Privoxy is a non-caching web proxy with advanced filtering capabilities, commonly used for blocking ads and unwanted content. Installing Privoxy on a CentOS 8 Server is a straightforward process, and in this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to get it up and running.
Step 1: Update Package Lists
Before installing any new software, it’s essential to ensure that your system’s package lists are up to date. Open a terminal and run the following command:
sudo yum update
This command fetches the latest package information from the CentOS repositories.
Step 2: Install Privoxy
Once the package lists are updated, you can proceed to install Privoxy using the following command:
sudo yum install privoxy
This command will install Privoxy and any necessary dependencies. During the installation process, you may be prompted to confirm the installation by typing ‘Y’ and then pressing ‘Enter’.
Step 3: Configure Privoxy
After installation, Privoxy’s main configuration file can be found at /etc/privoxy/config
. You can use your preferred text editor to open and modify this file. For example:
sudo nano /etc/privoxy/config
Here are some key configurations you might want to consider:
- Listen Address and Port: By default, Privoxy listens on localhost (127.0.0.1) on port 8118. You can change these settings if needed.
- Forwarding: Privoxy can forward requests to another proxy server if necessary. You can configure the upstream proxy settings in the configuration file.
- Filtering Rules: Privoxy allows you to define filtering rules to block or modify web content. You can enable various filtering options and customize them to suit your needs.
Make your desired changes to the configuration file, then save and close it.
Step 4: Start and Enable Privoxy
After configuring Privoxy, you need to start the Privoxy service and enable it to start automatically at boot time. Use the following commands to achieve this:
sudo systemctl start privoxy
sudo systemctl enable privoxy
Step 5: Verify Privoxy Installation
To ensure that Privoxy is running and accessible, you can check its status using the following command:
sudo systemctl status privoxy
If Privoxy is running properly, you should see a message indicating that it is active and running.
Step 6: Test the Proxy Server
Finally, you can test the functionality of your Privoxy server by configuring a client device to use it as a proxy and accessing a website through it.
Congratulations! You have successfully installed Privoxy on your CentOS 8 Server. You can now use it to filter and modify web content according to your requirements.
Remember to configure any necessary firewall rules to allow traffic to your Privoxy server if you haven’t done so already. Additionally, you may want to explore further configuration options in the Privoxy documentation for advanced use cases.