HTTPS Proxy vs HTTP CONNECT Tunnel: Which Method is Safer for Arbitrage and Scraping?

When choosing a proxy for working with advertising accounts, multi-accounting, or parsing, you will inevitably encounter the terms "HTTPS proxy" and "HTTP CONNECT tunnel." At first glance, it seems that they are the same, but in practice, they are two fundamentally different methods of data transmission through a proxy server. An incorrect choice can lead to real IP leaks, account bans, or data security issues.

In this guide, we will analyze the technical differences between the methods, their impact on security and anonymity, and provide specific recommendations for various tasks: from farming Facebook Ads accounts to parsing marketplaces.

What are HTTPS Proxies and HTTP CONNECT Tunnels

Let's start with basic definitions to understand what we're talking about. Both methods are used to transmit HTTPS traffic (secure connections) through a proxy server, but they do so in completely different ways.

HTTPS Proxy is a regular HTTP proxy server that operates over an encrypted TLS/SSL connection. Think of it as double packaging: your traffic is first encrypted for the destination site (e.g., Facebook), and then this encrypted connection is transmitted through the proxy server over another encrypted channel. The proxy server sees that you are transmitting encrypted data but cannot read it.

HTTP CONNECT Tunnel is a method where the proxy server creates a direct TCP tunnel between your device and the target site. The proxy receives a CONNECT command with the destination address, establishes a connection, and then simply forwards bytes in both directions without interfering with the content. It's like a telephone operator who connects two subscribers and then does not listen to the conversation.

Technical Difference: How Each Method Works

To understand which method to choose for your tasks, you need to delve into the technical details of how each works. This will help avoid compatibility and security issues.

How HTTPS Proxy Works

When using an HTTPS proxy, the following sequence occurs:

1. Your browser or application establishes a TLS/SSL connection with the proxy server (not with the target site!)
2. An HTTP request is sent to the target site through this encrypted connection
3. The proxy server decrypts your request, reads the headers and URL
4. The proxy establishes its own TLS/SSL connection with the target site
5. The proxy forwards your request to the site and receives a response
6. The response is encrypted and sent back to you through the first TLS connection

The key point: the proxy server sees and can modify all your traffic, including headers, cookies, and even the content of requests. This is called a "man-in-the-middle" position. For this method to work, the proxy server needs its own SSL certificate that your browser trusts.

How HTTP CONNECT Tunnel Works

The HTTP CONNECT method works quite differently:

1. Your browser sends a special HTTP request to the proxy server: CONNECT facebook.com:443 HTTP/1.1
2. The proxy server establishes a TCP connection with facebook.com on port 443
3. The proxy responds: HTTP/1.1 200 Connection Established
4. From this point, the proxy acts as a "pipe" — simply forwarding bytes between you and the site
5. Your browser establishes a TLS/SSL connection directly with facebook.com through this tunnel
6. All further traffic is end-to-end encrypted, and the proxy does not see it

In this case, the proxy server does not see the content of your traffic — it only knows the destination address (facebook.com:443) but cannot read what you are doing there, what pages you are opening, or what data you are sending.

Comparative Table of Methods

Security and Anonymity: Which Protects Better

The question of security is critical for anyone working with multi-accounting, traffic arbitrage, or parsing. Let's analyze what threats exist and how each method deals with them.

Protection from Target Sites (Facebook, Instagram, Marketplaces)

From the perspective of the target site, both methods work the same — it sees the IP address of the proxy server, not your real IP. There is no difference in anonymity before Facebook or Wildberries. What matters more is the quality of the proxies themselves — whether you are using mobile proxies with real operator IPs or cheap data centers.

However, there is a nuance: when using an HTTPS proxy, there is a theoretical risk that the proxy provider may insert additional headers into your requests (for example, X-Forwarded-For with your real IP). With a CONNECT tunnel, this is technically impossible — the proxy does not have access to the content of the requests.

Protection from Proxy Provider

Here, the difference is significant. When using an HTTPS proxy, the provider can:

• Log all your requests, including full URLs with parameters
• See all cookies and authorization headers
• Read unencrypted content (if the proxy decrypts HTTPS)
• Modify server responses (inject scripts, ads)

With the HTTP CONNECT tunnel, the proxy provider only knows:

• The domain name and destination port (facebook.com:443)
• The volume of data transmitted
• Connection time

But cannot read the content — what pages you are opening, what you are posting, what creatives you are uploading to the ad account.

Protection from Internet Service Provider (ISP)

Your internet provider sees that you are connecting to a proxy server but does not see the final destination address in both cases. However, with an HTTPS proxy, the provider can determine that you are using a proxy by the characteristic pattern of double TLS encryption. With a CONNECT tunnel, the traffic looks like a regular HTTPS connection.

