Secure Proxy Authentication: Protecting Your Credentials

Securing Proxy Credentials

Your proxy credentials are valuable - protect them properly.

TL;DR: Never hardcode credentials. Use environment variables or secrets managers. Rotate credentials periodically.

Security Best Practices

1. Never Hardcode

Don't put credentials in code:

# BAD
proxy = "http://myuser:mypass@proxy.com:8080"
# GOOD
proxy = f"http://{os.getenv('PROXY_USER')}:{os.getenv('PROXY_PASS')}@proxy.com:8080"

2. Use Environment Variables

Store in .env files

Never commit to version control

Different values per environment

3. Secrets Management

For production:

AWS Secrets Manager

HashiCorp Vault

Azure Key Vault

4. IP Whitelisting

When possible:

Limits credential exposure

No credentials in requests

Tied to specific IPs

5. Regular Rotation

Change credentials periodically

After team changes

After potential exposure

What to Avoid

Sharing credentials in chat

Committing to Git

Logging proxy URLs with credentials

Using same credentials everywhere

If Compromised

1. Change credentials immediately 2. Review access logs 3. Check for unauthorized usage 4. Rotate all potentially affected systems