**Puppeteer** is a Node.js library for controlling headless Chrome or Chromium browsers. It's commonly used for automating tasks like rendering JavaScript-heavy pages, interacting with dynamic content, and scraping data from sites that require full browser simulation.
## **Prerequisites** - Node.js (v16 or newer) - Puppeteer installed: ```bash npm install puppeteer ``` - Squid Proxies account with your IP whitelisted - A proxy list from your Squid Proxies dashboard (e.g., `123.45.67.89:8000`, `p102.squidproxies.com:8907`)
## **Launch Puppeteer with a static proxy** This is the simplest way to route traffic through a proxy. ```js const puppeteer = require('puppeteer'); (async () => { const browser = await puppeteer.launch({ args: ['--proxy-server=http://123.45.67.89:8000'], headless: true }); const page = await browser.newPage(); await page.goto('https://ipinfo.io'); await page.screenshot({ path: 'proxy-test.png' }); await browser.close(); })(); ``` ✅ This will launch Puppeteer through your Squid Proxy IP.
## **Residential proxy configuration (hostname-based)** If using a residential proxy, use your gateway address: ```js args: ['--proxy-server=http://p102.squidproxies.com:8907'] ``` 📍 No username or password is required if you're using IP whitelisting.
## **Proxy authentication (if required)** Skip this step if you're using Squid Proxies with IP auth. ```js await page.authenticate({ username: 'yourUsername', password: 'yourPassword' }); ```
## **Rotating proxies in Puppeteer** Use a proxy list and randomly select one per browser launch: ```js const proxies = [ 'http://123.45.67.89:8000', 'http://123.45.67.90:8000', 'http://123.45.67.91:8000' ]; const proxy = proxies[Math.floor(Math.random() * proxies.length)]; const browser = await puppeteer.launch({ args: [`--proxy-server=${proxy}`], headless: true }); ``` 💡 Tip: Rotate proxies per request using browser contexts for better control.
## **Rotating user-agents** Avoid fingerprinting by rotating `User-Agent` headers. ```js const userAgents = [ 'Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64)...', 'Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7)...' ]; const userAgent = userAgents[Math.floor(Math.random() * userAgents.length)]; await page.setUserAgent(userAgent); ```
## **Enable stealth mode in Puppeteer** Use `puppeteer-extra` with the stealth plugin: ```bash npm install puppeteer-extra puppeteer-extra-plugin-stealth ``` ```js const puppeteer = require('puppeteer-extra'); const StealthPlugin = require('puppeteer-extra-plugin-stealth'); puppeteer.use(StealthPlugin()); (async () => { const browser = await puppeteer.launch({ args: ['--proxy-server=http://123.45.67.89:8000'], headless: true }); const page = await browser.newPage(); await page.goto('https://httpbin.org/headers'); await browser.close(); })(); ``` 💡 This hides WebGL, language headers, and other bot clues.
## **CAPTCHA handling with 2Captcha** If you encounter reCAPTCHA or hCaptcha: - Extract sitekey from CAPTCHA iframe - Submit to 2Captcha - Wait for token - Inject token into the page For full code, see the [CAPTCHA Handling with 2Captcha](https://www.squidproxies.com/developer-docs/dev-advanced-guides/captcha-handling-with-2captcha) guide.
## **Testing your proxy setup** **In Puppeteer:** ```js await page.goto('https://ipinfo.io'); ``` **In terminal:** ```bash curl -x http://123.45.67.89:8000 https://httpbin.org/ip ``` You should see the proxy IP in the output, confirming that traffic is routed through Squid Proxies.
## **Best practices summary** | Strategy | Description | |--------------------|-------------------------------------------------------| | Use IP whitelisting | No auth needed, fast and stable | | Rotate IPs | Per browser or request to avoid detection | | Spoof headers | Vary `User-Agent` and `Accept-Language` | | Use stealth plugin | Reduces fingerprint leakage | | Solve CAPTCHAs | Use services like 2Captcha when needed | | Always test | Confirm proxy IP with tools like `ipinfo.io` |
With this setup, you can build powerful, stealthy Puppeteer automation workflows that scale cleanly with Squid Proxies.
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**More Guides:** - [Proxy Rotation & Session Management](https://www.squidproxies.com/developer-docs/dev-advanced-guides/proxy-rotation-amp-session-management) - [CAPTCHA Handling with 2Captcha](https://www.squidproxies.com/developer-docs/dev-advanced-guides/captcha-handling-with-2captcha)