Whether you’re using a residential proxy or a datacenter proxy server, getting blocked by the destination server is always possible. Most websites have anti-scraper measures to keep web scrapers at bay.
For one, an inhuman number of frequent requests from a web scraper can degrade a website’s performance by consuming too much bandwidth. Secondly, web scrapers can retrieve the intellectual property of a website, such as its content.
While websites implement anti-scraping measures to minimize security risks and reduce server load, businesses that rely on web scraping suffer due to these bans. You won’t be able to collect information, retrieve data, or gather insights crucial to your business operations if the destination server blocks you.
One way to avoid getting banned is to use a residential proxy. Let’s see how better of a job it does than other proxy types.
Table of Contents
How Do Proxy Servers Avoid IP Blocks?
An IP block is simply a ban on your IP address from accessing a website. Proxy servers can avoid these blocks through IP rotation.
Proxy servers use proxy pools to switch IP addresses when sending multiple requests. It helps in two ways.
One, there’s a lower risk of blockage because the target website’s server sees requests coming from different IP addresses rather than just one. Two, even if one IP address gets blocked, there are plenty of others to use.
Some proxy servers also use an anti-blocking mechanism. One example of this is IP tunneling. In this method, the original access request’s source is disguised by encapsulating it using a different protocol.
Some proxy servers also use modern algorithms to mimic human behavior. For example, they may solve CAPTCHAs, randomize the browsing patterns, and simulate mouse movements.
Residential vs. Mobile vs. Datacenter Proxies: Which Is Best For Anti-Block Scraping?
There are three types of proxies based on their source; mobile, residential, and datacenter. All three types have their benefits and shortcomings. As for anti-block scraping, residential proxies take the win.
Residential Proxies
A residential proxy has a real IP address from a residential user. These IP addresses are associated with real physical devices, making them better suited to replicate human behavior.
Residential proxies are less detectable than their datacenter counterparts because of this association. Since the destination server sees the request coming from an actual residential address, it is less likely to flag your requests.
It’s mainly due to this reason that residential proxies are also more expensive. But they’re worth the investment if you want to access geo-restricted content and scrape without getting blacklisted.
Datacenter Proxies
Datacenter proxies are not associated with an internet service provider. Instead, they come from a datacenter or a secondary corporation.
Datacenter proxies are more likely to be detected because they are not linked to residential addresses. Many websites maintain lists of IP addresses from known hosting providers and data centers. They flag these lists and can identify traffic from these IP addresses for blacklisting.
Also, datacenter proxies lack the residential features of residential proxies. Destination servers can analyze network behavior, geolocation, and IP reputation to identify and block datacenter proxies.
The plus point of using datacenter proxies is their speed. They’re much faster than residential proxies, making them suitable for large-scale data extraction and heavy traffic applications.
Plus, they’re cheaper than residential proxies.
Mobile Proxies
Mobile proxies are similar to residential proxies because they also contain IP addresses belonging to real users. But these IP addresses come from mobile devices rather than physical household devices, like personal computers and laptops.
Mobile proxies are more anonymous than datacenter proxies. They also have a lower risk of detection due to their association with real users. Like residential proxies, these are also more expensive than datacenter proxies.
Residential vs. Mobile vs. Datacenter Proxies: Business Use Cases
The use cases of these proxies depend on their features. Here are some common business use cases of each proxy type.
Residential Proxy Use Cases
Due to their anonymity and low detection risk, residential proxies are ideal for web scraping, ad verification, and social media management. They also let you bypass geo-restrictions for global price comparisons and market analysis.
Datacenter Proxy Use Cases
Since datacenter proxies are extremely fast, you can use them for high-speed public data retrieval, such as competitive analysis and price scraping.
Businesses can use these proxies for load testing too. For example, datacenter proxies can simulate larger traffic volumes to evaluate a website’s bandwidth and performance.
Mobile Proxy Use Cases
Mobile proxies have similar use cases as residential proxies. Additionally, you can use them for mobile app testing. For instance, these proxies can simulate traffic from multiple mobile devices to determine if an app can handle vast amounts of users.
Conclusion
Residential, mobile, and datacenter proxies have their unique pros and cons. While datacenter proxies do well in terms of speed, mobile and residential proxies are less detectable. The key is considering your use cases before choosing the right proxy type for the job.
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