Guides / Network

What a WebRTC leak test actually tells you

Understand host, reflexive and relay candidates before changing browser settings.

REVIEWED · 2026-09-12 · 6 MIN

An IP address on a WebRTC test does not automatically prove a proxy leak. Candidate type matters, as does whether the address reveals a usable public route outside the proxy.

Candidate types

host represents local interfaces, often hidden behind mDNS; srflx is the public mapping observed by STUN; relay comes from a TURN relay.

A useful comparison

  1. Record the public IP without a proxy.
  2. Connect the proxy and compare the normal web IP with WebRTC candidates.
  3. A direct public address appearing as srflx while the page uses the proxy is the meaningful warning.

Leave a useful record

Record the step that actually fixed it, the device or browser version, and any temporary changes you reverted. That note is often more useful than another bookmark.