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FAQ

This page answers common questions about SegmentedProxy behavior and concepts. It is written for beginners and intermediate learners.

Segmentation Does Not Seem to Work

“I enabled segmentation, but nothing looks different.”

This is the most common situation.

Possible reasons:

  • The response is very small
  • The chunk size is larger than the response
  • No delay is configured
  • The rule does not match the request

What to try:

  • Use a smaller chunk size (for example, 128 or 256 bytes)
  • Add a small delay (for example, 20–50 ms)
  • Test with a larger response (downloads are easier to observe)

HTTPS Traffic Is Not Being Segmented

“Segmentation works for HTTP, but not for HTTPS.”

This is expected unless your rule matches the CONNECT method.

For HTTPS:

  • Segmentation applies only to CONNECT tunnels
  • The proxy does not decrypt TLS
  • After CONNECT, only encrypted bytes are forwarded

Check your rule:

scheme=https,method=CONNECT

If method=CONNECT is missing, the rule will not affect HTTPS traffic.

HTTP Requests Are Segmented Unexpectedly

“My HTTP requests are segmented even though I didn’t specify a method.”

For HTTP traffic:

  • If no method is specified, the rule applies to all methods
  • This includes GET, POST, PUT, and others

How to limit it:

method=POST

This restricts segmentation to only the chosen method.

Segmentation Works Sometimes but Not Always

“The behavior feels inconsistent.”

This can happen when:

  • Using the random strategy
  • Responses vary in size
  • Network timing changes between requests

This is normal behavior.

What to remember:

  • Random segmentation creates non-uniform patterns
  • Small responses may finish before segmentation is visible

I See Only One Chunk in the Logs

“Why do I see a single forwarded chunk?”

Possible reasons:

  • The response is smaller than chunk
  • The connection closes before more data arrives

Example: If chunk=1024 and the response is only 300 bytes, only one chunk will be sent.

Delay Makes Everything Feel Very Slow

“Even a small delay has a big effect.”

This is expected.

Delays:

  • add latency between chunks
  • can strongly affect perceived speed
  • do not change bandwidth, only timing

This is useful for learning how applications react to slow delivery.

Segmentation Does Not Change the Content

“Is the data modified?”

No.

Segmentation:

  • does not change content
  • does not inspect encrypted data
  • only changes timing and grouping

If content appears broken, check the client or upstream server.

Is This a DPI Bypass or Privacy Tool?

No.

SegmentedProxy is:

  • a teaching and testing tool
  • not a DPI bypass
  • not a traffic hiding system
  • not a MITM proxy

It helps you understand traffic behavior, not evade inspection.

Common Rule Mistakes

Rule Order

Rules are evaluated in order. If an earlier rule matches, later rules are ignored.

Check:

  • Block rules
  • Direct rules
  • Upstream rules

Chunk Size Too Large

Large chunks may hide segmentation effects.

Tip: Start small, then increase gradually.

When to Check Logs

Logs are often more reliable than visual behavior.

Use logs to:

  • confirm rule matching
  • see forwarded chunk sizes
  • verify delays are applied

Still Confused?

If something still feels unclear:

  1. Re-read SEGMENTATION.md
  2. Try LABS.md
  3. Reduce your rule to the simplest form
  4. Observe logs carefully

Most confusion disappears with simpler rules.