Simple-proxy-id — A tiny yet secure proxy for Node.js (zero dependencies)

#node #javascript #opensource

🧠 From a Small Frustration to a Tiny but Powerful Proxy

A few weeks ago, I just needed a small proxy for testing local APIs.
Something that just works — no heavy setup, no extra dependencies, no magic.

But as usual, once something works, developers can’t resist improving it 😅
That’s how simple-proxy-id was born.

It’s a lightweight HTTP/HTTPS proxy for Node.js,
built with zero dependencies, yet still secure, fast, and flexible.

🔧 Why I Built It

While working with APIs, I noticed two extremes in most proxy libraries:

They’re too flexible, which often leads to open-proxy abuse.
Or too limited, making them hard to use in real server environments.

So I aimed for something in between — secure, simple, but production-ready.

⚙️ Quick Example

import { createProxy } from "simple-proxy-id"

createProxy({
  target: "https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com",
  port: 3000,
  changeOrigin: true,
  pathRewrite: { "^/api": "" },
})

That’s it — your proxy is up and running.
No config files, no dependencies, no magic behavior.

⚡ Key Features

✅ Fixed target — cannot be changed by external requests (prevents open proxy abuse)
✅ Path rewrite — support for both pattern objects and custom functions
✅ Plugins — CORS, daily rotating logger, brute-force attack detection
✅ Real IP detection — supports Cloudflare Tunnel and X-Forwarded-For
✅ Zero dependency, high performance — ~1,660 req/sec (p50: 52 ms, p99: 138 ms)

No frameworks, no dependencies — just pure Node.js, connection pooling,
and a lot of small optimizations to make it perform well under load.