Diagram (conceptual): Client -> Reflect4 (sanitize -> rewrite -> forward) -> Origin Origin -> Reflect4 (cache -> transform -> rewrite) -> Client
How does it stack up against the competition?
| Proxy | JavaScript Handling | HTTPS | Speed | Ease of Setup | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Glype | Poor (breaks SPAs) | Buggy | Fast | Very Easy | | CGIProxy | Moderate | Good | Slow | Moderate | | PHP-Proxy | Moderate | Good | Moderate | Easy | | Reflect4 | Excellent | Native | Fast | Moderate | | Nginx Reverse Proxy | Perfect | Perfect | Very Fast | Hard (requires root) |
Reflect4 is the best "drop-in script" for shared hosting where you cannot modify nginx.conf or httpd.conf. reflect4 web proxy
If you host Reflect4 publicly, be aware of these risks:
| Risk | Mitigation | |------|-------------| | Abuse by third parties | Add login password + IP whitelist. | | Logging & privacy leaks | Disable logging in config; enforce HTTPS. | | Legal liability | Do not use for copyright infringement or illegal activity. | | Detection by security filters | Use custom obfuscation; avoid default paths. |
🛡️ Best practice: Run Reflect4 only for personal or authorized testing. Monitor access logs regularly. How does it stack up against the competition
Docker run example:
docker run -d --name reflect4 \
-p 8443:8443 \
-v /path/to/config.yaml:/etc/reflect4/config.yaml \
-v /path/to/certs:/etc/reflect4/certs \
reflect4:latest
Kubernetes (brief):
alert tcp $HOME_NET any -> $EXTERNAL_NET 80 (msg:"Reflect4 Proxy Detected";
content:"index.php?q="; http_uri;
pcre:"/q=[A-Za-z0-9+\/]+=+/U";
classtype:policy-violation; sid:9000123;)
| Solution | Type | Security | Maintenance | |----------|------|----------|-------------| | Squid + Stunnel | Forward proxy | High | Active | | nginx as reverse proxy | Reverse proxy | High | Active | | Privoxy | Filtering proxy | Medium | Active | | Cloudflare Gateway | Cloud proxy | High | Commercial | | Outline VPN | Tunneling | High | Active | 🛡️ Best practice : Run Reflect4 only for
If you decide to deploy Reflect4, follow these rules:
Report ID: SEC-REF4-2026-01
Date: April 21, 2026
Classification: Technical / Infrastructure
Subject: Capabilities, Risks, and Detection of the Reflect4 Web Proxy