diff --git a/backend/cmd/headlamp.go b/backend/cmd/headlamp.go
index cca86f5b5d0..c5e5556aa76 100644
--- a/backend/cmd/headlamp.go
+++ b/backend/cmd/headlamp.go
@@ -77,6 +77,49 @@ import (
 
 type HeadlampConfig struct {
 	*headlampconfig.HeadlampConfig
+	proxyURLMu        sync.Mutex
+	compiledProxyURLs []glob.Glob
+}
+
+func compileProxyURLPatterns(patterns []string) ([]glob.Glob, error) {
+	compiledProxyURLs := make([]glob.Glob, 0, len(patterns))
+
+	for _, pattern := range patterns {
+		g, err := glob.Compile(pattern)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("compiling proxy URL pattern %q: %w", pattern, err)
+		}
+
+		compiledProxyURLs = append(compiledProxyURLs, g)
+	}
+
+	return compiledProxyURLs, nil
+}
+
+func (c *HeadlampConfig) proxyURLAllowed(proxyURL string) (bool, error) {
+	c.proxyURLMu.Lock()
+
+	if c.compiledProxyURLs == nil && len(c.ProxyURLs) > 0 {
+		compiledProxyURLs, err := compileProxyURLPatterns(c.ProxyURLs)
+		if err != nil {
+			c.proxyURLMu.Unlock()
+
+			return false, err
+		}
+
+		c.compiledProxyURLs = compiledProxyURLs
+	}
+
+	compiledProxyURLs := c.compiledProxyURLs
+	c.proxyURLMu.Unlock()
+
+	for _, g := range compiledProxyURLs {
+		if g.Match(proxyURL) {
+			return true, nil
+		}
+	}
+
+	return false, nil
 }
 
 const DrainNodeCacheTTL = 20 // seconds
@@ -601,14 +644,12 @@ func createHeadlampHandler(ctx context.Context, config *HeadlampConfig) http.Han
 			return
 		}
 
-		isURLContainedInProxyURLs := false
+		isURLContainedInProxyURLs, err := config.proxyURLAllowed(url.String())
+		if err != nil {
+			logger.Log(logger.LevelError, map[string]string{"proxyURL": proxyURL}, err, "compiling proxy URL patterns")
+			http.Error(w, "failed to compile proxy URL patterns", http.StatusInternalServerError)
 
-		for _, proxyURL := range config.ProxyURLs {
-			g := glob.MustCompile(proxyURL)
-			if g.Match(url.String()) {
-				isURLContainedInProxyURLs = true
-				break
-			}
+			return
 		}
 
 		if !isURLContainedInProxyURLs {
diff --git a/backend/cmd/headlamp_test.go b/backend/cmd/headlamp_test.go
index 662df5bda60..833346eb1e5 100644
--- a/backend/cmd/headlamp_test.go
+++ b/backend/cmd/headlamp_test.go
@@ -500,6 +500,29 @@ func TestExternalProxy(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestCompileProxyURLPatternsInvalidPattern(t *testing.T) {
+	_, err := compileProxyURLPatterns([]string{"["})
+
+	require.Error(t, err)
+	assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), "compiling proxy URL pattern")
+}
+
+func TestProxyURLAllowedCompilesConfiguredProxyURLs(t *testing.T) {
+	config := &HeadlampConfig{
+		HeadlampConfig: &headlampconfig.HeadlampConfig{
+			HeadlampCFG: &headlampconfig.HeadlampCFG{
+				ProxyURLs: []string{"https://example.com/*"},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	allowed, err := config.proxyURLAllowed("https://example.com/api")
+
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.True(t, allowed)
+	assert.NotEmpty(t, config.compiledProxyURLs)
+}
+
 func TestExternalProxyForwarding(t *testing.T) {
 	// Create a new server for testing that returns a specific status and content type
 	proxyServer := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
diff --git a/backend/cmd/server.go b/backend/cmd/server.go
index 74424afd791..b21dd41a022 100644
--- a/backend/cmd/server.go
+++ b/backend/cmd/server.go
@@ -98,15 +98,21 @@ func buildHeadlampCFG(conf *config.Config, kubeConfigStore kubeconfig.ContextSto
 		WatchPluginsChanges:    conf.WatchPluginsChanges,
 		KubeConfigStore:        kubeConfigStore,
 		BaseURL:                conf.BaseURL,
-		ProxyURLs:              strings.Split(conf.ProxyURLs, ","),
-		TLSCertPath:            conf.TLSCertPath,
-		TLSKeyPath:             conf.TLSKeyPath,
-		SessionTTL:             conf.SessionTTL,
-		PodDebugImage:          conf.PodDebugImage,
-		OidcUseCookie:          conf.OidcUseCookie,
-		DefaultLightTheme:      conf.DefaultLightTheme,
-		DefaultDarkTheme:       conf.DefaultDarkTheme,
-		ForceTheme:             conf.ForceTheme,
+		ProxyURLs: func() []string {
+			if conf.ProxyURLs == "" {
+				return []string{}
+			}
+
+			return strings.Split(conf.ProxyURLs, ",")
+		}(),
+		TLSCertPath:       conf.TLSCertPath,
+		TLSKeyPath:        conf.TLSKeyPath,
+		SessionTTL:        conf.SessionTTL,
+		PodDebugImage:     conf.PodDebugImage,
+		OidcUseCookie:     conf.OidcUseCookie,
+		DefaultLightTheme: conf.DefaultLightTheme,
+		DefaultDarkTheme:  conf.DefaultDarkTheme,
+		ForceTheme:        conf.ForceTheme,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -167,8 +173,15 @@ func createHeadlampConfig(conf *config.Config) *HeadlampConfig {
 	cfg.ProxyAuthEmailHeader = conf.ProxyAuthEmailHeader
 	cfg.ProxyAuthTokenHeader = conf.ProxyAuthTokenHeader
 
+	compiledProxyURLs, err := compileProxyURLPatterns(cfg.ProxyURLs)
+	if err != nil {
+		logger.Log(logger.LevelError, nil, err, "failed to compile proxy URL patterns")
+		os.Exit(1)
+	}
+
 	return &HeadlampConfig{
-		HeadlampConfig: cfg,
+		HeadlampConfig:    cfg,
+		compiledProxyURLs: compiledProxyURLs,
 	}
 }