Template-Driven HTTP CONNECT Proxying for TCP

1.1. History

HTTP has used the CONNECT method for proxying TCP connections since HTTP/1.1. When using CONNECT, the request target specifies a host and port number, and the proxy forwards TCP payloads between the client and this destination ([RFC9110], Section 9.3.6). To date, this is the only mechanism defined for proxying TCP over HTTP. In this specification, this is referred to as a "classic HTTP CONNECT proxy".¶

HTTP/3 uses a UDP transport, so it cannot be forwarded using the pre-existing CONNECT mechanism. To enable forward proxying of HTTP/3, the MASQUE effort has defined proxy mechanisms that are capable of proxying UDP datagrams [RFC9298], and more generally IP datagrams [I-D.ietf-masque-connect-ip]. The destination host and port number (if applicable) are encoded into the HTTP resource path, and end-to-end datagrams are wrapped into HTTP Datagrams [RFC9297] on the client-proxy path.¶

1.2. Problems

Classic HTTP CONNECT proxies are identified by an origin. The proxy does not have a path of its own. This prevents any origin from hosting multiple distinct proxy services.¶

Ordinarily, HTTP allows multiple origin hostnames to share a single server IP address and port number (i.e., virtual-hosting), by specifying the applicable hostname in the "Host" or ":authority" header field. However, classic HTTP CONNECT proxies use these fields to indicate the CONNECT request's destination ([RFC9112], Section 3.2.3), leaving no way to determine the proxy's origin from the request. As a result, classic HTTP CONNECT proxies cannot be deployed using virtual-hosting, nor can they apply the usual defenses against server port misdirection attacks (see Section 7.4 of [RFC9110]).¶

Classic HTTP CONNECT proxies can be used to reach a target host that is specified as a domain name or an IP address. However, because only a single target host can be specified, proxy-driven Happy Eyeballs and cross-IP fallback can only be used when the host is a domain name. For IP-targeted requests to succeed, the client must know which address families are supported by the proxy via some out-of-band mechanism, or open multiple independent CONNECT requests and abandon any that prove unnecessary.¶

1.3. Overview

This specification describes an alternative mechanism for proxying TCP in HTTP. Like [RFC9298] and [I-D.ietf-masque-connect-ip], the proxy service is identified by a URI Template. Proxy interactions reuse standard HTTP components and semantics, avoiding changes to the core HTTP protocol.¶

3.1. In HTTP/1.1

In HTTP/1.1, the client uses the proxy by issuing a request as follows:¶

• The method SHALL be "GET".¶

• The request SHALL include a single Host header field containing the origin of the proxy.¶

• The request SHALL include a Connection header field with the value "Upgrade". (Note that this requirement is case-insensitive as per Section 7.6.1 of [RFC9110].)¶

• The request SHALL include an "Upgrade" header field with the value "connect-tcp".¶

• The request's target SHALL correspond to the URI derived from expansion of the proxy's URI Template.¶

If the request is well-formed and permissible, the proxy MUST attempt the TCP connection before returning its response header. If the TCP connection is successful, the response SHALL be as follows:¶

• The HTTP status code SHALL be 101 (Switching Protocols).¶

• The response SHALL include a Connection header field with the value "Upgrade".¶

• The response SHALL include a single Upgrade header field with the value "connect-tcp".¶

If the request is malformed or impermissible, the proxy MUST return a 4XX error code. If a TCP connection was not established, the proxy MUST NOT switch protocols to "connect-tcp", and the client MAY reuse this connection for additional HTTP requests.¶

After a success response is returned, the connection SHALL conform to all the usual requirements for classic CONNECT proxies in HTTP/1.1 ([RFC9110], Section 9.3.6). Additionally, if the proxy observes a connection error from the client (e.g., a TCP RST, TCP timeout, or TLS error), it SHOULD send a TCP RST to the target. If the proxy observes a connection error from the target, it SHOULD send a TLS "internal_error" alert to the client, or set the TCP RST bit if TLS is not in use.¶

Client                                                 Proxy

GET /proxy?target_host=192.0.2.1&tcp_port=443 HTTP/1.1
Host: example.com
Connection: Upgrade
Upgrade: connect-tcp

