{"id":1969,"date":"2022-08-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-24T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kocerroxy-homepage.staging.ideatocode.tech\/similarities-and-differences-between-socks4-and-socks5-proxies\/"},"modified":"2026-03-28T16:02:42","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T16:02:42","slug":"similarities-and-differences-between-socks4-and-socks5-proxies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kocerroxy.com\/blog\/similarities-and-differences-between-socks4-and-socks5-proxies\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are the Similarities and Differences Between SOCKS4 and SOCKS5 Proxies?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What are the similarities and differences between SOCKS4 and SOCKS5 proxies? And just how exactly do the similarities and differences affect you? Read on through this piece to find out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’ve used the internet for any length of time, you’ve realized how important online privacy can be to users. An entire field of study called cybersecurity<\/a><\/strong> concerns itself with tools and methods to ensure that data transmitted through the internet is handled within their protocols. These days, you may recognize advanced internet privacy tools like VPNs and proxies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, data privacy is subjective. It depends on what your intentions are, as well as which channel the data will go through. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In many cases, people often use proxies for functions beyond data security. For instance, you’ll need proxies if you’re into web scraping<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But proxies themselves have their own subcategories based on the SOCKS internet protocol. Today, we have SOCKS4 and SOCKS5 proxies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feature<\/th>SOCKS4<\/th>SOCKS5<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
TCP support<\/td>Yes<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
UDP support<\/td>No<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Authentication<\/td>No real method negotiation; usually no auth<\/td>Supports method negotiation; can use no-auth, username\/password, or other methods depending on implementation<\/td><\/tr>
IPv6<\/td>No<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Domain-name handling<\/td>Not in plain SOCKS4; available through SOCKS4a<\/td>Supported<\/td><\/tr>
DNS resolution<\/td>Usually local in plain SOCKS4; proxy-side with SOCKS4a<\/td>Can be local or proxy-side depending on client mode; proxy-side with hostname modes like SOCKS5h<\/td><\/tr>
Best for<\/td>Legacy TCP-only tools and older setups<\/td>Modern apps, authenticated proxies, and broader traffic compatibility<\/td><\/tr>
Bad fit when<\/td>You need UDP, IPv6, or flexible hostname handling<\/td>Your tool only supports SOCKS4 or is locked to a legacy setup<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
Key Differences Between SOCKS4 and SOCKS5.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

DNS resolution depends on the client mode you use. For example, SOCKS4 and SOCKS5 often resolve hostnames locally, while SOCKS4a and SOCKS5h send the hostname to the proxy for resolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>What\u2019s SOCKS?<\/span><\/h2>
\n
\n

Table of Contents<\/p>\nToggle<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n