Web Access - CGI Proxy

What is a CGI Proxy?

A CGI proxy is a free script that can be found on many Web pages that acts as an HTTP or FTP proxy. What this means is that through a CGI proxy, you can access any Web site using the server of a different Web site.

For example, some organizations may block the URL "http://www.rfa.org" with their firewall, but by using CGI proxy you can get around this. A CGI proxy allows the Web user to be anonymous and access Web sites that may be restricted.

How it works

A proxy server is a computer network service which allows users to make indirect connections to other network services. A user connects to the proxy server, and then requests a connection, file, or other resource available on a different server.

Proxy servers can help in when owners of the Internet resources impose restrictions on users from certain countries or geographical regions.

As well as providing a way to access blocked Web pages, a CGI proxy can also provide some degree of anonymity. Although it is not foolproof, it can prevent the Web site you are viewing from knowing more about you.

How to Find CGI Proxies on the Web

As the filename of the script is usually nph-proxy.pl or nph-proxy.cgi, use a search engine (Yahoo, Google, etc.) to look for sites with pages that contain these files. Use these phrases as a serch term: Search for nph-proxy , Search for nph-proxy.pl, Search for nph-proxy.cgi

You can also search using the phrase start using CGIProxy to find Web sites hosting CGI proxies. In the results, you will find a list of pages that offer the use of CGI Proxy, or that link to another page offering access to CGI Proxy.

If you just need a fast way to get around blocking software, try going to the following sites, enter the URL of the restricted site you want to visit, and the proxy will access the site for you. However, since these are public sites, they might be blacklisted by your ISP.