ENOTFOUND — DNS lookup failed
The hostname did not resolve. Nothing was sent anywhere. Through a proxy this often means the DNS lookup happened LOCALLY when it should have gone through the proxy — which is also how a geo-targeted request quietly leaks your real location.
A proxy fixes part of this. Resolving through the proxy fixes both the failure and the leak, but only if the client is told to — that is the h in socks5h. Rotating IPs changes nothing here.
Why it happens
A typo in the hostname, or a domain that no longer exists.
SOCKS5 used instead of SOCKS5H, so the client resolved locally rather than through the proxy.
A local DNS server that cannot see the name, e.g. an internal host reached from outside.
A proxy env var set to a hostname the machine cannot resolve.
How to fix it
- Resolve the name manually — dig or nslookup answers this in a second.
- For SOCKS, use socks5h:// so the proxy performs the lookup. With socks5:// your resolver sees every domain you visit and the geo you paid for is undone before the connection starts.
- Check whether the failing name is the target or the proxy; the error looks identical either way.
FAQ
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