A proxy is a router or a computer system that serves as a relay between you and your client. It’s a means of delivering your client’s request towards you and bringing them the response to their inquiries.
For example, if your client wants to know anything on the website he is currently browsing, he will send a request about the data. Instead of reaching the website, this request will first reach a proxy server.
The proxy server will then alter the IP address of the user before sending the request to the website. Then the website will approve the request access for the user to view their desired information.
From the term “proxy”, which deliberately means “to act as a behalf of another”, a proxy server acts as an “alternate” to the user accessing a website. All-access requests to information go first on a proxy, which then assesses this request before sending it to the internet.
Vice versa, the response from the internet goes back to the proxy server before it reaches the user.
What is a Static Proxy?
A static proxy is a type of proxy that allows users to have one IP address at a time. It’s also known as a sticky IP address and does not easily change over time.
To access the internet, you can only use that one sticky IP address provided to you. Nevertheless, you can freely choose any location of your choice to increase your anonymity while browsing the internet.
You can still get all the advantages of a server proxy with the use of static IPs, such as maintaining your privacy while enjoying good bandwidth and high-speed browsing. However, in order to avoid IP bans, you need to create a logic that turns around proxies when using a static proxy.
Technically, a mobile proxy can be identified as static if it is running on a device like a phone farm. However, due to its qualities, it is bound to rotate the address sooner or later. Ultimately, it all depends on what mobile proxy do you use as top providers offer solutions such as Rotating ISP Proxies that could maintain a session up to 5 hours before changing.
What is a Rotating Proxy?
Contrary to a static proxy where you only have a single IP address at a time, rotating proxies give you a new proxy from a wide range of IP addresses. The rotation can vary depending on the number of access requests. To explain it simpler, if a user has sent 10,000 requests, the given access can be up to 10,000 IP addresses as well.
Also read, 5 Tips For Ensuring Better Computer Cybersecurity
While static proxies are known as datacenter proxies, rotating proxies are often known as residential proxies.
The IP addresses used in rotating proxies are usually situated to resemble the regular addresses used at home. This is necessary to make sure that the user will never get blocked on any website as they are viewed as a regular person instead of a bot.
Internet service providers usually use rotating proxies due to limitations in the available number of IP addresses. When a user finishes a session, the IP issued to them by their ISP will be given to the next user that makes a request.
Rotating vs. Static Proxies: What are the Differences?
The proxy you choose depends on what you need. While both have their pros and cons, there is no denying that one is superior to the other when it comes to their respective use cases.
Respective Use Cases of a Static Proxy
- Social Media Management – The use of a single IP address throughout a user’s session makes static proxies far better for social media management as changing a user’s IP address repeatedly will only lead it to be banned from a platform.
- e-Commerce – If the data depends on the location of the user, then a static proxy is the better choice. A platform might give a piece of different information when a user revisits the site using another IP address. Also, the website might get alerted when the account of a certain buyer logs in on a different location.
- Market Research – Since data differs depending on the location of the user, static proxies would be useful if the user wants to check information on one location. The rotation of IP addresses will only result in delivering the wrong information since marketing information is mostly dynamic.
Respective Use Cases of a Rotating Proxy
While static proxies are useful when it comes to assessing information depending on one location, rotating proxies, on the other hand, are a better choice for gathering information. The rotation of IP addresses is useful on acquiring data for the following, but not limited to:
- SEO monitoring – With the use of a rotating server, you have lower chances of having your account banned or restricted from sending too many requests on a single IP address.
- e-Commerce Scraping – This respective use case needs a lot of static proxies or rotating proxies. Since having an account blocked is the most probable scenario, then rotating proxies have the upper hand for using different IP addresses on each session.
- Price Aggregation – Scaling and new price aggregators have a hard way of getting their hands on information. That’s why they need a rotating proxy when they visit a vendor site just as a consumer without being blacklisted or blocked from accessing their site.
- Travel Aggregation – Travel fare aggregators gather information across several flights and hotel companies as well as other travel agencies to circulate on their website. Rotating proxies ensure fast and smooth data collection from various similar sources.
Summary:
It’s important to choose the type of proxy that suits your needs best, especially as it has a bigger role when it comes to e-Commerce. Not only in business, but internet security has become a vital part of every request due to the increasing rates of cybercrimes. One way of ensuring security is by using proxy servers to hide IP addresses.
Both types of proxies have their pros and cons, but the best one will ultimately depend on your needs and purpose of using it.