Clash Glossary
22 high-frequency terms organized into five branch categories. Each term card has its own anchor, so when you hit a word you don't recognize in a tutorial or the handbook, jump here, look it up, and jump back. Pick a category first, then find the entry number.
Core & Protocols
GL-01 → GL-04mihomo (Meta core)mihomo
The leading open-source core in the Clash ecosystem today, maintained by the community after the original core stopped receiving updates. It handles config parsing, proxy connections, and rule execution, supporting a broader range of protocols and rule types than the older core. Mainstream clients like Clash Verge Rev and FlClash bundle this core, so most users never need to download it separately.
ShadowsocksSS
A lightweight encrypted proxy protocol where the client and server encrypt traffic using a pre-shared key. It has few config fields and broad cross-platform compatibility, making it one of the most common protocol types in subscription nodes. It typically appears in config files as type: ss.
VMess
A transport protocol defined by the V2Ray project, using a UUID as the identity credential, and combinable with transport layers such as WebSocket, gRPC, and TLS. It has more fields, but after importing a subscription you generally don't need to adjust parameters manually.
Trojan
A protocol that disguises proxy traffic as standard HTTPS traffic, requiring the server to hold a valid TLS certificate. Traffic patterns observed externally resemble ordinary web browsing, with config fields mainly limited to server address, port, and password.
Proxy Modes
GL-05 → GL-09Rule modeRule
Matches traffic against the rules in the config file from top to bottom: traffic hitting proxy rules goes through a node, traffic hitting direct rules goes through the local network, and anything unmatched falls to a catch-all rule. Rule mode is fine for everyday use; how well traffic is split depends on config quality.
Global modeGlobal
Skips rule matching entirely and routes all traffic through the currently selected node. Useful for temporarily debugging rule issues or when you briefly need everything to go through a proxy — not recommended for extended use.
Direct modeDirect
All traffic bypasses nodes and goes straight out through the local network, equivalent to temporarily disabling the proxy while keeping the client running. When troubleshooting network issues, switching to direct mode first quickly tells you whether the problem lies in the proxy chain.
System proxySystem Proxy
Uses the operating system's proxy settings to route HTTP/HTTPS requests from apps like browsers to Clash's local listening port. It only covers apps that honor the system proxy setting; command-line tools and some other software are unaffected by default. For more thorough coverage, use TUN mode instead.
TUN modeTUN Mode
Creates a virtual network adapter that intercepts all system traffic at the network layer, independent of whether an app honors system proxy settings. Suited to games, command-line tools, and similar scenarios. On Windows this usually requires installing service mode or running with administrator privileges; close any other virtual-adapter software before enabling it.
Rules & Routing
GL-10 → GL-13Rule-based routingRule-based Routing
A mechanism that assigns different traffic to different exits based on domain, IP location, process name, and similar conditions. A typical result is domestic sites connecting directly, sites outside your region going through a proxy, and ad domains getting blocked. Rules live in the Profile's rules section, and order determines priority.
GeoIP
A rule type that matches traffic against an IP-location database, with a typical entry like GEOIP,CN,DIRECT meaning the destination IP is treated as mainland China and connected directly. The database file needs periodic updates; an outdated version can cause misclassification and inaccurate routing.
GeoSite
A rule type that matches against a domain-classification database, bundling tens of thousands of domains into categories that rules can reference — for example, handling all streaming or ad domains as a group. This is far easier to maintain than writing individual domain rules one by one.
Proxy groupProxy Group
Organizes multiple nodes into a single selectable unit under a strategy. Common types: select for manual choice, url-test for automatically picking the lowest latency, and fallback for automatic failover. Rule exits usually point to a proxy group rather than a single node, so the group can automatically substitute a working node if one fails.
Subscriptions & Config Files
GL-14 → GL-17SubscriptionSubscription
A URL provided by a service that the client periodically fetches to get the latest nodes and rules; the result of each fetch is a Profile. Treat the subscription link like a credential and never share it publicly. If updates fail, first check whether the link has expired or whether your current network can reach the subscription server.
Profile (config file)
Clash's core configuration carrier, internally split into three sections — nodes, proxy groups, and rules — answering what exits exist, how they're organized, and which traffic goes through which exit. A client can save multiple profiles, but only one is active at any given time; switching replaces the whole thing.
YAML
The text format used by Clash config files, expressing hierarchy through indentation. Indentation must use spaces and be strictly aligned — a single stray tab can break parsing for the entire file. Back up before editing manually, and check whether the client reports a parsing error afterward.
NodeProxy
A record for an available remote proxy server, including server address, port, protocol type, and encryption parameters. A node's speed and availability are determined on the provider's side; the client only handles connecting, testing, and scheduling — switching nodes won't fix a fault on the server itself.
Network & Diagnostics
GL-18 → GL-22Latency testLatency Test
The client sends requests to a preset test address to measure each node's response time, in milliseconds. The number reflects connectivity and relative speed: tens up to two or three hundred milliseconds is normal, while a timeout means the node is currently unavailable. When troubleshooting a connection issue, check latency before checking rules.
Fake-IP
A DNS handling mode where the client first returns a placeholder IP from a reserved range so the app's connection can start immediately, then resolves the real domain and forwards traffic at the proxy layer. This saves DNS wait time and speeds up the first packet; a few apps that rely on the real IP may need to be added to an exception list in the config.
DNS leakDNS Leak
A situation where the proxy is already active, but domain resolution requests still go through the local ISP's DNS. This can expose browsing intent to observers, and tampered results may prevent the target site from loading. Enabling TUN mode or DNS hijacking in the config keeps resolution inside the client.
Mixed portMixed Port
A single local port that accepts both HTTP and SOCKS5 proxy requests, commonly defaulting to 7890. When manually configuring a proxy for a browser extension or dev tool, just enter 127.0.0.1 with this port — no need to configure a separate one for each protocol.
Allow LANAllow LAN
Lets other devices on the same local network use the machine running Clash as a proxy server. Once enabled, phones, TVs, and other devices can share the exit by entering this machine's LAN IP and port. This setting exposes a port to the local network, so only enable it on trusted home or office networks.
Done with terms? Keep going
The glossary only gets you to comprehension — operation and troubleshooting live in the three stops below.