FFXI PlayOnline Proxy

See the original project https://github.com/jaku/POL-Proxy

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The FFXI PlayOnline Proxy is a simple way to bypass the slow PlayOnline loading process that normally happens before the game launches.

This does NOT bypass PlayOnline authentication and does NOT send any data to third-party servers. Everything runs locally on your machine.

Instead of downloading PML files from PlayOnline’s servers, the proxy serves a local page that immediately launches the game once PlayOnline starts.

You can see how it works here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SATgkzxw_ss

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How It Works

• PlayOnline normally fetches data from wh000.pol.com
• This proxy redirects that request to your local machine
• A local page is served that launches FFXI immediately
• No credentials are intercepted or stored

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Setup (Docker – Recommended for Linux / Steam Deck)

Docker is the easiest way to run the proxy on Linux-based systems, including the Steam Deck.

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Requirements

• Docker
• Docker Compose (v2)

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Linux (Desktop)

1) Install Docker

Use your distro's package manager.

Debian / Ubuntu:

sudo apt install docker docker-compose-plugin
sudo systemctl enable --now docker

Arch Linux:

sudo pacman -S docker docker-compose
sudo systemctl enable --now docker

Fedora:

sudo dnf install docker docker-compose-plugin
sudo systemctl enable --now docker

openSUSE Leap / Tumbleweed:

sudo zypper install docker docker-compose
sudo systemctl enable --now docker

Add user to Docker group (skip using sudo):

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
# log out and back in

2) Edit hosts file

echo "127.0.0.1 wh000.pol.com" | sudo tee -a /etc/hosts

3) Clone and run the proxy

git clone https://github.com/Mandracord/polProxy
cd polProxy
docker compose \
  -f compose.polproxy.yml \
  -f compose.polproxy.host.yml \
  up --build

Expected output:

POL Proxy is running on port 51304

Note

You can now run docker compose -f compose.polproxy.yml -f compose.polproxy.host.yml up -d to keep it running in the background.

Launch PlayOnline normally.

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Steam Deck (SteamOS)

Steam Deck runs SteamOS (Linux). Docker works in Desktop Mode.

Switch to Desktop Mode:

Steam button → Power → Switch to Desktop

1) Install Docker

Open Konsole and run:

sudo steamos-readonly disable
sudo pacman -S docker docker-compose
sudo systemctl enable --now docker

Note: SteamOS updates may require reinstalling Docker. Your files and containers are not affected.

2) Edit hosts file

echo "127.0.0.1 wh000.pol.com" | sudo tee -a /etc/hosts

3) Clone and run proxy

git clone https://github.com/Mandracord/polProxy
cd polProxy
docker compose -f compose.polproxy.yml up --build

Note

You can now run docker compose -f compose.polproxy.yml up -d to keep it running in the background.

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Windows

Windows users can either use Docker or the prebuilt executable.

Option A: Docker

Install Docker Desktop: https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop

Ensure Docker Desktop is running before continuing.

Clone and run

Open Powershell as Administrator:

git clone https://github.com/Mandracord/polProxy
cd polProxy
docker compose up --build

Edit hosts file as Administrator:

C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

Add:

127.0.0.1   wh000.pol.com

Save the file and launch PlayOnline.

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Option B: Prebuilt Executable (Windows Only)

Download: https://github.com/jaku/POL-Proxy/releases/download/1.0.0/PolProxy.exe

Run it and you should see:

POL Proxy is running on port 51304

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Notes

• The proxy must be running before logging into PlayOnline
• You can close the proxy after logging in, but it uses minimal resources
• If you stop using the proxy, remove wh000.pol.com from your hosts file

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License

MIT https://choosealicense.com/licenses/mit/