Residential and Datacenter Proxies: Picking the Right One !!

We all know that proxies are critical in providing anonymity when surfing the internet. They also help businesses with email protection, network security, and ad verification.

Proxy servers help entrepreneurs carry out web scraping that facilitates better decision making and strategy development in these areas:

• Market competitiveness
• Competitive price setting
• Improved customer service
• Customer-focused product creation
• Keyword research for effective search engine optimization

But to achieve quality results, you need to work with the right proxy type.

A proxy acts as a go-between when accessing the internet, preventing direct contact between a web server and the device making the request. It hides the device’s details. The web server will instead see the proxy’s IP and its attached location, enabling anonymity. 

There are two main types of proxies. The main difference between these proxies is their origin. This is the reason why residential and datacenter proxies are used for different web scraping or other tasks.

Residential Proxies

An ISP (Internet Service Provider) provides a residential proxy to a homeowner, which a business owner can use to hide their real IP. They come with an IP address that resembles a regular user.

What are the benefits of residential proxies?

Low block-rate. A residential IP masks itself as a genuine IP address due to them being provided by an ISP. Residential proxies can go under anti-scraping measures, remain active, and stay almost block-free because they make it possible to imitate organic traffic.

High success rates. As we mentioned before, residential proxies are nearly block-free, so all of the web scraping projects have a higher chance to succeed and run smoothly.

100% anonymity. Residential proxies are an intermediary between users and the website. This is the best option if you need to stay anonymous in your web scraping projects or other tasks.

Here you can read more about residential proxies.

Datacenter Proxies

Datacenter proxies are provided by data centers, and they are not affiliated with an Internet Service Provider. Usually, datacenter proxies are used for infrastructure, such as servers, web hosting, and so on. They do not depend on the Internet Service Provider or internet connection.

What are the benefits of datacenter proxies?

High speed. The best feature of datacenter proxies is a remarkable speed. As data centers provide datacenter proxies, these proxies are part of a server. This is the reason why datacenter proxies will not let you down when you need high speed for your tasks.

Affordability. Datacenter proxies are much cheaper compared to residential proxies. Also, if you buy them from the right proxy provider – it will be secure as well. 

Availability. Datacenter proxies are commonly available because there are a lot of data center companies that sell datacenter proxies more often.

How to choose the right proxy type?

Choosing the right proxy type is a challenging task. Before making a decision, you should think of what websites you are going to scrape and what data is your target. Furthermore, if you already tried web scraping but it was unsuccessful, you should think of what issues you have faced. Then it’s easier to identify what proxies fit the best for you as you can review their pros and cons.

As we mentioned before, proxies are used not only for web scraping tasks, so be sure why you need to start using proxies. Then you can consult your proxy provider what proxy type suits the best for you.

Also, to facilitate your decision, here are eight factors you should keep in mind when making your choice.

1) Your Budget

How much are you willing to spend on your proxy? A residential proxy is not as readily available as a datacenter proxy. This is because they are provided to homeowners by Internet Service Providers. It makes it more expensive than the artificially created datacenter proxies. However, price should not prevail over quality. Focus on getting the highest value for the lowest price.     

2) The Sensitivity of Your Project

The nature of your project will also determine the proxy you choose. For highly sensitive projects such as price scraping, you need a highly reliable proxy. Residential proxies are not easily detectable. They resemble a regular user, and any attempt to trace it back will reveal the internet service provider who issued it. Chances of getting blacklisted are, therefore, low.

3) Speed of the Proxy

For large scale projects, such as web scraping large amounts of data, you will need a fast proxy. A datacenter proxy will provide a high-speed connection. They will enable you to complete your project in the least amount of time possible, enabling you to accomplish more than you would with a residential proxy.

4) Availability of an IP Pool

If your project involves a high risk of getting blocked or banned, you need a proxy server that will make it possible to rotate the IP addresses. Check if the proxy vendor can provide a large IP pool. If you are carrying out market research, IPs with different locations will make your research more extensive.  

5) Shared Vs. Private Proxies

Whether you are planning on using a residential or datacenter proxy, you will need to make a choice between using a shared and a private proxy. A shared proxy will be cheaper, but it is slow and less reliable than a private proxy.  Shared proxies are best for browsing anonymously. For tasks such as web scraping, ad verification, and brand protection, use a private proxy.

6) The Legitimacy of the Vendor

Like any other industry, there are scammers in the proxy business. They sell proxies with blocked IP addresses, making it impossible to access various sites. Ensure that you are dealing with a trusted provider by checking the reviews from other customers. Lots of positive reviews are a good sign. Be keen on their response to complaints and test the proxy before purchasing.

7) Compatibility with Your Tools

In most cases, you will be using your proxy with another tool, such as a data scraper or SEO tool. Compatibility between your proxy and your tool is essential for a smooth and successful project. You can purchase both tools from the same vendor or test their compatibility before making your purchase.

8) Adequate Support

Sufficient customer support is essential, especially if you are not tech-savvy or are new in the use of proxies. Your service provider should provide instant responses to your queries and provide 24/7 live support. A vendor with dedicated account managers will help you get a proxy solution that meets your business’s needs.

Key Takeaways

Whether you are using a proxy for security purposes, ad verification, or market research, you need to work with a quality proxy that meets your needs.

Residential proxies provide the highest level of anonymity but come at a higher cost. In contrast, datacenter proxies will provide a high-speed connection and are more affordable. Whichever choice you make, ensure that the proxy is compatible with your tools. It should come with a wide variety of IPs that you can rotate.

Get a trustworthy vendor who has quality products and can provide adequate customer support.

Stick to these guidelines, and you are sure to have an easy time buying and using proxies.