Proxies are essential for web scraping. Without them, web scraping wouldn’t exist, at least not in the same form. They are very effective for protecting against ad frauds, identity thefts, and data leaks. Proxies are very valuable both for personal and business use.
But what are proxies actually? What type of proxies are there? How do they work? Most importantly, who wins the battle of static vs. rotating proxies? These are some of the questions we will answer in this article.
Proxy as a concept
Proxies are intermediaries between computer users and the web. When a computer uses a proxy, all of their internet requests run directly through that proxy server. This server first changes the IP address after connecting you to your desired destination.
The proxy server has a pool of IP addresses that a computer basically uses instead of its own. Proxy handles all requests on behalf of the user, and when the responses are received, it passes them down to the user. This process increases privacy drastically and helps users hide their real IP addresses.
Even though proxies are primarily used for hiding IP addresses, they have many other uses:
- Unblocking websites and content
- Web scraping
- Filtering information
When it comes to personal use, proxies are mostly focused on privacy and anonymity. However, on a business level, they are used for monitoring and controlling how the internet is used within the organization or outside. For example, websites that gather and compare prices for products or services, use proxies to scrape prices without getting banned or having their IPs blocked.
Static proxies explained
These proxies are assigned through internet service providers. They are data center IPs, which means that they come from third-party companies. The word “static” means these proxies are always the same and can be used as long as necessary.
They are usually fast residential proxies that combine the speed and resources of data centers. They don’t involve any IP rotation, which makes their use a lot simpler. What makes them stand out from typical data center proxies is that they aren’t created by virtual machines.
They look genuine to most websites and aren’t flagged so often as bots.
Rotating proxies explained
Rotating proxies assign new IP addresses for each new connection. If a script or a crawler is automated to send 5,000 requests to a certain number of websites, they will automatically get 5,000 new IPs. These proxies are strictly residential, and the IP is changed for every request.
However, depending on the service provider, the changes can be periodical and happen each couple of minutes. They don’t need a proxy rotator because they do this themselves. Web crawlers and scrapers are a typical example of proxy tools that perform automatic rotations.
These proxies allow effective site auditing and web scraping. A lot of sites will block web scrapers, automatically making your actions useless. That’s why rotating proxies are so popular with these practices.
If you’re looking for more information, visit Oxylabs where you will find explained in-depth, what rotating proxies are.
Comparisons in uses and benefits
Uses
Static Proxies: Static proxies are usually used by a single individual who needs one private connection to use naturally while ensuring privacy. In other cases, static proxies are used only when IP address changes lead to bans or blocks.
It usually happens when someone tries to use social media, e-commerce platforms, and business platforms with different IPs. Companies use static proxies to protect their image and brand. They can check illegal use of their content or misinformation using web scraping while looking like a real user.
Rotating Proxies: Whenever there is a need to access many websites and send out tons of requests, a rotating proxy is used. Apart from web scraping, this is also used for scripts and other bot-like programs. Not only that, they prevent blocks but also make the processes faster.
Benefits
Statics Proxies:
- Static proxies are very fast
- They offer a high-level of anonymity
- Static proxies that come from internet service providers are reliable and don’t raise any red flags
- They have a good uptime
- There are no limitations to how many different targets you can focus on with your scrapping efforts
Rotating Proxies:
- Fewer chances of getting banned
- You can bypass request limits set to a single IP address
- Constant changes give anonymity and make it difficult to trace down where the operation is coming from
- They are cost-effective as you can go through a lot of sites in a small period of time.
Conclusions
When comparing static vs. rotating proxies, it’s clear that both have their upsides and downsides. With web scraping, it’s important to keep in mind the goal and how you will achieve it. When you answer these questions, you will know which option will work better for your efforts.