Using a single proxy to hide your IP address is somewhat okay unless the target server has a rate limit or detects the proxy. In that case, you need rotating proxies to bypass the bans or scale your operation without getting caught.
Rotating proxy servers automatically switch your proxy address after a specific period. So, you can send numerous requests to the same domain for data extraction, market research, web scraping, and more. Learn more about the best rotating proxies from the Proxyway’s guide and let’s delve into the functionality of rotating proxies.
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Definition and Mechanism of Rotating Proxies
You might already know about proxies. We use proxies to hide our IP addresses. Proxy servers assign random IP addresses to our connection requests so that the web server doesn’t know where the request originated. It improves your anonymity and allows you to circumvent multiple types of restrictions.
This is fine as long as you are making a small number of requests to a domain. But when you do web scraping or data mining, you often have to use automation. Software used in the process sends numerous connection requests to the web server. The server detects the requests as bots and limits the server access to that IP address. So, there will be no point in using that proxy address anymore.
Rotating proxies solves this situation. A rotating proxy server usually has a large proxy pool. The server automatically rotates your proxy address to ensure different requests contain different proxy addresses. So, the web server can’t detect the activity as bots.
You can set the time limit for a specific proxy to be used for a domain. After that period, the proxy server switches the proxy address. So, new connection requests look like they have come from somewhere else.
Benefits of Rotating Proxies
Rotating proxies have versatile applications. From improving your anonymity to providing unprecedented access to your target server, rotating proxies play a pivotal role in many fields. Here is a detailed overview of how rotating proxies benefit you.
They Improve Anonymity and Security
When you use a static proxy, the anonymity might not be long-lasting. Web servers can use various techniques to break through your cover. Sometimes, third parties get access to your data, which makes you vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
Rotating proxies eliminates the security risk by adding an extra layer to the process. Each time the proxy changes, your online footprint changes along with it. So, it will be much harder for anyone to track your activity.
Rotating Proxies Are Useful in Large-Scale Web Scraping
Web scraping refers to extracting publicly available data from various platforms for a variety of purposes. When the quantity of target data is low, you can run manual scraping operations where static proxies work fine. But if you want to scale your business, there is no alternative to automatic scraping.
The process uses various tools to send numerous requests to web servers. Sending all these requests from the same proxy address will definitely raise suspicion. Rotating proxies helps you eliminate that risk by using a different address for different requests.
Data Extraction Requires Rotating Proxies
When extracting data from global servers, you can often face geo-restrictions or rate limits. With geo-restrictions, you may not be able to access the target server. Rotating proxies helps you access any web server, that too with a different proxy address each time.
Rate limits are often a big enemy to data miners. In this case, the target server sets a limit on how many requests you can make to the server in a specified amount of time. For large-scale data mining operations, you need rotating proxies to overcome the rate limit.
Market Research Is Easier with Rotating Proxies
In the modern business world, you always need to research your competitors to stay ahead of the game. But various restrictions may slow you down. Rotating proxies eliminates those restrictions to ensure a smooth research operation for businesses of any scale.
What Type of Rotating Proxies Should You Choose?
Like static proxies, rotating proxies are available in three common types.
1. Rotating Datacenter Proxies: Large proxy pools are created in data centers and offered to users at an affordable price. Datacenter proxies have a high connection stability.
2. Rotating Residential Proxies: These are the IP addresses of real users. Residential proxies are a bit pricier but offer better location accuracy.
3. Rotating Mobile Proxies: These are also real IP addresses but from mobile devices. Mobile proxies are more suitable if you want to avoid IP bans.
Conclusion
You can manually change your proxy address to avoid some restrictions but that is not suitable for large operations. Rotating proxies are the best choice when it comes to data mining, data extraction, web scraping, market research, and a lot of other tasks.
Rotating proxy servers greatly improves the security factors to help you run large-scale operations.
