This page explains all the different ways you can enable movie-web to stream your favorite movies & TV shows, each with their own pros and cons.
<!-- ## Method 1 - Browser extension
The movie-web browser extension is the easiest way to be able to watch media with fast streaming speeds, it is available for both [Chrome] and [Firefox].
This method is great if you only use movie-web on your computer. If you use a mobile device or smart TV, you'll unfortunately have to stick to using a proxy since these devices don't usually support browser extensions.
Since this method uses your own IP, it is undetectable by streaming services, so you can use it to watch your favorite shows without worrying about getting blocked by their servers. -->
## Method 1 - Self-hosted proxy
Self-hosting a proxy is an easy way to get good streaming speeds, [we have a guide](../2.proxy/1.deploy.md) that explains how to set up one for **free**.
This method is recommended if you want to host a proxy for your friends and or family to use, as it is the fastest and most reliable way to stream media at the moment.
<!-- This method is recommended if you want to host a proxy for your friends and family to use, or if you want to use movie-web on a device that doesn't support the [browser extension](#method-1---browser-extension), such as a smart TV or mobile device. -->
Once you follow the guide on how to set up a proxy, you can use the URL of your proxy in the client either by using the [`VITE_CORS_PROXY_URL`](../3.client/3.configuration.md#vite_cors_proxy_url) variable if you're self-hosting or if you're using the main website, by going into the `Settings`, then scrolling all the way down to `Connections` and enabling the `Use custom proxy workers` option and entering your URL from earlier.
If you are using the main website, then you are most likely already using the public proxy. This is not the case with self-hosted clients, there is no proxy set up by default on self-hosted clients and you will need to [set up one yourself](../2.proxy/1.deploy.md).
