Advanced settings

SOCKS5 authentication

SlipStream GUI supports SOCKS5 authentication for the internal SOCKS5 proxy (port 5201). This adds a layer of security to the SOCKS5 connection between the HTTP proxy and the SlipStream client.

SOCKS5 authentication is hidden in the UI by default as it’s intended for advanced users. The HTTP proxy on port 8080 does not use this authentication.

When to use SOCKS5 authentication

When you need to secure the SOCKS5 proxy (port 5201)
For advanced proxy chaining scenarios
When multiple users share the same PC
For compliance with security policies

Most users don’t need SOCKS5 authentication. The HTTP proxy (port 8080) and mobile device sharing do not require or use these credentials.

Configuration

SOCKS5 authentication settings are stored in settings.json:

{
  "socks5AuthEnabled": true,
  "socks5AuthUsername": "your-username",
  "socks5AuthPassword": "your-password"
}

How it works

When enabled:

The HTTP proxy (port 8080) authenticates to the SOCKS5 proxy (port 5201) using the credentials
The SlipStream client enforces authentication on port 5201
Direct connections to port 5201 require username/password

The HTTP proxy automatically handles SOCKS5 authentication internally. Client applications connecting to port 8080 don’t need to provide credentials.

Workspaces/Presets

Workspaces (also called presets) allow you to save and quickly switch between different VPN configurations. This is useful when you connect from different locations or use different servers.

Use cases

Multiple locations

Switch between home, office, and cafe network configurations

Different servers

Save configurations for different VPN servers

Split tunneling profiles

Different bypass lists for different scenarios

Testing configurations

Experiment with settings without losing your working config

What’s saved in a workspace

Each workspace stores:

DNS Resolver: The DNS server IP and port
Domain: Your SlipStream server domain
Proxy Bypass List: Domains/IPs that bypass the VPN

Workspaces are stored in the workspaces array in settings.json, with each workspace having a unique ID and name.

Creating a workspace

Click the + button

In the Presets bar (below the header), click the ”+” button.

Enter workspace name

A dialog will appear asking for the workspace name (e.g., “Home”, “Office”, “Cafe”).

Confirm creation

Click “Create” to save the new workspace with your current configuration.

Switch workspaces

The new workspace becomes active and appears as a tab in the Presets bar.

Switching workspaces

Simply click any workspace tab in the Presets bar. The application will:

Load that workspace’s configuration
Update DNS Resolver, Domain, and Proxy Bypass List
Save the active workspace preference

If the VPN is running when you switch workspaces, you’ll need to restart it to apply the new configuration.

Renaming a workspace

Select the workspace

Click the workspace tab you want to rename.

Click rename button

Click the pencil/edit icon in the workspace actions area.

Enter new name

Type the new name in the dialog.

Save changes

Click “Rename” to save.

Deleting a workspace

Select the workspace

Click the workspace tab you want to delete.

Click delete button

Click the trash icon in the workspace actions area.

Confirm deletion

Confirm that you want to delete the workspace.

This action cannot be undone. The workspace configuration will be permanently deleted.

You cannot delete a workspace if it’s the only one remaining. At least one workspace must exist.

Workspace data structure

Workspaces are stored in settings.json:

{
  "workspaces": [
    {
      "id": "workspace-1234567890",
      "name": "Home",
      "resolver": "8.8.8.8:53",
      "domain": "s.example.com",
      "proxyBypassList": [
        "*.local",
        "192.168.1.0/24"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "workspace-0987654321",
      "name": "Office",
      "resolver": "1.1.1.1:53",
      "domain": "vpn.company.com",
      "proxyBypassList": [
        "*.internal.company.com",
        "10.0.0.0/8"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "activeWorkspaceId": "workspace-1234567890"
}

Proxy bypass list syntax

The proxy bypass list supports flexible patterns for excluding traffic from the VPN.

