3proxy vs Squid

3proxy is a free proxy server for controlling access between internal users and external resources, or between external users and internal resources. It supports HTTP and HTTPS proxying, SOCKS v4, v4.5 and v5, and FTP over HTTP. Other services include POP3 proxying, TCP and UDP port mapping, and a caching DNS proxy. Access controls can set bandwidth and traffic limits, chain proxies, and rotate logs. Logging can use files, Unix syslog, or an ODBC database, with configurable formats. When compiled with OpenSSL, 3proxy offers HTTPS proxy connections, upstream TLS with certificate authentication, and mutual TLS. Its security guidance recommends limiting access with ACLs and notes that its documented strong authentication method currently uses cleartext authentication. It runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, and self-hosted setups; Docker images are available, and Windows system-service installation is described. Release binaries are published with checksums, an OpenPGP signature, and a build provenance attestation; Docker images are signed and attested. The listed plan is free.

Squid is a self-hosted caching proxy for web traffic. It keeps commonly requested pages and other supported data available for reuse, helping reduce bandwidth and improve response times. Squid handles HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and gopher data; supported cache engines also include ICP and HTCP. Administrators can apply access controls and use full request logging. Squid can accelerate servers, direct content among web servers, and organize content clusters for load balancing. Multiple caches can be connected as a mesh or hierarchy through parent and sibling links. Proxy authentication options include Basic, NTLM, Digest, and Negotiate, with bundled helpers for LDAP, SQL databases, PAM, RADIUS, and Windows domains. Basic authentication encodes credentials with Base64 rather than encrypting them, so credentials are effectively cleartext between browser and proxy. Squid is free to download, use, and modify, and is distributed under GPL version 2, with some components under compatible open-source licenses. It is available for Linux, macOS, and Windows, with installation through operating-system packages, source releases, and binaries. Documentation, a wiki, bug tracking, and mailing lists are available.