How NekoRay Organizes and Runs Your Proxy Connections
NekoRay is a Qt-based desktop GUI that turns raw proxy configuration into a manageable server list. Instead of hand-editing JSON, you add or import profiles, group them into folders, test each one’s latency, and start the one you need with a single click. Under the hood a bundled core handles the actual tunneling, so the interface stays responsive while the engine manages outbound connections, DNS resolution, and routing decisions. Typical users are people who juggle several proxy servers, switch between work and personal subscriptions, or need different outbound rules for different sites. The workflow is deliberately short: add servers, pick a route set, choose system proxy or TUN mode, then connect.
Configuration lives in plain JSON files next to the executable, which makes NekoRay genuinely portable: copy the folder to a USB drive or a work machine and your servers, groups, and route sets travel with it. Groups matter more than they first appear. A subscription group can refresh itself on a schedule, keep or clear old entries, and skip TLS validation on hosts with broken certificates. Route sets decide which traffic goes direct and which goes through the tunnel, so domestic sites stay fast while everything else is proxied. Because the bundled engine follows the sing-box configuration model, advanced users can paste custom outbound or whole config snippets when the graphical editor does not cover a specific scenario.
Benefits of Using NekoRay
The main benefit of NekoRay is that it removes the guesswork from running several proxy servers at once. You see every profile in one list with its latency, so picking a working server after a network hiccup takes seconds rather than trial and error. Subscription handling keeps a rotating pool of servers current without manual importing, and group folders make it easy to separate a paid provider from a self-hosted box. System proxy mode is enough for browsers and chat apps, while TUN mode captures traffic from programs that ignore proxy settings entirely. Global hotkeys, a tray icon, and start-minimized flags keep the client out of the way during the workday. Traffic and connection counters show what is actually flowing, which helps when a rule sends the wrong site through the tunnel. Everything is configured from one window instead of scattered config files.
NekoRay Software Information
- Developer: Matsuri Dayo
- Current Version: 4.0.1
- File Size: 39.8 MB
- License: Open Source
- Language: en-US
- Downloads: 1.9M
- Platform: Windows Desktop
System Requirements
- Processor: 2-core CPU
- RAM: 2 GB RAM
- Storage: 1.5 GB available storage
- Graphics / GPU: Not required
Visit the official NekoRay website
NekoRay Features
Multi-Protocol Server Profiles
Create profiles for SOCKS 4, 4a and 5, HTTP and HTTPS, Shadowsocks, VMess, VLESS, Trojan, TUIC, Hysteria2, and NaïveProxy from a single editor. Each entry stores its address, port, credentials, and transport options, so switching providers never means rebuilding a configuration by hand.
Subscription Groups with Scheduled Updates
Point a group at a subscription URL and the client parses widely used raw formats, including Shadowsocks, Clash, and v2rayN exports. Refreshes can run on a schedule, optionally clear stale entries first, ignore certificate errors, and travel through the proxy when a provider is only reachable from inside the tunnel.
Latency Testing and Live Traffic Counters
One button tests every server in a group and surfaces the results so you can pick a fast, reachable node instead of guessing. Per-second upload and download counters, together with a live connection list, show exactly which streams are open and how much data each has moved.
TUN Mode and System Proxy Switching
Choose between leaving the network stack untouched, writing a system-wide HTTP proxy that browsers and chat clients honour, or creating a virtual TUN interface that captures traffic from applications ignoring proxy settings. TUN mode routes the whole machine through the core while keeping per-application behaviour predictable.
Route Sets for Split Tunneling
Named route sets decide which destinations connect directly and which travel through the tunnel, using domain and address rules that can send a country’s sites straight out while everything else is proxied. Changes apply on the next connection, so testing a rule edit stays quick.
DNS and Multiplexing Controls
Configure the resolver used for outbound lookups, choose a multiplex protocol and stream concurrency, and adjust log verbosity without opening a config file. These controls help when a provider’s DNS behaves inconsistently or when you want fewer handshakes on high-latency links.
Portable, Multilingual Desktop Interface
Profiles, groups, and route sets are kept in ordinary JSON files beside the application, so an entire setup can be copied to another machine and used immediately. The interface ships in several languages, offers light and dark themes, and supports tray operation, global hotkeys, and QR code export for sharing a profile.
Custom Outbound, Config, and Core Support
When the graphical editor cannot express a scenario, you can attach raw outbound JSON, replace the whole generated configuration, or register an alternative core executable for a transport the bundled engine does not handle. Unusual setups therefore stay usable without leaving the client.
NekoRay Old Versions
Version 3.26 Updated: December 9, 2023 Download
Version 3.25 Updated: November 30, 2023 Download
NekoRay FAQs
What is NekoRay used for?
It is used to manage and run proxy connections on a desktop computer. Servers are stored in one list, subscription links are imported, individual nodes can be tested for reachability, and traffic is then routed either through a system proxy or a virtual network interface. It suits anyone who switches between several providers or self-hosted servers.
Does NekoRay require an installation step?
No. Official builds ship as portable archives: extract the folder and run the executable. Settings, profiles, and route sets are written to a config directory beside the application, and command-line flags let you point that directory elsewhere, allow multiple instances, or start the window minimized to the system tray.
Which proxy protocols can it connect to?
It handles SOCKS 4, 4a and 5, HTTP and HTTPS, Shadowsocks, VMess, VLESS, Trojan, TUIC, Hysteria2, and NaïveProxy, along with custom outbound definitions. A few of those, such as NaïveProxy, rely on an extra core component that the client can fetch or that you supply yourself.
What is the difference between system proxy and TUN mode?
System proxy mode writes the local listening port into the operating system’s proxy settings, which browsers and most chat applications respect. TUN mode creates a virtual adapter and captures traffic from every application, including ones that ignore proxy settings, but it needs elevated privileges and a working virtual network driver.
How do subscription updates work?
You attach a subscription URL to a group, and the client fetches that link and converts the returned server list into individual profiles. You control whether updates run through the proxy, whether existing entries are cleared first, whether TLS errors are ignored, and how frequently the group refreshes on its own.
Can only some traffic be sent through the proxy?
Yes. Route sets define which domains and addresses go direct and which use the tunnel. Because rules are applied per connection, local or domestic services can stay on the direct path while everything else uses a chosen server, all without changing your system-wide proxy settings.
Is the project still actively developed?
Development of the original project has stopped and its source repository is archived, so new protocol support and bug fixes no longer arrive from the original maintainer. The client remains functional as a finished tool, but anyone who depends on long-term updates should also review actively maintained alternatives.