September 30, 2023

A Comparative Analysis of Static and Dynamic Residential Proxies

netnut proxy

netnut proxy

It’s not easy to organize and start a scraping operation. You must understand what a bot is, how to choose and customize one, and how to avoid being blocked. You also need to determine the ideal proxy for your scraping activities. 

A proxy server is a link between the client requesting various web pages and the web server which delivers these pages. Since proxies protect users’ anonymity, they may be able to bypass the security measures put in place by many websites to prevent scraping.

When evaluating your proxy options, it would be best to determine the key differences between static and dynamic proxies. This information will help you select the suitable proxy that suits your company. 

Fortunately, this post will discuss residential proxies and what they entail. We’ll also compare the two fundamental types of proxies – static and dynamic. Please continue scrolling to discover more about these proxies.

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What is a Static Residential Proxy?

A static proxy is a type of proxy server that enables users to access the internet through a single, unique IP address. This can be particularly useful for individuals or organizations requiring a consistent online presence or maintaining anonymity. Check the link https://netnut.io/static-residential-proxies/ to site proxies that allow users to enjoy a more secure and reliable browsing experience while benefiting from enhanced privacy and control over their online activities.

In networking, a static proxy is mainly referred to as a data center IP allocated to an individual user. Once assigned a static IP address, you can utilize it for as long as required. A static IP address is also commonly called a sticky IP address.

One can still enjoy the advantages of employing a proxy by utilizing static IPs. For instance, you can experience lightning-fast internet speeds and exceptional bandwidth capabilities, all while safeguarding your online privacy with complete anonymity. However, it would be best to establish a specific protocol for proxy rotation to prevent IP bans.

In specific business scenarios, implementing a static proxy is quite vital. Social media managers responsible for managing multiple social media accounts may need to utilize dedicated static proxies for each account. This is because using different IPs can result in being blocked by the platforms. Fortunately, social media managers can avoid this issue and ensure their accounts remain active and accessible by implementing dedicated static proxies.

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What is a Dynamic Residential Proxy?

If the IP you are using is no longer available or you have set up automatic IP rotation in your proxy management, dynamic proxies will provide you with a new IP address. The IPs can be changed after a set number of requests when a certain period has elapsed or if the currently used IP address becomes unavailable.

 The proxy administration system controls the timing and distribution of IP address allocations. The IPs used by dynamic proxies come from a pre-existing pool of private, public, and dynamic IPs. Some people connect their devices voluntarily to the internet to receive free or ad-free apps.

There are many benefits to using dynamic proxies rather than static ones. First, dynamic proxies utilize a massive pool of IP addresses from millions of computers and mobile phones. This enables localized advertising down to the state and even city level. Second, it isn’t easy to detect dynamic IPs because of the combination of IP rotation and valid IPs from home and mobile devices.

Dynamic proxies have three significant drawbacks. They take more time to load than static ones. Since a gateway proxy server must be used to generate a new IP address, there is an additional ‘hop’ in the process. The bandwidth available from the pool of IP addresses (homes/mobile devices) is typically lower than that of proxies from a data centre or an ISP. Lastly, the cost of dynamic proxies generally is higher because the proxy provider must source and maintain many IP addresses.

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Differences Between Static and Dynamic Residential Proxies

Here is a comparison between dynamic and static proxies feature by feature:

  1. Performance

Static proxies have a strong performance as they are typically hosted on fast virtual servers ranging from 1 Gbps to 10 Gbps. On the other hand, the performance of dynamic proxies depends on various factors. For instance, dynamic data center proxies perform surprisingly well, but mobile and residential proxies tend to be less predictable and slow sometimes.

  1. Format

With static proxies, you usually receive an IP addresses list that you can use. Dynamic proxies, in contrast, employ gateway servers, where you use a load-balancing server that directs your requests through various addresses.

  1. IP rotation

Static proxies don’t experience any rotation; instead, they connect users to the same IP address. Dynamic proxies are shared-only, where the user connects to a pool of different IP addresses with other people.

  1. Pricing structure

Static proxies are IP based, and the service providers charge the proxies depending on the number of IP addresses. Dynamic residential proxies are either port or traffic-oriented, and service providers charge these proxies depending on your traffic. Alternatively, you can be charged depending on the number of IP addresses you can access simultaneously.

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The Bottom Line

You now understand the critical distinctions between static and dynamic proxies and how to choose the best proxy for your data collection needs from online marketplaces. Whether to use static or dynamic proxies for your large-scale web scraping project will depend on the target website. But if you don’t know enough about the target site to determine whether it will block scraping, you should use dynamic proxies.

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