Use Opera with proxy - how it works

Opera is a popular internet browser. This practical tip explains how you can use this with a proxy server.

Use Opera with a proxy: what is a proxy server?

A proxy server is a server that can speed up communication over the Internet, for example.
It is also possible to monitor or modify information using a proxy.
Proxies also help secure local copies of websites for faster access.
However, the most sensible application of a proxy server is to "pretend" another location of use in order to be able to access regionally limited files or information, for example with streaming services such as Netflix or Sky Go.
However, the EU Parliament has only recently adopted a new directive that makes proxy servers obsolete for most services.

After the theoretical basics, it is now time for practical implementation in the Opera web browser:

You need some information to use a proxy server. This includes a protocol (e.g. http), an Internet address and a port number of the server.
You get this information either from your Internet provider, from the operator of the proxy server or together with your proxy software.
Then enter the data in Opera under "Settings", "Advanced", "Network" and "Proxy server".
The HTTP protocol is used for "normal websites", you should only specify HTTPS if you are surfing behind a firewall.
For Gopher or WAIS files, choose the appropriate options.
If you only want to use the server locally, you can do this using the "Use proxy for local server" option.
If an automatic server configuration is required on the part of the Internet provider, simply enter the web address for the script of the automatic configuration and activate the corresponding option.

You can determine yourself which servers are to be accessed via the proxy server and which are not:

This can make sense, for example, if the distance to a server is so small that a proxy server slows down the speed rather than accelerates it.
To do this, select the "Exception list" option and then "Use proxy for all servers that are not in the list".
Now you can enter servers or IP addresses.
By entering the IP address you are asking Opera to go directly to the specified pages and not via the proxy server.
The other way around, it is also possible to create a "whitelist". To do this, you must select the option "Use proxy only for the servers listed in the list" and then create a list of servers that only use the proxy server.

We'll show you how to set up Opera VPN on Android in another practical tip.