Hacker News Reader

Any list of 'SSH tricks' should contain: 'ssh -D 2001 user@host.com'. This creates a SOCKS proxy on localhost:2001 that goes through host.com. For example, I use a digital ocean instance hosted in the US to tunnel through, so that I can watch hulu (I'm from Europe).

View on HN

There are also lots of legitimate uses for a SOCKS proxy, such as sshing to a useful machine in a corp network and using something like FoxyProxy to direct *.intranet sites via the SOCKS proxy. It's not all about fricken video piracy :)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jump_Server

Also commonly used in academia when you are not on campus but need access to IP-restricted journals. Or to freak out your lab mates and start the robot from home.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com