ss-server

TLDR

Start server with inline configuration

$ ss-server -s [0.0.0.0] -p [8388] -k "[password]" -m [aes-256-gcm]

Start server with a configuration file

$ ss-server -c [/etc/shadowsocks/config.json]

Start in verbose mode

$ ss-server -c [config.json] -v

Start with a specific user

$ ss-server -c [config.json] -a [nobody]

Run as daemon

$ ss-server -c [config.json] -f [/var/run/ss-server.pid]

SYNOPSIS

ss-server [-c config] [-s server] [-p port] [-k password] [-m method] [options]

ss-server is the server component of Shadowsocks, a secure proxy protocol designed to protect network traffic. It listens for incoming connections from Shadowsocks clients and forwards traffic to destination servers.
The server encrypts all traffic between client and server using modern cryptographic algorithms. Recommended ciphers include aes-256-gcm and chacha20-ietf-poly1305 (AEAD ciphers). Older stream ciphers are deprecated due to security vulnerabilities.
Configuration can be provided via command-line arguments or a JSON file. The JSON format supports additional options like multiple server ports and plugin configuration.

PARAMETERS

-c, --config file

Path to JSON configuration file.

-s, --server address

Server address to bind to.

-p, --server-port port

Server port number.

-k, --password password

Password for encryption.

-m, --encrypt-method method

Encryption method (aes-256-gcm, chacha20-ietf-poly1305, etc.).

-t, --timeout seconds

Socket timeout in seconds.

-a, --user user

Run as specified user.

-f, --pid-file file

PID file path for daemon mode.

-d, --dns server

DNS server address.

--fast-open

Enable TCP fast open.

--reuse-port

Enable port reuse for multiple instances.

-u, --udp

Enable UDP relay.

-v, --verbose

Enable verbose logging.

-h, --help

Display help information.

CAVEATS

Avoid deprecated stream ciphers (rc4-md5, aes-cfb, etc.) as they lack authentication. Use AEAD ciphers for security. Running as root is not recommended; use -a to drop privileges. TCP fast open requires kernel support and may be blocked by some networks. Check local laws regarding proxy software usage.

HISTORY

Shadowsocks was created by clowwindy in 2012 as a secure proxy protocol. The original Python implementation was followed by ports to various languages. The libev-based implementation (shadowsocks-libev) provides ss-server as a high-performance C implementation. The project has been widely adopted and continues development with community contributions despite the original repository's removal.