Proxy IP Client Development_Using Electron Cross-Platform Tools

Core Benefits of Electron's Agent Client Development

Many developers may not realize that usingElectron Framework + Proxy IP ServiceThe combination of the program can quickly build a desktop application adapted to Windows, macOS, Linux three ends. The greatest value of this program is: only need to write the code once, you can generate the installation package for each platform, especially suitable for enterprises that need to serve multiple system users at the same time.

Taking the proxy management tool we developed as an example, users can test IP availability in bulk on Windows computers as well as switch between different country nodes in real time on MacBooks. This cross-platform feature is similar to ipipgo'sGlobal IP resource pool of 240+ countriesIt's a perfect fit, so developers don't have to maintain separate systems for different operating systems.

Three steps to build a basic development environment

First install Node.js version 16+ (LTS long term support version is recommended) and execute the following command in the terminal to create the project:

mkdir proxy-client && cd proxy-client
npm init -y
npm install electron --save-dev

Add the startup script to package.json:

"scripts": {
  "start": "electron ."
}

Create a new main.js as the main process file, and create index.html for the rendering process. this basic framework can be run in about 15 minutes, and subsequent functional modules can be extended on this basis.

Agent Functional Module Design Points

The core functional modules are recommended to be built according to this structure:

Special attention to be paid to the handling ofMulti-protocol adaptation issuesipipgo supports HTTP/HTTPS/Socks5 protocols, you need to do compatibility processing in the code. It is recommended to use the policy mode to encapsulate the connection methods of different protocols.

Tips for developing in real scenarios

When interfacing with the ipipgo API, it is recommended to use theaxios library + auto-retry mechanism. Here's a useful code snippet:

const axiosRetry = require('axios-retry')
const instance = axios.create({
  baseURL: 'https://api.ipipgo.com/v1',
  timeout: 5000
})

// Set up an automatic retry
axiosRetry(instance, {
  retries: 3, retryDelay: (count) => count 1000 }
  retryDelay: (count) => count 1000
})

It is recommended that the package be deployed with theelectron-builder, configuration example:

"build": {
  "appId": "com.yourcompany.proxyclient",
  "win": {
    "target": "nsis", "icon": "build/icon": {
    "icon": "build/icon.ico"
  },
  "mac": {
    "target": "dmg", "public.category": "utilities", "dmg".
    "category": "public.app-category.utilities"
  }
}

Solutions to Common Problems

Q: How to ensure the stability of IP switching?
A: It is recommended to set up a double detection mechanism: detect IP availability when connecting for the first time, and send a heartbeat detection every 5 minutes during use. ipipgo's residential IPs are available for more than 6 hours on average, which works better with the intelligent switching strategy.

Q: What should I do if I encounter a conflict in the system agent configuration?
A：Electron's systemProxy module is sometimes overwritten by the system settings, it is recommended to add the proxy state listening function in the code, when detecting changes in the system settings automatically pop-up alerts

Q: How can I reduce my memory usage?
A: Focus on optimizing two aspects: 1) WebSocket long connection reuse 2) IP detection tasks in batches. In the actual test, the number of concurrency control within 50 can stabilize the memory consumption of less than 300MB.

During development it is recommended to directly use ipipgo's90 million + residential IP resourcesFor testing, their dynamic IP pool response speed is within 800ms, which can effectively shorten the development and debugging cycle. The final product of the proxy client is recommended to be built-in intelligent routing function, according to the user's actual network environment to automatically select the optimal protocol and node.