For some time the only choice in proxy scripts was between CGI or PHProxy. While these scripts are still some of the most popular, today there is a veritable wealth of other proxy scripts to choose from. Do remember though that all of these scripts essentially perform the same function, and when integrated into our templates, will look (almost) identical.

So rather than appearance, when deciding on which script you will install what should you be looking for?. Some scripts are friendlier towards JavaScript than others. Some cope better with logins, others with streaming media and so on. Think of your end users’ needs. Also of consideration should be how much you can afford to spend on hosting. This is important because some scripts (such as CGI proxy) can be quite demanding on RAM/CPU while others (like PHProxy) can eat up bandwidth. Balancing user requirements, running costs and available resources can be a difficult juggling act.

PHProxy

This is probably the most popular web proxy script. By far our own download stats reflect this. As the name suggests, PHProxy is coded in PHP, a very common web scripting language. For this reason it is easy to get the code adjusted to your specific requirements with an almost infinite number of coders and freelancers online to make changes for little outlay. By contrast Perl (the heart of CGI proxy) is a ‘messier’ scripting language which is used less and less online.

CGI Proxy

CGI proxy, being one of the original proxy scripts means that it remains popular (though less so than PHProxy or Glype). The script is quite demanding on RAM, so it is probably necessary to invest in a dedicated hosting provider, meaning higher expenses. CGI proxy was always known to be better for sites which require logins (i.e. the majority of social networking sites). While that may have been true a couple of years ago, today the majority of scripts have been tweaked to allow site login through the proxy server.