By IP Source
- Residential – IPs from real households; higher trust for consumer sites.
- ISP (static residential) – ISP-issued IPs hosted in data centers; stable sessions with high trust.
- Datacenter – IPs from cloud/data centers; fast and affordable; lower inherent trust.
- Mobile (3G/4G/5G) – Carrier IPs behind CGNAT; excellent for apps and anti-bot evasion that prefer mobile traffic.
By Protocol
- HTTP – Handles unencrypted web traffic; good for caching, filtering, and basic browsing.
- HTTPS – Supports tunneling encrypted traffic via the CONNECT method; ensures end-to-end security for sites with SSL/TLS.
- SOCKS5 – Transport-level proxy that forwards any type of traffic (web, apps, streaming, P2P).
By Anonymity
- Transparent – Forwards your IP; mainly for filtering/caching.
- Anonymous – Hides your IP but reveals use of a proxy.
- Elite (high-anonymity) – Hides both your IP and proxy usage as much as possible.
By the Access Model
- Public (open/free) – Unreliable and risky; often logged, slow, or abused.
- Shared – Multiple users share the same IP pool; cost-effective but noisier reputation.
- Private/Dedicated – IPs reserved for one user; consistent reputation and control.
By Rotation/Session
- Rotating/Backconnect – IP changes automatically per request/interval; great for scale.
- Static/Sticky – Keeps the same IP for a session (e.g., 1–30+ minutes); needed for logins, carts, and stateful flows.
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Use Cases
Price & product monitoring at scale → Rotating datacenter or residential; HTTP/HTTPS.
Local SEO & SERP checks → Residential/ISP with city/ZIP targeting; sticky sessions.
Ad verification & brand protection → Rotating residential or mobile to view geo/placement variations.
Social media/account management → Dedicated ISP or mobile IPs; long sticky sessions.
Sneaker/retail drops & carts → ISP or residential with sticky sessions to avoid cart resets.
App testing from real devices → Mobile proxies; SOCKS5 for app traffic beyond HTTP.
Accessing geo-restricted content → Residential or mobile from the target country.
Corporate filtering/caching → Transparent/anonymous HTTP proxies within the network.
Best Practices
Match type to task: trust sites → Residential/ISP/Mobile; raw speed → Datacenter.
Control rotation: rotate for discovery; use sticky sessions for logins/checkouts.
Prefer private over public: avoid open proxies for security, reliability, and compliance.
Tune protocol: HTTP for basic browsing/filtering; HTTPS for secure sites; SOCKS5 for apps/P2P.
Monitor reputation: track block rate, CAPTCHAs, and latency; swap noisy IPs.
Authenticate & scope: use user/pass or IP allowlisting; restrict countries you actually need.
Stay compliant: follow site terms and relevant laws; use ethically sourced IPs.
Conclusion
Proxy types differ by IP source, protocol, anonymity, access model, and rotation behavior. Pick the mix that fits your goal—trust (residential/ISP/mobile), speed (datacenter), flexibility (SOCKS5), or stability (dedicated sticky sessions).
Frequently Asked Question
What are proxies used for?
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Monitoring prices and inventory, verifying ads, managing social accounts, testing apps from real locations, accessing geo-restricted experiences, improving privacy, and enabling corporate filtering/caching.
Which proxy type is “best”?
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There’s no universal best—choose based on task: speed (datacenter), trust/stability (ISP or residential), mobile-app parity (mobile), protocol flexibility (SOCKS5), and use dedicated IPs when reputation consistency matters.
Are public (free) proxies safe?
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Generally no. They’re often slow, unstable, and may log traffic or inject risks. Use vetted private/shared/dedicated options instead.
Shared vs. private/dedicated proxies—what’s the difference?
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Shared IPs are used by many customers (cheaper but noisier reputation). Private/Dedicated IPs are reserved for you, giving more consistent deliverability and fewer neighbor effects—ideal for logins, payments, and long-lived accounts.
