Overview

Kernel proxies enable you to route browser traffic through different types of proxy servers, providing enhanced privacy, flexibility, and bot detection avoidance. Proxies can be created once and reused across multiple browser sessions.

Proxy Types

Kernel supports four types of proxies:

1. Datacenter - Traffic routed through commercial data centers
2. ISP - Traffic routed through data centers, using residential IP addresses leased from from internet service providers
3. Residential - Traffic routed through real residential IP addresses
4. Custom - Your own proxy servers

Datacenter has the fastest speed, while residential is least detectable. ISP is a balance between the two options, with less-flexible geotargeting. Kernel recommends to use the first option in the list that works for your use case.

1. Create a proxy

Create a proxy configuration from the types above that can be reused across browser sessions:

Typescript/Javascript

import Kernel from '@onkernel/sdk';

const kernel = new Kernel();

const proxy = await kernel.proxies.create({ type: 'datacenter' });
console.log(proxy.id);

2. List your proxies

View all proxy configurations in your organization:

Typescript/Javascript

import Kernel from '@onkernel/sdk';

const kernel = new Kernel();

const proxies = await kernel.proxies.list();
console.log(proxies);

3. Use with browsers

Once created, you can attach a proxy to any browser session using the proxy_id parameter:

Typescript/Javascript

import Kernel from '@onkernel/sdk';

const kernel = new Kernel();

const proxy = await kernel.proxies.create({
  type: 'residential',
  name: 'my-us-residential',
  config: {
    country: 'US',
  },
});

const browser = await kernel.browsers.create({
  proxy_id: proxy.id,
});

4. Bypass hosts

Configure specific hostnames to bypass the proxy and connect directly. This is useful for accessing internal services, metadata endpoints, or reducing latency for trusted domains.

Typescript/Javascript

import Kernel from '@onkernel/sdk';

const kernel = new Kernel();

const proxy = await kernel.proxies.create({
  type: 'datacenter',
  name: 'proxy-with-bypass',
  config: {
    country: 'US',
  },
  bypass_hosts: [
    'localhost',
    'internal.company.local',
    'metadata.google.internal',
    '*.amazonaws.com',
  ],
});

Bypass host rules

• Exact hostnames: example.com, api.service.local
• Wildcard subdomains: *.example.com matches api.example.com, cdn.example.com, etc.
• Maximum 100 entries per proxy
• Maximum 253 characters per hostname
• Hostnames are case-insensitive and automatically normalized
• Ports, paths, and URL schemes are not allowed
• IP addresses are not supported—use hostnames only

Bypass hosts is available on Start-Up and Enterprise plans.

5. Delete a proxy

When no longer needed, delete the proxy configuration:

Typescript/Javascript

import Kernel from '@onkernel/sdk';

const kernel = new Kernel();

await kernel.proxies.delete('id');

Deleting a proxy immediately reconfigures associated browsers to route directly to the internet.