How can you confirm that a Firefox proxy is working?

I once assumed my proxy was active because pages were loading normally, only to discover later that Firefox was still using my regular connection. Since then, I never trust the absence of errors as proof. Checking the public IP seems like the fastest method, but I’m curious whether people use any other checks before starting actual work with a new proxy configuration.

An IP check is the quickest confirmation, but I like adding one practical test after it. A proxy can be connected correctly while the browser still shows cached or personalized content. If the IP matches the expected server and a fresh session behaves normally, the setup is probably fine. When only one website looks wrong, I investigate that site’s cookies or account settings before blaming the proxy.

Verifying that proxy configurations are properly routing traffic before beginning any sensitive or data-intensive tasks is a crucial habit for maintaining operational security and avoiding accidental leaks. Beyond simply checking the public IP address, many administrators and technical users rely on additional diagnostic steps, such as inspecting DNS leak test results to ensure DNS queries aren't bypassing the tunnel, checking WebRTC behavior in browsers to prevent local IP exposure, and reviewing latency or traceroute paths to confirm the expected routing node is active.

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What supplementary checks or diagnostic tools do you find most reliable when setting up a new proxy or VPN configuration?