Setting up Proxy in Insomnia

Setting up Proxies in Insomnia

Introduction

Insomnia is a popular HTTP client for developers, an alternative to Postman. Proxy support in Insomnia is crucial for working in corporate networks, testing APIs from various geolocations, and debugging traffic via an intercepting proxy.

Basic Configuration

Configuration in Insomnia

1. Open Insomnia
2. Go to Preferences (Ctrl+,)
3. "General" tab → "HTTP Network Proxy" section
4. Enable "Enable Proxy"
5. Enter the proxy address in the format: http://proxy_ip:port
6. For HTTPS: https://proxy_ip:port
7. No Proxy: localhost, *.local

Authentication

Insomnia supports proxies with authentication:
- URL format: http://user:pass@proxy_ip:port
- Or via Environment Variables: HTTP_PROXY, HTTPS_PROXY

Environment Variables

Insomnia reads system environment variables:
- HTTP_PROXY / http_proxy
- HTTPS_PROXY / https_proxy
- NO_PROXY / no_proxy

Advanced Configuration

Environment Variables

Most tools support standard environment variables for proxies:
- HTTP_PROXY / http_proxy — proxy for HTTP requests
- HTTPS_PROXY / https_proxy — proxy for HTTPS requests
- NO_PROXY / no_proxy — list of exclusions (addresses that bypass the proxy)
- ALL_PROXY / all_proxy — proxy for all protocols

SSL and Self-Signed Certificates

Corporate proxies often use their own SSL certificates. To work through them, you need to:
1. Obtain the proxy's CA certificate from the administrator
2. Add it to the system certificate store
3. Or disable SSL verification (for testing only)

Authentication

Two main authentication methods are supported:

Username and Password — standard HTTP Basic authentication. Credentials are sent with each request. URL format: http://user:pass@proxy_ip:port

By IP address (whitelist) — your IP is added to a whitelist. No credentials need to be sent.

Verification

After configuration, check:
1. Execute a test request through the proxy
2. Ensure that the IP address has changed
3. Check the connection speed
4. Verify the absence of DNS leaks

Troubleshooting

Proxy Connection Issues

• Check the correctness of the address and port
• Ensure that the firewall is not blocking the connection
• Check the proxy's accessibility from your network

SSL Errors

• For corporate proxies, add the CA certificate
• For testing, temporarily disable SSL verification
• Update SSL libraries to the latest version

Authentication Errors

• Check the username and password
• Ensure the correct format of credentials
• Try URL encoding special characters in the password

Best Practices

1. Use environment variables — for flexibility and security
2. Do not hardcode credentials — use environment variables or configuration files
3. Configure exclusions — do not proxy localhost and internal addresses
4. Document settings — in the project's README or team wiki
5. Test after changes — any configuration change requires verification

Conclusion

Proper proxy configuration ensures stable tool operation and secure connections. Follow the recommendations in this guide and always verify functionality after setup.