Research Support Handbook

Accessing the Internet

last modified

April 23, 2026

Server OS: Linux

The HTTP Proxy

SciCloud is a relatively open system, which allows researchers full control of the software running on the servers. However, most researchers are not system administrators or security experts. To prevent abuse of the servers you must connect to the internet via a Proxy Server. The Proxy Server allows IT to monitor outgoing traffic and to quickly block suspicious activity .

This means you might need a few extra steps to install software (applications, docker images, python packages, etc.) on the server.

Enable the proxy for your current SSH session

Use the following command:

export http_proxy=http://proxy.labs.vu.nl:8080 https_proxy=http://proxy.labs.vu.nl:8080

Enable for specific applications

If your workflow necessitates frequent access or some automation, it is a good idea to set the proxy config for the software you use. Below are some examples for frequently used software on Ubuntu server. Other software that relies on an internet connection will have similar configurations.

curl

Create or add to ~/.curlc:

echo 'proxy="http://proxy.labs.vu.nl:8080"' >> ~/.curlrc

wget

Create or add to ~/.wgetrc:

echo -e "Use_proxy = on\nhttp_Proxy = http://proxy.labs.vu.nl:8080\nhttps_Proxy = http://proxy.labs.vu.nl:8080" >> ~/.wgetrc

git

If you work with git add it to the global configuration:

git config --global http.proxy http://proxy.labs.vu.nl:8080

Docker

Create /etc/systemd/system/docker.service.d/http-proxy.conf if it does not exist yet.

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/docker.service.d/http-proxy.conf

With this content:

[Service]
Environment="HTTP_PROXY=http://proxy.labs.vu.nl:8080"
Environment="HTTPS_PROXY=http://proxy.labs.vu.nl:8080"
Environment="NO_PROXY=localhost,127.0.0.1

Reload:

systemctl daemon-reload
systemctl restart docker

Check the active configuration with:

systemctl show --property=Environment docker

R

Via console

Sys.setenv("ftp_proxy"="http://proxy.labs.vu.nl:8080/")
Sys.setenv("http_proxy"="http://proxy.labs.vu.nl:8080")

Sys.setenv("https_proxy"="http://proxy.labs.vu.nl:8080")

Sys.getenv()

Via environment file

User:

echo -e "http_proxy = http://proxy.labs.vu.nl:8080\nhttps_proxy = http://proxy.labs.vu.nl:8080' >> ~/.Renviron

Global:

echo -e "http_proxy = http://proxy.labs.vu.nl:8080\nhttps_proxy = http://proxy.labs.vu.nl:8080' >> /etc/R/Renviron.site