Pattern types

1. Wildcard domains Use * to match subdomains:

*.google.com        # All Google subdomains
*.local             # All .local domains
*internal*          # Any domain containing 'internal'

2. Exact domains Direct matches without wildcards:

example.com         # Only example.com
localhost           # Localhost
my-router.local     # Specific hostname

3. IP addresses Single IPs or CIDR ranges:

0.0.1           # Loopback
168.1.1         # Router
168.1.0/24      # Entire subnet
0.0.0/8          # Large private range

4. Platform-specific Special keywords (Windows):

<local>             # All local addresses (Windows)

Example configurations

Home network
Corporate network
Split tunneling
Minimal (default)

Bypass local resources:

localhost
127.0.0.1
192.168.1.0/24
*.local

Bypass internal company resources:

*.internal.company.com
*.corp
10.0.0.0/8
172.16.0.0/12
company-sharepoint

VPN for international sites, direct for local:

*.gov
*.local-news-site.com
192.168.0.0/16
10.0.0.0/8
local-streaming-service.com

Just bypass localhost:

localhost
127.0.0.1

How bypass list is applied

The bypass list is applied at the system proxy level, not within the HTTP proxy itself.

macOS: Uses networksetup -setproxybypassdomains Windows: Sets ProxyOverride registry key (WinINET) and bypass-list parameter (WinHTTP) Linux: Sets ignore-hosts in gsettings (GNOME)

Testing your bypass list

Add entries to bypass list

Enter your bypass patterns in the Proxy Bypass List field.

Save and restart VPN

Stop the VPN if running, then start it again.

Test bypassed domains

Try accessing a bypassed domain:

Should connect directly (not through VPN)
Check logs for confirmation

Test non-bypassed domains

Try a domain not in the bypass list:

Should go through VPN
Check your IP at whatismyip.com

Verbose logging

Verbose logging provides detailed diagnostic information about proxy operations.

What verbose logging includes

HTTP requests
HTTPS tunnels
Errors and debugging

Every HTTP request with details:

→ GET http://example.com/page
🌐 HTTP GET example.com/page via SOCKS5
📥 Response 200 from example.com
📤 Sent response 200 to client

CONNECT method for HTTPS:

🔒 CONNECT example.com:443 (HTTPS)
✅ SOCKS5 connected to example.com:443
📤 Sent 200 Connection established
🔗 Tunnel active: example.com:443
🔌 Client closed
🔌 Target closed

Detailed error information:

❌ CONNECT failed: Connection refused
❌ Proxy request error: ETIMEDOUT
⏱️ Request timeout
❌ Client error: ECONNRESET

Enabling verbose logging

Verbose logging can be enabled in two places: 1. In the logs panel header:

Toggle the “Verbose Logging” switch
Takes effect immediately
Persists across sessions

2. In settings.json:

{
  "verbose": true
}

Performance considerations

Verbose logging generates significantly more output and may impact performance when handling high request volumes.

Impact:

Increased CPU usage for logging
More memory for log buffer
Faster log panel scrolling
Disk I/O if logs are written to file

Recommendation:

Enable only when troubleshooting
Disable for normal daily use
Clear logs frequently when verbose mode is active

Settings file location

All SlipStream GUI configuration is stored in a single settings.json file.

Default locations

macOS
Windows
Linux

~/Library/Application Support/SlipStream GUI/settings.json

To access:

Open Finder
Press Cmd+Shift+G
Enter the path above
Click “Go”

%APPDATA%\SlipStream GUI\settings.json

To access:

Press Win+R
Type %APPDATA%\SlipStream GUI
Press Enter

~/.config/SlipStream GUI/settings.json

To access:

cd ~/.config/SlipStream\ GUI/
nano settings.json

Settings file structure

Complete example of settings.json:

{
  "resolver": "8.8.8.8:53",
  "domain": "s.example.com",
  "mode": "proxy",
  "verbose": false,
  "socks5AuthEnabled": false,
  "socks5AuthUsername": "",
  "socks5AuthPassword": "",
  "systemProxyEnabledByApp": false,
  "systemProxyServiceName": "",
  "winInetPrevCaptured": false,
  "winInetPrevProxyEnable": null,
  "winInetPrevProxyServer": "",
  "winInetPrevProxyOverride": "",
  "proxyBypassList": [
    "localhost",
    "127.0.0.1",
    "*.local"
  ],
  "workspaces": [
    {
      "id": "workspace-1234567890",
      "name": "Default",
      "resolver": "8.8.8.8:53",
      "domain": "s.example.com",
      "proxyBypassList": []
    }
  ],
  "activeWorkspaceId": "workspace-1234567890"
}

Manual editing

Exercise caution when manually editing settings.json. Invalid JSON will cause the app to revert to defaults.

