Chrome

Chrome itself does not have a built-in per-tab proxy UI — by default it follows the OS proxy. Three approaches in increasing order of flexibility:

1. OS-level proxy (simplest, affects all apps): see Windows, macOS, Linux.
2. Per-Chrome-profile via command-line flag — different proxies per Chrome user data dir.
3. Extension like SwitchyOmega for per-tab / per-domain rules.

Approach 2 — --proxy-server flag

Launch Chrome with a dedicated user data dir and the --proxy-server flag. Best for scraping rigs and headless automation.

# Residential
google-chrome \
  --user-data-dir=/tmp/chrome-helo-res \
  --proxy-server="http://gate.helodata.io:7777"

# ISP
google-chrome \
  --user-data-dir=/tmp/chrome-helo-isp \
  --proxy-server="http://198.51.100.42:8000"

Chrome's --proxy-server flag does not accept inline credentials. When Chrome prompts for the proxy login, enter:

• Username: the full proxy username (e.g. helo_s1a2b3c4d5e-type-res-region-us)
• Password: your sub-user password

To suppress the prompt, use an extension that pre-fills credentials, or set the OS-level proxy instead.

Approach 3 — SwitchyOmega (most flexible)

1. Install SwitchyOmega from the Chrome Web Store.
2. New profile → Proxy profile.
3. Fill in:

   • Protocol: HTTP or SOCKS5
   • Server: gate.helodata.io (or your ISP IP)
   • Port: 7777
   • Authentication: click the lock → username + password
4. Click Apply changes.
5. From the SwitchyOmega icon, switch between profiles per browsing context.

[screenshot: SwitchyOmega "New profile" form filled in for residential]

Verify the connection

Visit https://ipv4.icanhazip.com — the IP shown should be from helodata, not your own.

Common pitfalls

• Auth dialog every time you restart — Chrome forgets proxy creds across sessions. Use SwitchyOmega or an OS-level config.
• net::ERR_TUNNEL_CONNECTION_FAILED — the proxy URL syntax is wrong, or your credentials are. Check 407 troubleshooting.
• WebRTC IP leak — install the SwitchyOmega/WebRTC-Leak-Shield extension if your use case demands hiding the local IP from getUserMedia.

DevTools network tab still works

helodata is a forwarding proxy; DevTools sees the same requests it would normally see. You can still inspect headers, status codes, and timing.