Exploring MikroTik Web Proxy Accelerating Web Content Delivery

I know you're here because you want to learn how to enable Mikrotik RouterOS Web Proxy in Transparent Mode. No worries, I got you! But first, let's give you some background information.

Background Information

For some of you who are new to Mikrotik RouterOS, it's basically an operating system that can turn your computer into a network router. It's definitely worth checking out if you want to have total control of your network. RouterOS has a lot of features that can be useful for creating complex network setups.

One of these features is the Web Proxy, which can be used for caching web pages and speeding up web browsing. But you might be wondering, what is Web Proxy in the first place? Well, a web proxy server is an intermediate link between your browser and the server that you are requesting a webpage. It caches the webpage you visit, so that when you access it next time, it's loaded faster because it doesn't have to download the whole thing again from the internet. It's a really useful tool if you have slow internet connections or limited bandwidth.

Now, let's move on to the juicy part of this post - enabling Mikrotik RouterOS Web Proxy in Transparent Mode.

The Details

First things first, you need to make sure that you have the necessary hardware and software. You'll need a computer or a router that has Mikrotik RouterOS installed and a browser to access the RouterOS interface.

Next, you need to configure your router to allow HTTP traffic to your Mikrotik RouterOS. This can be done by setting up your firewall rules to allow port 80 and 8080 (or any other port that you want to use for the proxy server) on your router.

After that, you need to enable the Web Proxy service on your Mikrotik RouterOS. This can be done by going to IP > Web Proxy and then clicking on the Enable button. Make sure to tick the Transparent Proxy option so that all HTTP traffic is automatically redirected to the proxy server.

Now it's time to create a NAT rule to redirect all HTTP traffic to the Web Proxy. This can be done by going to IP > Firewall > NAT and then clicking on the Add New button. Set the Chain to dstnat, set the protocol to tcp, set the dst. port to 80, and set the action to redirect. In the To Ports field, put the port number that you assigned to the proxy server (in this example we use 8080), and in the action options section, set the Redirect Target IP to the IP address of your router.

Once you've done that, the Web Proxy should be working in Transparent Proxy mode. You can test this by opening your web browser and visiting a webpage. You should see that the webpage is loading faster than before, and if you check the Web Proxy cache, you'll see that the webpage has been cached.

The Tips

Here are some tips that can help you make the most out of your Mikrotik RouterOS Web Proxy in Transparent Mode:

Set the cache size according to your needs and the amount of available disk space. A larger cache size means that more pages will be cached, but it will also use more disk space.
Use the Clear Cache option to free up disk space if needed.
You can use the Web Proxy Logs to monitor the traffic that's going through the proxy server. This can be helpful for troubleshooting and analyzing network performance.
If you have multiple Mikrotik RouterOS devices, you can use the Web Proxy on one device as a cache server for the other devices. This can help reduce bandwidth usage and improve network performance.

The FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions about Mikrotik RouterOS Web Proxy in Transparent Mode:

Can I use the Web Proxy with HTTPS traffic?
Unfortunately, the Web Proxy only works with HTTP traffic. HTTPS traffic is encrypted, so it cannot be cached by the Web Proxy.
What is the difference between Transparent Proxy and Non-Transparent Proxy?
Transparent Proxy automatically redirects all HTTP traffic to the proxy server without the need to configure the client's browser. Non-Transparent Proxy requires configuration of the client's browser to point to the proxy server.
Can the Web Proxy be used for filtering content?
Yes, the Web Proxy can be configured to filter URLs based on content type and domain name.
Do I need to have a separate machine to run the Web Proxy?
No, you can run the Web Proxy on the same machine that's running Mikrotik RouterOS. It's actually recommended to do so to reduce network latency.

That's all for now! I hope this post has been helpful in showing you how to enable Mikrotik RouterOS Web Proxy in Transparent Mode. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below!