Before editing:

Stop SlipStream GUI
Make a backup copy of settings.json
Edit with a text editor that validates JSON
Save the file
Restart SlipStream GUI

If settings fail to load:

The app will use default settings
Check for JSON syntax errors
Restore from backup if needed
Delete settings.json to reset to defaults

Configuration persistence

SlipStream GUI automatically persists all settings across application restarts.

What’s persisted

All configuration changes are immediately written to settings.json.

Always saved:

DNS Resolver and Domain
Verbose logging preference
Proxy bypass list
SOCKS5 authentication settings
All workspaces and active workspace
System proxy state tracking (for safe cleanup)

Not saved:

Current VPN connection state (always stops on app exit)
Log buffer contents
Temporary UI state

Settings migration

When upgrading from older versions:

Legacy settings detection

If settings.json exists in the app directory (old location), it’s automatically migrated to the user data directory.

One-time copy

The migration happens once on first launch after upgrade.

Fallback

If migration fails, the app uses defaults and you can reconfigure manually.

Backup and restore

To backup your configuration:

Locate your settings.json file (see paths above)
Copy it to a safe location
Include the date in the backup filename (e.g., settings-2024-01-15.json)

To restore from backup:

Stop SlipStream GUI
Replace current settings.json with your backup
Restart SlipStream GUI
Verify settings loaded correctly

Resetting to defaults

To completely reset all settings:

Stop the application

Quit SlipStream GUI completely.

Delete settings file

Delete settings.json from the user data directory.

Restart application

Launch SlipStream GUI again.

Reconfigure

The app will create a new settings.json with default values:

DNS Resolver: 8.8.8.8:53
Domain: s.example.com
Verbose logging: disabled
Empty bypass list
Default workspace

Deleting settings.json will remove all workspaces, custom configurations, and saved preferences. Make a backup first if you might want to restore them later.

Get Started

User Guide

Server Setup

Troubleshooting

SOCKS5 authentication

When to use SOCKS5 authentication

Configuration

How it works

Workspaces/Presets

Use cases

Multiple locations

Different servers

Split tunneling profiles

Testing configurations

What’s saved in a workspace

Creating a workspace

Switching workspaces

Renaming a workspace

Deleting a workspace

Workspace data structure

Proxy bypass list syntax

Pattern types

Example configurations

How bypass list is applied

Testing your bypass list

Verbose logging

What verbose logging includes

Enabling verbose logging

Performance considerations

Settings file location

Default locations

Settings file structure

Manual editing

Configuration persistence

What’s persisted

Settings migration

Backup and restore

Resetting to defaults

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

User Guide

Server Setup

Troubleshooting

​SOCKS5 authentication

​When to use SOCKS5 authentication

​Configuration

​How it works

​Workspaces/Presets

​Use cases

Multiple locations

Different servers

Split tunneling profiles

Testing configurations

​What’s saved in a workspace

​Creating a workspace

​Switching workspaces

​Renaming a workspace

​Deleting a workspace

​Workspace data structure

​Proxy bypass list syntax

​Pattern types

​Example configurations

​How bypass list is applied

​Testing your bypass list

​Verbose logging

​What verbose logging includes

​Enabling verbose logging

​Performance considerations

​Settings file location

​Default locations

​Settings file structure

​Manual editing

​Configuration persistence

​What’s persisted

​Settings migration

​Backup and restore

​Resetting to defaults

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

SOCKS5 authentication

When to use SOCKS5 authentication

Configuration

How it works

Workspaces/Presets

Use cases

What’s saved in a workspace

Creating a workspace

Switching workspaces

Renaming a workspace

Deleting a workspace

Workspace data structure

Proxy bypass list syntax

Pattern types

Example configurations

How bypass list is applied

Testing your bypass list

Verbose logging

What verbose logging includes

Enabling verbose logging

Performance considerations

Settings file location

Default locations

Settings file structure

Manual editing

Configuration persistence

What’s persisted

Settings migration

Backup and restore

Resetting to defaults