# Use a SOCKS5 Backend

**URL:** <https://discourse.haproxy.org/t/use-a-socks5-backend/6529>\
**Category:** Help!\
**Created:** [April 28, 2021, 12:56am UTC](https://discourse.haproxy.org/t/use-a-socks5-backend/6529 "2021-04-28T00:56:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![tuaris](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.haproxy.org/tuaris/32/1299_2.png) [@tuaris](https://discourse.haproxy.org/u/tuaris)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2021, 12:56am UTC](https://discourse.haproxy.org/t/use-a-socks5-backend/6529/1 "2021-04-28T00:56:47Z")

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The current traffic flow looks like this:

```auto
Browser -> HAProxy --> SOCAT --> SOCKS5 Tunnel --> Remote HTTP Server

```

I would like to know if it’s possible to remove `socat` and have HA Proxy connect directly to the SOCKS5 tunnel. The desired traffic flow should look like:

```auto
Browser -> HAProxy --> SOCKS5 Tunnel --> Remote HTTP Server

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tuaris](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.haproxy.org/tuaris/32/1299_2.png) [@tuaris](https://discourse.haproxy.org/u/tuaris)\
**Post date:** [May 1, 2021, 8:19am UTC](https://discourse.haproxy.org/t/use-a-socks5-backend/6529/2 "2021-05-01T08:19:42Z")

</div>

I’m now also seeing a need for not just HTTP, but being able to have HAProxy load balance/redirect TCP connects over a SOCKS backend.

I guess this should probably be filed as a feature request?