1. What is Shadowsocks?
Shadowsocks is a secure socks5
proxy that can protect your internet traffic. Based on various encryption methods, it is recommended to use
aes-256-cfb encryption. Installation and use require both a local client and a server.
The local client is already available in multiple versions, including iOS, Android, Windows, MAC, and even routers
(based on OpenWRT), so it is convenient to use and can meet different needs.
The remote server is generally installed on various Linux-based distribution operating systems, such as
Debian, CentOS, Fedora, Redhat, Ubuntu, openSUSE, etc.
2. Who is the author of Shadowsocks?
Initially, there was only a Python version, developed and maintained by @clowwindy. Later, as it became more well-known, versions in various languages began to appear, among which the more notable ones are
libev, go, nodejs, and others. It should be noted that the author of the nodejs version is also
@clowwindy, but this version is no longer maintained. The maintainer of libev is @madeye, and it continues to receive long-term updates.
3. One-click installation script for Shadowsocks
Although the author’s installation tutorial is already quite comprehensive, many people still do not know how to install and use it, so I wrote a
one-click installation script for Shadowsocks, mainly for one-click installation on CentOS
systems (there is also one for Debian systems), with Python, libev, and nodejs versions available. Personally, I recommend using the Python and libev versions.
This script will automatically download, compile, and install the latest version of
Shadowsocks, and it can also completely uninstall Shadowsocks
, automatically generate the configuration file, and be ready to use as soon as the installation is complete.
4. How to upgrade Shadowsocks
After installing Shadowsocks, after some time the author may have released an updated version (fixing bugs
or upgrading features). So how can you upgrade to the latest version with one click?
For the Python version, run the command: pip install -U shadowsocks
. After the command runs successfully, restart Shadowsocks with the command: service
shadowsocks restart
For the libev version, first uninstall the old version by running: ./shadowsocks-libev.sh
uninstall , then install the new version by running: ./shadowsocks-libev.sh
install
For the libev version on Debian, the upgrade method is the same as above.
For the nodejs
version, you also need to uninstall it first and then reinstall it. Since the author no longer updates it, this version is not recommended.
5. What to do if Shadowsocks installation fails
Because the default gcc version in CentOS 5.x is too old, errors will occur when compiling the libev
version; at the same time, the default Python version is also too old, so the
Python version cannot be installed either. Therefore, please make sure the installation environment is CentOS 6.x or CentOS
7.x .
For more other errors, please search for keywords on google
yourself based on the actual error messages.
6. Shadowsocks Client Software
Most people use computers on Windows, so the best Windows
client is shadowsocks-gui . After downloading the latest version, just extract it and use it.
7. Accessing the Internet Through the Shadowsocks Local Proxy
Start the client on your local computer and connect to the remote server, and a
SOCKS5 proxy will be enabled locally. The default local port number is
1080. If it shows as occupied, you can change it to another port number. Install a plugin in your browser: on Chrome
use SwitchySharp, and on Firefox
use AutoProxy. Create a new profile, set the SOCKS
Host to 127.0.0.1, and set the Port to
1080 (default; it just needs to match the local port number of the Shadowsocks client)