnel through the integrated proxies
Turn off the VPN when done to disable the proxies

Postern even allows you to route only specific apps through the proxy while others have normal connectivity. You can view logs and connection stats by tapping on the proxy server name. This helps debug issues. For real-time monitoring, the data usage meter shows current traffic volumes. Apps consuming high bandwidth or data are easily identifiable.

Advanced Postern Tips and Tricks

Beyond basic proxy configuration, Postern provides several advanced capabilities:

Proxy chaining – Chain together multiple proxies for maximum anonymity. But this can impact speed.
Custom DNS – Override default DNS with providers like AdGuard DNS for filtering and security.
Scripting – Write Javascript scripts to add custom logic to Postern.
Root mode – Enable root mode for deeper system access (requires rooted device).
Certificate management – Install custom certificates to resolve SSL inspection issues with proxies.
Transparent proxying – Intercept traffic without any app configuration needed.
Hostname spoofing – Spoof device hostname so sites cannot fingerprint you.
URL rewrite – Rewrite URLs on the fly before traffic reaches the proxy.

And many more. The wiki documentation covers these advanced features in greater detail. While the basics are enough to get started, explore additional capabilities as you master Postern.

Troubleshooting and Best Practices

To wrap up, here are some troubleshooting tips and best practices when using Postern with proxies:

Double check server addresses, protocols and access credentials configured in Postern
Rotate IP addresses regularly, don't reuse the same IPs if facing blocks
Whitelist Postern from battery/data saving and network security apps
Disable background data restrictions for Postern under Android Settings
Try toggling between WiFi and Cellular data
Verify your proxy subscription is active and has available bandwidth
Clear app cache and data if having connection issues in Postern
Enable verbose logging and check connection logs for identifying problems
Contact your proxy provider if you encounter frequent blocks or captchas
Set Postern to update rules on VPN connect for latest proxy configs
Create separate rules for different types of traffic – social media, scraping etc.
Use proxy authentication headers instead of raw username/password

And that concludes this complete guide on integrating proxies with Postern on Android!The powerful combination of Postern + residential/datacenter proxies takes your mobile automation, data collection and private browsing activities to the next level.

Now you have all the knowledge needed to seamlessly configure and manage proxies for your Android device using this excellent open source app.