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WPAD

Webopedia Staff
Last Updated May 24, 2021 7:59 am

Short for Web Proxy AutoDiscovery, an Internet protocol that enables a Web browser to automatically connect to a cache server (or proxy server) location in a network in order to retrieve stored Web pages at a quicker rate than having to leave the network in order to request the Web page from the originating site s Web server. A WPAD-enabled client first uses DHCP to find a cache service, then the Service Location Protocol (SLP) if unsuccessful. If the cache server is still not found, the WPAD-enabled client then searches DNSrecords.

WPAD is used by networks with a large number of users, such as enterprise networks and ISPs.