DebianLinuxTutorials

How To Install Squid Proxy on Debian 10

Install Squid Proxy on Debian 10

In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Squid Proxy on Debian 10. For those of you who didn’t know, Squid is a caching proxy for the Web supporting HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and many more. It can be used to improve the web server’s performance by caching repeated requests, filtering web traffic, and accessing geo-restricted content.

This article assumes you have at least basic knowledge of Linux, know how to use the shell, and most importantly, you host your site on your own VPS. The installation is quite simple and assumes you are running in the root account, if not you may need to add ‘sudo‘ to the commands to get root privileges. I will show you through the step-by-step installation of Squid Proxy Server on a Debian 10 (Buster).

Prerequisites

  • A server running one of the following operating systems: Debian 10 (Buster).
  • It’s recommended that you use a fresh OS install to prevent any potential issues.
  • A non-root sudo user or access to the root user. We recommend acting as a non-root sudo user, however, as you can harm your system if you’re not careful when acting as the root.

Install Squid Proxy on Debian 10 Buster

Step 1. Before we install any software, it’s important to make sure your system is up to date by running the following apt commands in the terminal:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Step 2. Installing Squid Proxy on Debian 10.

The squid package is included in the standard on Debian 10 repositories. Run the following command to install Squid on the Debian system:

sudo apt install squid

Step 3. Configure Squid Proxy Server.

Now go to the main configuration file of the Squid Proxy Server located in /etc/squid/squid.conf.

sudo nano /etc/squid/squid.conf

Add the following lines:

sudo nano /etc/squid/squid.conf
# Recommended minimum configuration:
auth_param basic program /usr/lib/squid3/basic_ncsa_auth /etc/squid/squid_passwd
acl ncsa_users proxy_auth REQUIRED
http_access allow ncsa_users

acl manager proto cache_object
acl localhost src 127.0.0.1/32
acl to_localhost dst 127.0.0.0/8 0.0.0.0/32
acl SSL_ports port 443
acl Safe_ports port 80            # http
acl Safe_ports port 21            # ftp
acl Safe_ports port 443           # https
acl Safe_ports port 1025-65535    # unregistered ports
acl Safe_ports port 280           # http-mgmt
acl Safe_ports port 488           # gss-http
acl Safe_ports port 591           # filemaker
acl Safe_ports port 777           # multiling http
acl SSL_ports port 9001           # webmin
acl CONNECT method CONNECT

http_access allow manager localhost
http_access deny manager
http_access deny !Safe_ports
http_access deny CONNECT !SSL_ports
http_access deny all
http_port 3128 # Squid normally listens to port 3128

forwarded_for off

request_header_access Allow allow all
request_header_access Authorization allow all
request_header_access Proxy-Authorization allow all
request_header_access Proxy-Authenticate allow all
request_header_access Cache-Control allow all
request_header_access Content-Encoding allow all
request_header_access Content-Length allow all
request_header_access Content-Type allow all
request_header_access Date allow all
request_header_access Expires allow all
request_header_access Host allow all
request_header_access If-Modified-Since allow all
request_header_access Last-Modified allow all
request_header_access Location allow all
request_header_access Pragma allow all
request_header_access Accept allow all
request_header_access Accept-Charset allow all
request_header_access Accept-Encoding allow all
request_header_access Accept-Language allow all
request_header_access Content-Language allow all
request_header_access Mime-Version allow all
request_header_access Retry-After allow all
request_header_access Title allow all
request_header_access Connection allow all
request_header_access Proxy-Connection allow all
request_header_access User-Agent allow all
request_header_access Cookie allow all
request_header_access All deny all
visible_hostname idroot.us

Whenever you make changes to the configuration file you need to restart the Squid service for the changes to take effect:

sudo systemctl restart squid

Step 4. Configure Squid Authentication.

Now we create our authentication file which Squid can use to verify for user authentications:

$ htpasswd -b /etc/squid/squid_passwd username password

Example create Squid Authentication:

$ htpasswd -b -c /etc/squid/squid_passwd ranty ratna

After making changes to the config file, save the file and restart the squid server service to effect the changes using the following command entered at a terminal prompt:

sudo systemctl restart squid

Step 5. Configure firewall.

UFW users can open the port 3128 by enabling the ‘Squid’ profile:

sudo ufw allow 'Squid'

Step 6. Configure Client for the Squid Proxy Server.

Let’s do a simple test of proxying with the Firefox web browser. Just go to Menu > preferences > Network Settings > Settings. Check to Use this proxy server for all protocols.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Squid. Thanks for using this tutorial for installing the latest version of Squid Proxy on Debian 10 Buster. For additional help or useful information, we recommend you to check the official Squid website.

VPS Manage Service Offer
If you don’t have time to do all of this stuff, or if this is not your area of expertise, we offer a service to do “VPS Manage Service Offer”, starting from $10 (Paypal payment). Please contact us to get the best deal!

r00t

r00t is a seasoned Linux system administrator with a wealth of experience in the field. Known for his contributions to idroot.us, r00t has authored numerous tutorials and guides, helping users navigate the complexities of Linux systems. His expertise spans across various Linux distributions, including Ubuntu, CentOS, and Debian. r00t's work is characterized by his ability to simplify complex concepts, making Linux more accessible to users of all skill levels. His dedication to the Linux community and his commitment to sharing knowledge makes him a respected figure in the field.
Back to top button