Security Recommendations

For maximum security, follow these rules:

1. For confidential tasks (working with ad accounts, client accounts), use only the HTTP CONNECT tunnel
2. For parsing public data, you can use HTTPS proxies — there is no critical information here
3. Check certificates — if the browser shows a warning about an untrusted certificate when using HTTPS proxy, it may be an attempt to intercept traffic
4. Use proxies from reliable providers with a transparent logging policy

Compatibility with Tools and Browsers

Not all tools support both methods equally well. This is important to consider when choosing, especially if you are using specialized software for arbitrage or SMM.

Anti-Detect Browsers

Most popular anti-detect browsers support both methods:

• Dolphin Anty — by default uses HTTP CONNECT for all HTTPS connections. This is the optimal option for security
• AdsPower — supports both methods, can be selected in proxy settings
• Multilogin — uses CONNECT by default but can be configured for HTTPS proxies for specific tasks
• GoLogin — automatically determines the method depending on the type of proxy
• Octo Browser — full support for both methods with detailed settings

In 99% of cases, you do not need to configure anything — anti-detect browsers automatically use the CONNECT tunnel for maximum security.

Regular Browsers (Chrome, Firefox)

Standard browsers always use HTTP CONNECT for HTTPS sites when connecting through a proxy. This is built into the HTTP/1.1 protocol specification and cannot be changed. So if you are configuring a proxy in system settings or through an extension, tunneling will automatically be used for all HTTPS sites.

Parsers and Automation

The situation here is more complex — it depends on the library and programming language:

• Python requests — supports both methods, uses CONNECT for HTTPS by default
• Selenium/Puppeteer — use browser settings, meaning CONNECT for HTTPS
• cURL — CONNECT by default, can force HTTPS proxy with the --proxy-ssl flag
• Node.js axios — CONNECT for HTTPS automatically

Problems arise rarely, but if your parser does not work through a proxy with HTTPS sites, check for CONNECT method support in the library you are using.

Mobile Applications and Emulators

When working with Instagram, TikTok, or other social networks through mobile emulators (for SMM automation), the system proxy Android/iOS is used. Both methods are supported, but some applications may block operation through HTTPS proxies if they detect a certificate substitution.

For such cases, HTTP CONNECT is the only working option, as the application establishes a direct TLS connection with the server and does not see the proxy in the chain.

When to Use Each Type: Practical Scenarios

Now that we have covered the technical details, let's move on to specific recommendations for different tasks.

Use HTTP CONNECT Tunnel for:

1. Traffic Arbitrage and Working with Ad Accounts

If you are farming Facebook Ads, TikTok Ads, Google Ads accounts, or launching advertising campaigns, the CONNECT tunnel is essential. Reasons:

• The proxy provider does not see your creatives, campaign settings, access tokens
• Modification of requests, which may raise suspicion with anti-fraud systems, is impossible
• Complete confidentiality of your strategies and connections

2. Multi-Accounting in Social Networks (SMM Agencies)

When managing client accounts on Instagram, TikTok, VK through anti-detect browsers, use CONNECT. This protects client data — their passwords, correspondence, and content do not get logged by the proxy provider.

3. Working with Financial Services

Payment systems, cryptocurrency exchanges, bank accounts — any operations with money should only go through the CONNECT tunnel. HTTPS proxies are unacceptable here due to the risks of data interception.

4. Bypassing Blocks and Censorship

If you need to bypass a site block by the provider or in a corporate network, CONNECT works more reliably — the traffic is harder to detect and block.

You Can Use HTTPS Proxies for:

1. Parsing Public Data

If you are parsing prices on Wildberries, Ozon, Yandex.Market, or collecting public information from websites, HTTPS proxies are quite suitable. There is no confidential data here, and some HTTPS proxies may offer additional features like caching or traffic compression.

2. Testing Site Availability

Checking how your site looks from different regions or countries is a task where HTTPS proxies work excellently.

3. Corporate Use with Monitoring

In some companies, HTTPS proxies are intentionally used to monitor employee traffic (with their consent). Here, it is a feature, not a bug.

Setup in Anti-Detect Browsers and Parsers

The good news: in most cases, you do not need to configure anything manually — modern tools automatically choose the right method. But let's discuss how it works and what to do if control is needed.

Setup in Dolphin Anty

Dolphin Anty automatically uses HTTP CONNECT for all HTTPS connections. You just need to:

1. Create a new browser profile
2. In the "Proxy" section, select the type (HTTP, SOCKS5)
3. Enter the address, port, username, and password of the proxy
4. Click "Check Proxy"

Dolphin will automatically test the connection and show the IP that sites see. The CONNECT method will be used for HTTPS sites without additional settings.

