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Squid

Squid is an open source web proxy and caching server. It speeds up access to web pages by caching and reusing frequently accessed web content. Squid helps reduce bandwidth usage and server load.

What is Squid?

Squid is a widely-used open source web proxy and caching server. It was originally developed in 1996 to improve web performance by storing copies of frequently accessed content and reducing bandwidth usage. Squid works by acting as an intermediary between client devices like desktops, laptops, and mobile devices and web servers.

When a client sends a request to access a web page, the request goes to Squid first. Squid will check if it already has a cached copy of the content. If it does, it will immediately return the cached copy without having to send another request to the target web server. This saves bandwidth usage and reduces load and congestion on the origin servers.

If Squid doesn't have the content in cache already, it will request it from the web server, store it in the cache while returning it to the client, and remember it for a certain period of time. Subsequent requests for the same content can then be fulfilled from cache directly until it gets flushed out based on set caching rules.

Key benefits of using Squid include: (1) Faster access to frequently accessed content like web pages, applications, API calls etc. (2) Reduction in internet bandwidth usage and costs. (3) Lower origin server load - web/app servers don't get hit directly for content already cached by Squid. (4) Enhanced security and access control capabilities.

Squid has a large user base across enterprises, educational institutions, government networks etc. due to such benefits. It continues to be actively developed and maintained by a community of open source contributors.

The Best Squid Alternatives

Top Apps like Squid

GoodNotes, Notability, CollaNote, K9 Web Protection, Flexcil, Samsung Notes, Stylus Labs Write, TinyProxy, CCProxy, Penultimate, SquidMan, Zscaler, HandWrite Pro, Touchnotes, INKredible, Varnish, LectureNotes, Proxomitron, Apache Traffic Server, Proximodo, Notes Plus, gate.js, Polipo, Saber: Handwritten Notes, Artica Proxy, nuster, GlimmerBlocker, Privoxy, ExaProxy are some alternatives to Squid.

GoodNotes

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Notability

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CollaNote

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K9 Web Protection

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Flexcil

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Samsung Notes

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Stylus Labs Write

Stylus Labs Write is an AI-powered writing assistant designed to help anyone become a better, more productive writer. As you write in Google Docs, Stylus analyzes your text and provides real-time feedback and suggestions to strengthen your writing.Key features of Stylus Labs Write include:Clarity checks - identifies unclear...

TinyProxy

TinyProxy is a fast, light-weight, non-caching HTTP/HTTPS proxy server. As an open source software, TinyProxy is available for Linux, MacOS, and Windows platforms. It allows users to anonymize their web browsing sessions by routing traffic through the proxy server, keeping the originating IP address hidden.Some key features of...

CCProxy

CCProxy is a free and open-source proxy server software that can help provide anonymous and private web browsing with additional features like caching, filtering, access control, bandwidth throttling, and more.It works by routing your internet traffic through their servers, hiding your real IP address and location. This allows you...

Penultimate

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SquidMan

SquidMan is a creative storytelling software targeted at children, parents, and educators. It allows users to easily craft beautiful, personalized children's stories complete with vivid illustrations and characters.The intuitive drag-and-drop interface makes it simple to add characters, props, backgrounds, and other art assets to create a custom scene. A...

Zscaler

Zscaler is a cloud-based web security platform that enables organizations to provide secure internet access to users regardless of location. Some key aspects of Zscaler:Global cloud platform - Zscaler has over 150 data centers around the world, which allows it to route web traffic through the closest data center for...

HandWrite Pro

HandWrite Pro is an innovative writing application designed specifically for handwriting text directly on a computer or mobile device. It provides an intuitive interface that feels like writing with a pen and paper, making it easy and natural to jot down thoughts and ideas.The app has powerful handwriting recognition...

Touchnotes

Touchnotes is a feature-rich note taking and organization app available for iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac devices. The app allows users to create handwritten notes using a stylus or finger, annotate documents like PDFs, capture photos directly into notes, record audio notes, and organize everything into customizable notebooks.Some key...

INKredible

INKredible is an iPad app focused on natural handwriting and note taking. It is optimized for use with the Apple Pencil, providing users with a smooth, pen-on-paper writing experience.Key features of INKredible include:Advanced palm rejection algorithms to prevent unwanted palm touches while writing.Pressure sensitivity that allows you...

Varnish

Varnish is an open source web application accelerator designed to speed up websites by caching and optimizing content delivery. It works by sitting in front of web servers like Apache or Nginx and caching frequently-accessed content in memory, reducing requests that need to be sent to slower backend servers and...

LectureNotes

LectureNotes is a free cross-platform note taking application designed specifically for students. It provides an easy-to-use interface for typing notes during a lecture or presentation. A key feature of LectureNotes is the ability to synchronize typed notes with recorded audio, allowing students to click on any part of their notes...

Proxomitron

Proxomitron is a free and open-source web proxy software developed by Ulrich Essmann in Germany. First released in 2002, Proxomitron runs on Windows and allows users to filter and modify web traffic for privacy, security and performance benefits.Some of the key features of Proxomitron include:Ad blocking - It can...

Apache Traffic Server

Apache Traffic Server (ATS) is an open-source caching proxy server that is designed to improve web server performance, scalability, and reliability. ATS works by caching frequently accessed content in memory, which allows the content to be served quickly without requiring requests to be handled by web servers. Some key features...

Proximodo

Proximodo is a personal analytics and productivity web and mobile application designed to help users track habits, set goals, and quantify their progress over time. Its key features include:Habit tracking - Proximodo allows users to track daily habits like exercise, reading, medication adherence, and more. Users can log occurrences...

Notes Plus

Notes Plus is a popular note-taking and PDF annotation app developed specifically for the iPad. It takes advantage of the iPad's large screen real estate and touch capabilities to provide a natural handwriting and sketching experience.With Notes Plus you can write or type notes, sketch ideas, annotate PDFs, and...

Gate.js

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Polipo

Polipo is a lightweight caching web proxy software application. It was designed to be fast, small, and suitable for use by one person or a small group of people.Some key features of Polipo include:HTTP caching proxy - it can cache web pages, images, videos, CSS, JavaScript and other...

Saber: Handwritten Notes

Saber is a feature-rich handwritten note-taking app available for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android devices. It provides a natural pen-and-paper writing experience on your digital devices, aided by powerful handwriting recognition that converts your writing into text.Some key features include:Intuitive writing interface with a variety of paper templates...

Artica Proxy

Artica Proxy is an open-source proxy and web filtering software designed for networks of any size. It was originally developed by TheArticaProject and continues development through an active community.Some key features of Artica Proxy include:HTTP and HTTPS caching and proxying to speed up web browsingBandwidth management and traffic...

Nuster

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GlimmerBlocker

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Privoxy

Privoxy is a non-caching web proxy with advanced filtering capabilities. It is designed to give users control over their web browsing experience by blocking unwanted content like ads, trackers, and malware. Some key features of Privoxy include:Blocks ads from sites to speed up page loadingFilters out web trackers and...

ExaProxy

ExaProxy is an open-source, high-performance reverse proxy server optimized for high traffic loads. It works well as a load balancer, web application firewall (WAF), and API gateway.Some key features of ExaProxy include:Load balancing - Distributes requests across multiple backend servers to optimize performance and availabilityCaching - Caches responses...