The SOCKS5 protocol is the protocol that is often featured in various VPN services as an additional protocol for the regular PPTP, L2TP, OpenVPN, and other protocols. First of all, what you need to know about SOCKS5 is that this is an upgraded version of Socket Secure protocol, which provides the additional encryption system as well as the UDP and TCP transmission. On the previous version of SOCKS, the SOCKS4, it doesn’t support the UDP transmission. The protocol is often used for performance-based data transmission.
SOCKS5 is quite different from the regular HTTPS proxy, in which it provides the possibility for the users to use all types of traffic instead of just the HTTP traffic. It means that it not only deals with the data transmission from web pages, but also the data transmission for other types of traffic, such as P2P traffic, email applications, and other application-based network traffic. To know better about this protocol, here are the things that you should know about this protocol and proxy:
1. It’s All About Delivering The Best Performance
The main highlight of SOCKS5 protocol is the performance that it can provide for the users. It means that compared to other types of protocols, this one can provide a faster data transfer between the servers and the user’s device. This is why this protocol is often used for heavy data transmission, such as downloading and uploading files over the internet and between different applications. It is an upgrade from the previous SOCKS4 protocol that allows even faster data transfer since it supports the UDP data transmission.
2. It Is Often Used In Torrenting Or P2P File Sharing
Because this protocol is designed to not just handle the HTTP requests just like the regular HTTP proxy, the SOCKS protocol, since its first development, has been used for torrenting or P2P file sharing. This is because of various reasons, with the main reason being its stability and reliability in delivering data packets from various types of traffic, including the torrenting traffic. Most VPN providers that don’t have the SOCKS5 protocol enabled usually don’t support the P2P file sharing because this type of online activity cannot be done simply with the regular HTTP protocol.
3. SOCKS5 Features An Encryption System
This protocol is better than its predecessor as it features an added encryption system and an added support for UDP data transmission as well. An encryption system is useful to ensure that only a certain IP address can access a certain private server using this protocol, and it ensures that your connection is not being shared or interrupted by other third parties. The previous version, the SOCKS4, doesn’t provide the added encryption and UDP support, making it less secure than the newer version.
4. It Supports UDP And TCP Data Transfer
The TCP data transmission is often used by various protocols to make it possible for you to access regular websites using a private proxy server. It means that when using the TCP data transmission, you can hide your real IP address while getting the benefits of accessing the regular websites with a faster performance. However, the TCP data transmission has a latency problem, making it impossible to transmit data that requires minimum latency, such as online gaming and video streaming. With the support of UDP data transmission, SOCKS5 has become a better protocol in handling low latency data transmission while keeping the performance in the best possible state.
5. It Can Be Used As A Standalone Protocol Or Combined With VPN
The good news about SOCKS5 protocol is that you can use it as a standalone protocol and still be able to access the internet anonymously with fast data transfer. You don’t need to use VPN for it to work because it can be configured just like you configure the VPN connection. However, when used without a VPN, the SOCKS5 offers less security features as your download activity can still be monitored by third parties. So, it is always better to combine this protocol with VPN to ensure that you get all the necessary protection and privacy while browsing or transmitting data from the internet.
Those are the things that you should know about SOCKS5 protocol and proxy. The bottom line is that this protocol offers faster data transmission than other protocols, and it is recommended to be used if you plan on doing any torrenting activity. However, it is better to use it with VPN to ensure that you get the best protection system for your network connection and be able to stay anonymous online.