Setup in AdsPower

AdsPower gives more control:

1. Open profile settings → "Proxy" tab
2. Select the type of proxy (HTTP or SOCKS5 is suitable for CONNECT)
3. In the advanced settings, there is an "SSL Proxy" option — this is the HTTPS proxy method
4. Leave it off to use CONNECT (recommended)

Enable "SSL Proxy" only if your proxy provider explicitly requires it for operation.

Setup in Parsers (Python)

If you are using Python for parsing, the requests library automatically uses CONNECT for HTTPS:

import requests

proxies = {
    'http': 'http://user:pass@proxy.example.com:8080',
    'https': 'http://user:pass@proxy.example.com:8080'  # Yes, http:// for HTTPS too!
}

response = requests.get('https://facebook.com', proxies=proxies)
# Automatically uses CONNECT tunnel

Note: even for HTTPS sites, specify http:// in the proxy settings, not https://. This is correct — you are specifying the protocol for connecting to the proxy, not to the final site.

Checking the Connection Method

How to know which method is actually being used? There are several ways:

Method 1: Traffic Analysis in the Browser

1. Open DevTools (F12) → Network tab
2. Go to an HTTPS site
3. Find the first request to the site
4. If you see :method: CONNECT in Headers — the tunnel is being used

Method 2: Proxy Server Logs

If you have access to the proxy logs, with CONNECT you will see entries like:

CONNECT facebook.com:443 HTTP/1.1
Host: facebook.com:443
Proxy-Connection: keep-alive

With HTTPS proxies, the logs will contain full HTTP requests with GET, POST methods and URLs.

Common Problems and Their Solutions

When working with proxies, typical errors occur. Let's discuss the most common ones and how to fix them.

Error "Proxy CONNECT aborted"

Reason: The proxy server does not support the CONNECT method or blocks certain ports/domains.

Solution:

• Check if your proxy supports HTTPS (port 443)
• Some cheap proxies block CONNECT — switch providers
• Make sure you are using the correct type of proxy (HTTP, not SOCKS4)

Warning about Untrusted SSL Certificate

Reason: The proxy uses the HTTPS method and substitutes the site's SSL certificate with its own.

Solution:

• If this is expected behavior (corporate proxy) — install the proxy certificate in the system
• If you did not expect this — switch proxies, there may be an attempt to intercept data
• Switch to the CONNECT method if the proxy supports it

Slow Speed with HTTPS Proxy

Reason: Double encryption creates additional load on the processor.

Solution:

• Switch to HTTP CONNECT — it is faster
• Use data center proxies — they have higher processing speeds
• Check CPU load — the problem may not be with the proxy

Proxy Works for HTTP but Not for HTTPS

Reason: The proxy server blocks the CONNECT method or processes it incorrectly.

Solution:

• Check the proxy settings — a different port may be needed for HTTPS
• Try SOCKS5 instead of HTTP — it always supports tunneling
• Contact the proxy provider — this may be a tariff limitation

Real IP Leak When Using Proxy

Reason: WebRTC or DNS requests bypass the proxy.

Solution:

• Disable WebRTC in the browser or anti-detect settings
• Configure DNS through the proxy (this is usually enabled by default in anti-detects)
• Check for leaks on sites like ipleak.net

This problem is not related to the choice between HTTPS proxy and CONNECT — it occurs with any type of proxy if leak protection is not configured.

Conclusion

HTTPS proxies and HTTP CONNECT tunnels are two different approaches to transmitting encrypted traffic through a proxy server. HTTPS proxies create double encryption and allow the provider to see the content of requests, while CONNECT creates a direct tunnel with end-to-end encryption, where the proxy acts as a "pipe" without access to the data.

For most tasks related to multi-accounting, traffic arbitrage, and working with confidential data, the optimal choice is the HTTP CONNECT tunnel. It provides maximum privacy, works faster, and is supported by all modern tools: anti-detect browsers Dolphin Anty, AdsPower, Multilogin, GoLogin, as well as standard browsers and parsing libraries.

HTTPS proxies have a limited scope of application — corporate networks with traffic control, specific tasks with caching or data compression. For the average user, this method carries more risks than benefits.

The good news: in 99% of cases, you do not need to manually select a method — modern software automatically uses CONNECT for HTTPS connections. Just choose a reliable proxy provider, configure the connection in your tool, and work peacefully.

If you are working with Facebook Ads, Instagram, TikTok, or other platforms where anonymity and stability are important, we recommend using mobile proxies — they provide maximum trust from anti-fraud systems and automatically operate through a secure CONNECT tunnel.