Short for Web Proxy Auto Discovery, WPAD is a protocol used by network clients to find the URL of files containing network configurations or settings, also known as PAC (proxy auto-config) files. This process is carried out using DNS or DHCP discovery methods; sometimes, both are used.

After the file is located and downloaded, its information is used to determine a specific URL’s proxy. While WPAD is not an official Internet standard, it is supported by all major browsers.

Computer acronyms, Configuration, Internet terms, Network, Network terms

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