How to Configure Squid Proxy Server for Parental Controls

The internet is a vast resource of information and entertainment. However, not all content available online is suitable for all age groups, especially children. As a parent or guardian, it’s important to ensure that your children are accessing age-appropriate content.

One way to achieve this is by setting up parental controls on your internet connection. This tutorial will guide you on how to configure Squid Proxy Server for parental controls on a CentOS system.

Squid is a powerful, flexible, and widely used open-source proxy server. It can be used to control and monitor internet access, making it an excellent tool for implementing parental controls. By using Squid, you can block access to specific websites, limit internet usage times, and even monitor internet activity.

This tutorial will guide you through the process of setting up Squid for parental controls. We will cover how to install Squid, configure it to block specific websites, and set up access control based on time.

Before we begin, you should have a basic understanding of Linux command-line interface and have a web server set up on a dedicated, VPS, or cloud hosting machine. If you’re not familiar with these concepts, you might want to check out our other tutorials on these topics first.

Let’s get started!

Step 1: Install Squid

The first step is to install Squid on your CentOS system. You can do this by running the following command:

yum install squid -y

This command will install Squid and all its dependencies.

Step 2: Configure Squid

The main configuration file for Squid is located at /etc/squid/squid.conf. You will need to edit this file to set up parental controls.

First, you need to define an access control list (ACL) for the websites you want to block. You can do this by adding the following lines to the squid.conf file:

acl bad_urls dstdomain "/etc/squid/bad_urls.acl"
http_access deny bad_urls

In this configuration, bad_urls is the name of the ACL, and /etc/squid/bad_urls.acl is the file that contains the list of websites to block. You can replace “bad_urls” and “/etc/squid/bad_urls.acl” with any name and path you prefer.

Next, you need to create the /etc/squid/bad_urls.acl file and add the URLs of the websites you want to block. For example:

www.badwebsite1.com
www.badwebsite2.com
badwebsite3.com

Each URL should be on a new line.

To use public block lists with Squid, you need to download the list and then reference it in your Squid configuration file. Here’s a basic example of how you might do this:

1. Download the list and save it to a file on your server. For example, you might save the “crypto” category to a file at /etc/squid/restricted_sites.squid.
2. In your Squid configuration file (/etc/squid/squid.conf), you would define an access control list (ACL) that references this file, like so:

acl RestrictedSites dstdomain "/etc/squid/restricted_sites.squid"
http_access deny RestrictedSites

3. Finally, restart the Squid service to apply the changes:

systemctl restart squid

This will block access to all the sites listed in the restricted_sites.squid file.

Step 3: Set Up Time-Based Access Control

In addition to blocking specific websites, you can also set up time-based access control. This allows you to restrict internet access to certain hours of the day.

To do this, you need to add the following lines to the squid.conf file:

acl kids_hours time 08:00-20:00
http_access deny kids_hours

In this configuration, internet access to the websites listed in the bad_urls ACL will be blocked during the time range specified in the kids_hours ACL.

After making any changes to the Squid configuration file, you need to restart the Squid service for the changes to take effect. You can do this by running the following command:

systemctl restart squid

Step 4: Test Your Configuration

After setting up your configuration, it’s important to test it to make sure it’s working as expected. You can do this by trying to access a blocked website during the restricted hours.

If you’re unable to access the website, that means your configuration is working correctly. If you can still access the website, you should check your configuration for any errors.

Commands Mentioned:

• yum install squid -y – This command installs Squid and all its dependencies on a CentOS system.
• systemctl restart squid – This command restarts Squid, applying any changes made to the configuration file.

Conclusion

Setting up parental controls using Squid Proxy Server can help ensure that your children are accessing age-appropriate content on the internet. By blocking access to specific websites and restricting internet usage times, you can create a safer and more controlled internet environment for your children.

Remember, while this guide provides a basic setup for parental controls, Squid is a powerful tool that offers many more features and configurations. You can customize your setup to suit your specific needs and preferences. For more information, you can check out our other tutorials on Squid Proxy Server.

I hope this guide has been helpful.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to leave a comment below.

Happy browsing!

FAQ

1. What is Squid Proxy Server?

   Squid is a highly flexible, widely used, open-source proxy server. It can be used to control, monitor, and optimize internet access, making it an excellent tool for implementing parental controls, among other things.

2. How does Squid Proxy Server work?

   Squid operates by caching and forwarding client requests for web pages. When a user requests a web page, Squid checks its cache to see if it already has a copy of the page. If it does, it returns the cached page to the user. If it doesn’t, it fetches the page from the internet, caches it, and then returns it to the user.

3. How do I install Squid Proxy Server?

   You can install Squid using the package manager for your system. For example, on CentOS, you can use the command ‘yum install squid -y’.

4. How do I configure Squid for parental controls?

   You can configure Squid for parental controls by setting up access control lists (ACLs) in the Squid configuration file. These ACLs can be used to block access to specific websites or to restrict internet access during certain hours.

5. What are the benefits of using Squid for parental controls?

   Using Squid for parental controls allows you to create a safer and more controlled internet environment for your children. You can block access to inappropriate websites, limit internet usage times, and even monitor internet activity.