# FindProxyForURL.com (2007–2024): the PAC and WPAD resource, remembered

Source: https://findproxyforurl.net/articles/findproxyforurl-com-remembered/ · updated 2026-10-06

If you deployed a proxy.pac file any time after 2007, there is a good chance FindProxyForURL.com helped you. In late 2024 it was replaced by a farewell page. This is a short history of the site, written from the Internet Archive, and a thank-you.

*Everything below comes from the site's own pages as archived by the
[Internet Archive](https://web.archive.org/web/*/findproxyforurl.com), checked on 2026-10-06. Quotes are
short and attributed. findproxyforurl.net is not affiliated with findproxyforurl.com or its author.*

## Why it existed

PAC files date back to Netscape in 1996, and they never became a formal standard. When
FindProxyForURL.com started in 2007, the documentation was thin. The site itself said there was "very
little information on PAC and WPAD available", and what existed "heavily referenced an unfriendly
and outdated 1996 Netscape document"
([2012](https://web.archive.org/web/20120826070320/http://findproxyforurl.com/)). It was written from
hands-on support of PAC and WPAD deployments, not from theory.

## The editions

| When | What the archive shows |
|---|---|
| June 2008 | First archived version: "A Proxy Auto-Configuration Resource". A single page explaining what a PAC file and WPAD are, with sections for PAC functions, PAC file examples, a WPAD tutorial and iPhone proxy settings ([snapshot](https://web.archive.org/web/20080607121334/http://findproxyforurl.com/)) |
| early 2011 | A community forum for PAC and WPAD questions, plus WPAD browser settings and troubleshooting ([snapshot](https://web.archive.org/web/20110203050855/http://findproxyforurl.com/)) |
| July–Nov 2012 | Move to a WordPress design ("18 July 2012"), discussion forums ("21 August 2012"), new Troubleshooting ("29 November 2012") and PAC File Deployment ("30 November 2012") sections, and pages such as Misconceptions, Browser Support and the original Netscape documentation ([snapshot](https://web.archive.org/web/20120826070320/http://findproxyforurl.com/), [2014](https://web.archive.org/web/20141219000000/http://findproxyforurl.com/)) |
| Oct 2014 | "A diagnostic tool developed by FindProxyForURL.com for troubleshooting PAC file and WPAD deployments" ([snapshot](https://web.archive.org/web/20141219000000/http://findproxyforurl.com/)) |
| 2018 | "FindProxyForURL is undergoing a massive overhaul!" A new design, corrections, and a PAC File Introduction walk-through ([snapshot](https://web.archive.org/web/20180413013336/http://findproxyforurl.com/)) |
| 2022 | A slimmer relaunch: "The premiere PAC file resource since 2007", with Introduction to PAC, Example PAC File, PAC Functions and Deployment Options ([snapshot](https://web.archive.org/web/20221014183110/http://findproxyforurl.com/)) |
| late 2024 | A farewell page: "Thank You for the Journey … Now, it's time to say farewell – at least for now." ([snapshot](https://web.archive.org/web/20241213064919/http://findproxyforurl.com/)) |

## What made it so useful

- **Simplicity as a principle.** The goal was "to avoid unnecessary coding and maintenance, to
  simplify a PAC file to its base elements while retaining functionality and security" (2012). Later
  it was "to dispel myths about how PAC files should be designed" (2022).
- **Practical, for any size.** The advice applied "whether the deployment supports 25 or 90000
  employees" (2012).
- **An example PAC file to start from**, a plain-language function reference, and pages on what
  browsers actually support.
- **The awkward parts too:** common WPAD issues, misconceptions, troubleshooting and Apple iOS. These
  were the pages people needed at 2 a.m. during a roll-out.

Many PAC files in production today still carry its patterns: plain host names first, internal
domains direct, a clear default route at the end.

## Why the idea should not be forgotten

PAC files did not go away. Cloud proxies, security service edges and corporate networks still
distribute them, and the problems the site fought are still the ones we see most: unnecessary DNS
lookups, wildcards that match too much, a missing default route, and WPAD that walks out of the
company's namespace.

findproxyforurl.net picks up the same goals in its own way. That means practical guidance, a clear
[example](https://findproxyforurl.net/findproxyforurl/), the [mistakes that matter most](https://findproxyforurl.net/top-20/) and [WPAD](https://findproxyforurl.net/wpad/) explained
honestly. To that it adds two things that were hard to do in 2007: a free [PAC file tester](https://findproxyforurl.net/check/)
that runs your file in Chromium, Firefox and pacparser engine profiles, and a source and date for
every claim about engine behaviour ([methodology](https://findproxyforurl.net/methodology/)).

If FindProxyForURL.com returns, as its farewell's "at least for now" leaves open, we will gladly link
to it. Until then: thank you, FindProxyForURL.com, for seventeen years of help to everyone who ever
had to write `return "PROXY …";`.


## Frequently asked questions

### What happened to findproxyforurl.com?

In late 2024 the site was replaced by a one-page farewell. "Since 2007, FindProxyForURL.com has been your primary resource for PAC file and WPAD knowledge. Now, it's time to say farewell – at least for now." Its earlier pages are still available in the Internet Archive.

### Is findproxyforurl.net the same site as findproxyforurl.com?

No. findproxyforurl.net is an independent site with its own PAC file tester, rule catalogue and reference. It is not affiliated with findproxyforurl.com or its author.