What HAProxy’s leastconn Measures in a SOCKS Pool

An HAProxy TCP pool chooses by active connections and weights, not target download speed or complete SOCKS health.

listen socks_pool
    bind 127.0.0.1:1080
    mode tcp
    balance leastconn
    timeout connect 5s
    timeout client 1h
    timeout server 1h
    server proxy_a 192.0.2.10:1080 check
    server proxy_b 192.0.2.11:1080 check

Use actual compatible SOCKS endpoints and workload timeouts. Configure the app as a SOCKS client of the loopback listener; backends must accept its expected protocol/account. For permitted public-target tests with no SOCKS credentials configured, the SOCKS proxy list supplies candidate backends; match the client’s SOCKS version and verify access to the actual targets.

A less occupied server can still have a slower upstream. leastconn balances active counts/weights, and the shown check only establishes TCP acceptance. Negotiation, authentication and destination access need separate evidence.

A live tunnel stays on its selected backend. This TCP pool does not carry the separate UDP ASSOCIATE datagrams.

If lowest target latency is required, define and measure that target-specific outcome rather than inferring it from connection count.

Ũhoro ũhĩtĩte