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HTTPS_PROXY

Specifies the proxy server URL for HTTPS requests. Most tools check both HTTP_PROXY and HTTPS_PROXY separately. Can point to either an HTTP or HTTPS proxy server. In many environments, this is set to the same value as HTTP_PROXY.

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HTTPS_PROXY routes outbound HTTPS (TLS) traffic through a proxy. Because the overwhelming majority of API calls, package downloads, and git-over-HTTPS traffic is encrypted, HTTPS_PROXY is the variable that actually matters in most corporate-proxy setups — HTTP_PROXY on its own barely covers anything. Confusingly, the value is usually still an `http://` URL even though it proxies HTTPS: the scheme describes how you reach the proxy (an unencrypted hop to a local/corporate proxy that then CONNECTs to the target), not the traffic being proxied.

Provider
General / OS
Category
network
Set by
Set manually or via corporate network configuration
Example
http://proxy.example.com:8080
Gotcha: People set HTTPS_PROXY=https://... and connections hang or fail. Unless your proxy itself terminates TLS, the URL should be http://proxy:port — the proxy tunnels HTTPS via the CONNECT method over a plain hop. Also, behind a TLS-inspecting corporate proxy you will hit certificate errors until you trust its root CA (e.g. via NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS, REQUESTS_CA_BUNDLE, or git's http.sslCAInfo).

How to set HTTPS_PROXY

bash

export HTTPS_PROXY=http://proxy.example.com:8080
export NO_PROXY=localhost,127.0.0.1,.internal

with proxy credentials

export HTTPS_PROXY=http://user:pass@proxy.example.com:8080

References

Frequently Asked Questions

Should HTTPS_PROXY start with http:// or https://?

Almost always http://. The scheme refers to how your machine reaches the proxy, not the traffic being proxied. A standard forward proxy accepts a plain connection and then tunnels your HTTPS via CONNECT, so HTTPS_PROXY=http://proxy:port is correct. Use https:// only if the proxy endpoint itself speaks TLS.

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Related Variables

HTTP_PROXY

Specifies the proxy server URL for HTTP requests. Used by many command-line tools (curl, wget, apt), package managers (npm, pip), and programming language HTTP clients. The format is typically http://[user:password@]host:port.

NO_PROXY

A comma-separated list of hostnames, domain suffixes, or IP addresses that should bypass the proxy. Supports wildcards in some implementations. Used to exclude internal services, localhost, and private network addresses from proxy routing.

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