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