---
title: "HTTP CONNECT"
url: https://proxy.wiki/glossary/http-connect/
type: Glossary Term
author: "proxy.wiki editorial"
published: 2026-08-19
updated: 2026-08-19
site: proxy.wiki
topics: ["Proxy fundamentals"]
license: CC BY 4.0 — quote freely with attribution to https://proxy.wiki/
---

# HTTP CONNECT

> The HTTP method that asks a proxy to open a raw tunnel, which is how HTTPS travels through an HTTP proxy.

**CONNECT asks a proxy to establish a TCP tunnel to a destination and then relay bytes without interpreting them.** It is the mechanism that lets encrypted HTTPS traffic pass through a proxy that otherwise speaks HTTP.

## The exchange

```
CONNECT api.example.com:443 HTTP/1.1
Host: api.example.com:443
Proxy-Authorization: Basic dXNlcjpwYXNz

HTTP/1.1 200 Connection established
```

After the 200, the TLS handshake happens end to end between your client and the destination. The proxy relays ciphertext.

## What the proxy can and cannot see

- **Can see:** the destination hostname and port, connection timing, and the volume of bytes transferred.

- **Cannot see:** the URL path, headers, request body or response body.

This is why an HTTPS request through a proxy is far more private than a plain HTTP one — and why a proxy provider can still report which domains you contacted.

## Reference

CONNECT is defined in [RFC 9110](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9110.html), which specifies current HTTP semantics.

## Sources

1. [RFC 9110: HTTP Semantics (CONNECT)](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9110.html)