How to Install a SOCKS5 Proxy Server on Debian 13 for Telegram

If you are looking for a practical way to use Telegram through a SOCKS5 proxy, this guide will show you how to install a SOCKS5 proxy server on Debian 13 step by step. Running your own Telegram proxy on a Debian 13 VPSgives you more control, better privacy, and a stable connection compared to relying on third-party services.

In this tutorial, we will cover the basic process of setting up a SOCKS5 proxy server for Telegram, configuring it on Debian 13, and preparing it for everyday use. This guide is suitable for users who want a secure SOCKS5 proxy for Telegram, need a Debian 13 proxy server setup, or want to create their own Linux proxy server for personal or business tasks.

By the end of this article, you will have a working SOCKS5 proxy on Debian 13 that can be used with Telegram proxy settings for a more private and reliable connection.

All commands need to run on server via ssh.

1) Update the system: 

apt update

apt upgrade -y

2) Install Socks5 server:

apt install microsocks -y 

3) Generate a random username and password

USERNAME="user$(openssl rand -hex 3)"

PASSWORD="$(openssl rand -base64 12)"

echo "Username: $USERNAME"

echo "Password: $PASSWORD"

Example output:

Username: userd60c0b

Password: +QhDU6ePbOzfgZne

4) Create the system user:

useradd -m -s /usr/sbin/nologin $USERNAME

echo "$USERNAME:$PASSWORD" | chpasswd

5) Create a systemd service:

Create the service file:

nano /etc/systemd/system/microsocks.service

Insert into file:

[Unit]

Description=Microsocks SOCKS5 Server

After=network.target

[Service]

ExecStart=/usr/bin/microsocks -i 0.0.0.0 -p 443 -u USERNAME -P PASSWORD

Restart=always

[Install]

WantedBy=multi-user.target

Replace in file USERNAME and PASSWORD with generated values

Example: 

ExecStart=/usr/bin/microsocks -i 0.0.0.0 -p 443 -u userd60c0b -P +QhDU6ePbOzfgZne

6) Enable and start service:

systemctl daemon-reload

systemctl enable microsocks

systemctl restart microsocks

7) Verify the server is listening:

ss -tulpn | grep 443

Example output:

LISTEN 0.0.0.0:443 users:(("microsocks"...))

8) Test proxy

From another machine test your new proxy: 

curl --proxy socks5h://USERNAME:PASSWORD@SERVER_IP:443 https://ifconfig.me

For example: 

curl --proxy socks5h://userd60c0b:+QhDU6ePbOzfgZne@SERVER_IP:443 https://ifconfig.me

If working correctly, it will return server's public IP.

9) Client Configuration (Telegram Example)

Proxy type: Socks

Server: SERVER_IP

Port: 443

Username: USERNAME

Password: PASSWORD

As result you now have a working SOCKS5 proxy server on Debian13 with random credentials.