** Proxy establishes a TCP connection to 192.0.2.1:443 **

                            HTTP/1.1 101 Switching Protocols
                            Connection: Upgrade
                            Upgrade: connect-tcp

3.2. In HTTP/2 and HTTP/3

In HTTP/2 and HTTP/3, the client uses the proxy by issuing an "extended CONNECT" request as follows:¶

• The :method pseudo-header field SHALL be "CONNECT".¶

• The :protocol pseudo-header field SHALL be "connect-tcp".¶

• The :authority pseudo-header field SHALL contain the authority of the proxy.¶

• The :path and :scheme pseudo-header fields SHALL contain the path and scheme of the request URI derived from the proxy's URI Template.¶

From this point on, the request and response SHALL conform to all the usual requirements for classic CONNECT proxies in this HTTP version (see Section 8.5 of [RFC9113] and Section 4.4 of [RFC9114]).¶

HEADERS
:method = CONNECT
:scheme = https
:authority = request-proxy.example
:path = /proxy?target_host=192.0.2.1,2001:db8::1&tcp_port=443
:protocol = connect-tcp
...

4.1. Latency optimizations

When using this specification in HTTP/2 or HTTP/3, clients MAY start sending TCP stream content optimistically, subject to flow control limits ([RFC9113], Section 5.2)([RFC9000], Section 4.1). Proxies MUST buffer this "optimistic" content until the TCP stream becomes writable, and discard it if the TCP connection fails. (This "optimistic" behavior is not permitted in HTTP/1.1 because it would prevent reuse of the connection after an error response such as "407 (Proxy Authentication Required)".)¶

Servers that host a proxy under this specification MAY offer support for TLS early data in accordance with [RFC8470]. Clients MAY send "connect-tcp" requests in early data, and MAY include "optimistic" TCP content in early data (in HTTP/2 and HTTP/3). At the TLS layer, proxies MAY ignore, reject, or accept the early_data extension ([RFC8446], Section 4.2.10). At the HTTP layer, proxies MAY process the request immediately, return a "425 (Too Early)" response ([RFC8470], Section 5.2), or delay some or all processing of the request until the handshake completes. For example, a proxy with limited anti-replay defenses might choose to perform DNS resolution of the target_host when a request arrives in early data, but delay the TCP connection until the TLS handshake completes.¶

4.2. Conveying metadata

This specification supports the "Expect: 100-continue" request header ([RFC9110], Section 10.1.1) in any HTTP version. The "100 (Continue)" status code confirms receipt of a request at the proxy without waiting for the proxy-destination TCP handshake to succeed or fail. This might be particularly helpful when the destination host is not responding, as TCP handshakes can hang for several minutes before failing. Implementation of "100 (Continue)" support is OPTIONAL for clients and REQUIRED for proxies.¶

Proxies implementing this specification SHOULD include a Proxy-Status response header [RFC9209] in any success or failure response (i.e., status codes 101, 2XX, 4XX, or 5XX) to support advanced client behaviors and diagnostics. In HTTP/2 or HTTP/3, proxies MAY additionally send a Proxy-Status trailer in the event of an unclean shutdown.¶

5.1. Servers

For server operators, template-driven TCP proxies are particularly valuable in situations where virtual-hosting is needed, or where multiple proxies must share an origin. For example, the proxy might benefit from sharing an HTTP gateway that provides DDoS defense, performs request sanitization, or enforces user authorization.¶

The URI template can also be structured to generate high-entropy Capability URLs [CAPABILITY], so that only authorized users can discover the proxy service.¶

5.2. Clients

Clients that support both classic HTTP CONNECT proxies and template-driven TCP proxies MAY accept both types via a single configuration string. If the configuration string can be parsed as a URI Template containing the required variables, it is a template-driven TCP proxy. Otherwise, it is presumed to represent a classic HTTP CONNECT proxy.¶

5.3. Multi-purpose proxies

The names of the variables in the URI Template uniquely identify the capabilities of the proxy. Undefined variables are permitted in URI Templates, so a single template can be used for multiple purposes.¶

Multipurpose templates can be useful when a single client may benefit from access to multiple complementary services (e.g., TCP and UDP), or when the proxy is used by a variety of clients with different needs.¶

https://proxy.example/{?target_host,tcp_port,target_port,
                        target,ipproto,dns}