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How to Test Websites Behind a VPN or Firewall with Percy

Find the failing network path—Percy CLI, discovery browser, or remote BrowserStack browser—and configure its proxy or Local tunnel.
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To test a private website with Percy, configure the network path that is actually blocked: Percy’s CLI or SDK proxy, the asset-discovery browser proxy, or a BrowserStack Local tunnel for a remote browser that must reach your private network. These settings solve different problems; enabling one does not automatically configure the others.

First identify which connection is failing

A VPN or firewall setup can involve three separate network paths. Identify the failing component before changing configuration:

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  • Percy CLI or SDK to Percy: Set the proxy environment variables in the process that runs Percy.
  • Percy asset-discovery browser to the site or its assets: Configure the proxy on the browser Percy launches for discovery.
  • Remote BrowserStack browser to a private site: Start BrowserStack Local so the remote browser can route requests through your network.

Percy proxy configuration does not make a private site reachable from a remote browser, and BrowserStack Local does not configure the Percy CLI’s connection to Percy. BrowserStack’s proxy-request guide and Local Testing overview describe these distinct use cases.

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Configure Percy’s CLI or SDK proxy

Percy uses the conventional HTTP_PROXY, HTTPS_PROXY, and NO_PROXY environment variables. Percy says HTTP_PROXY alone is sufficient in most cases; set HTTPS_PROXY as well if HTTPS traffic uses a different proxy. Proxy URLs can include optional credentials.

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export HTTP_PROXY="http://proxy.example.com:8080"
export HTTPS_PROXY="http://proxy.example.com:8080"
# Add NO_PROXY only for hosts that should bypass the proxy.
export NO_PROXY="localhost,127.0.0.1"

Use your organization’s approved proxy host, port, authentication method, and bypass list. Percy documents credential-bearing URLs in this form: http[s]://<username>:<password>@<domain>:<port>/. Do not commit credentials or project tokens to source control.

When proxy selection uses a PAC file

Set PERCY_PAC_FILE_URL to the PAC file URL when your environment uses proxy auto-configuration. Percy documents both local-file and HTTP-hosted PAC examples. This variable takes precedence over Percy’s other proxy variables; consult the exact formats in Percy’s environment-variable reference.

Keep the project token out of logs and source control

Percy’s project token allows builds and snapshots to be created and resources uploaded. Percy recommends write access for CI integrations and warns that anyone with the token can consume account quota. Store it in your CI secret manager or another protected environment variable, rather than in a committed configuration file.

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Route Percy asset discovery through the proxy

The CLI can connect to Percy while the browser used for asset discovery cannot reach the application or its resources. In that case, configure the discovery browser’s launch options separately, using the proxy server argument:

--proxy-server=http://proxy.example.com:8080

Use the actual proxy address and the discovery configuration supported by your Percy integration. Setting only HTTP_PROXY and HTTPS_PROXY does not replace this browser launch argument when the discovery browser itself needs proxy routing. The Percy proxy guide covers both layers.

Debug discovery without uploading snapshots

Set PERCY_DEBUG=true to debug asset discovery without uploading snapshots. Percy’s environment-variable reference also lists page-load and network-idle timeout controls; their documented defaults are 30,000 ms each. Increase a timeout only when evidence points to a slow page or network-idle condition, rather than using it to mask a proxy or routing failure.

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Protect local baselines

For a local run, Percy recommends setting PERCY_BRANCH=local so it does not unintentionally update the project’s master baseline. For CI, follow the CI workflow for your integration.

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Use BrowserStack Local when a remote browser needs a private site

If the test browser runs remotely on BrowserStack and the site is available only inside a VPN, firewall, or private network, use BrowserStack Local. BrowserStack describes support for localhost, staging, and private-network sites. Its Local agent makes an outbound connection to a BrowserStack repeater; remote browser requests are routed through that repeater, and the agent resolves private-site requests from within your network. This avoids exposing the internal server to the public internet. See how Local Testing works.

  1. Start and authenticate the Local agent in the network that can reach the private site, using the setup for your BrowserStack product and test framework.
  2. Enable Local for the remote test session. For Cypress Automate, BrowserStack’s guide shows connection_settings.local set to true in browserstack.json.
  3. Apply proxy options only when needed. Proxy support and configuration vary by integration. Do not assume a Cypress-specific flag applies to another BrowserStack product.
  4. Stop the agent when finished. BrowserStack says the agent can be stopped with Ctrl+C; teardown clears the agent and repeater state.

BrowserStack documents Local Testing across automated, manual, and low-code testing, but setup depends on the product and integration. Use the Local Testing overview for the relevant path.

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Cypress Automate proxy options

For the Cypress Automate integration specifically, BrowserStack documents the following proxy support:

Proxy setup Documented options Authentication documented
Standard proxy --proxy-host and --proxy-port Unauthenticated or HTTP Basic, using --proxy-user and --proxy-pass
MITM proxy --local-proxy-host and --local-proxy-port Unauthenticated or HTTP Basic
PAC file --pac-file Unauthenticated

The guide says to bypass bs-local.com in the proxy if required. It also documents --force-proxy and --force-local to route remote browser or device requests through the configured proxy and Local connection. Confirm these options against your precise product and network policy before applying them. See BrowserStack’s Cypress proxy and firewall guide.

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Troubleshoot in network-path order

  1. Percy cannot connect to its service: Check that the Percy CLI or SDK process inherits the correct proxy environment variables and can reach Percy’s API. Verify proxy authentication and bypass rules.
  2. Percy connects, but discovered pages or assets fail: Configure the discovery browser’s --proxy-server launch argument. Use PERCY_DEBUG=true to investigate discovery without uploading snapshots.
  3. A remote browser cannot load an internal URL: Start BrowserStack Local in the network that can reach the site, then enable Local for the relevant test session.
  4. Local connects, but requests still take the wrong route: Check proxy compatibility, authentication, and whether bs-local.com needs a bypass. Use force-routing flags only if policy requires requests to go through the local network or configured proxy; BrowserStack says the Local binary otherwise attempts direct connections where possible for performance.
  5. Failures are intermittent or slow: Check the network path and the discovery timeout settings before raising timeouts. Percy’s documented defaults for page-load and network-idle discovery timeouts are 30,000 ms.
  6. Local testing stops working after a run: Confirm the Local agent is still running and correctly authenticated. Stop it with Ctrl+C when the session is complete.
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Or skip the browser setup

If you need a screenshot of a publicly reachable page rather than a Percy visual-regression test of a private site, ScreenshotNeo provides a one-request website screenshot API. It does not replace a VPN tunnel for pages inaccessible outside your network.

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For a publicly reachable page, the cURL request is:

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp

See the ScreenshotNeo documentation for the API and other options. Cookie banners, popups, and chat widgets are removed before the shot; bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are never billed; and its MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card, and paid plans start at $5 for 3,000.

Sign up free for 1,000 screenshots a month, with no card required.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does BrowserStack Local configure Percy’s API proxy?

No. Set Percy’s proxy environment variables for the Percy CLI or SDK; use BrowserStack Local for remote-browser access to a private site.

Can BrowserStack Local expose an internal website to the public internet?

BrowserStack describes Local as an outbound encrypted tunnel that lets remote browsers reach private sites without exposing the internal server publicly.

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