diff --git a/docs/user_guide.rst b/docs/user_guide.rst
index ee6c31e50..4520c3831 100644
--- a/docs/user_guide.rst
+++ b/docs/user_guide.rst
@@ -51,6 +51,20 @@ For more information and examples, see the :ref:`pip install` reference.
 
 .. _`Requirements Files`:
 
+Using a Proxy Server
+********************
+
+When installing packages from `PyPI`_, pip requires internet access, which
+in many corporate environments requires an outbound HTTP proxy server.
+
+pip can be configured to connect through a proxy server in various ways:
+
+* using the ``--proxy`` command-line option to specify a proxy in the form
+  ``[user:passwd@]proxy.server:port``
+* using ``proxy`` in a :ref:`config-file`
+* by setting the standard environment-variables ``http_proxy``, ``https_proxy``
+  and ``no_proxy``.
+
 Requirements Files
 ******************
 
diff --git a/news/512.doc b/news/512.doc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e0382fbe4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/news/512.doc
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Adding documentation for making pip use a proxy server
diff --git a/news/5574.doc b/news/5574.doc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e0382fbe4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/news/5574.doc
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Adding documentation for making pip use a proxy server