A proxy server is a must if you want to scrape anonymously without getting blocked by the targeted websites. For most web scraping software, you’ll have to set proxy server addresses during web extraction.
If you want to be successful in your web scraping efforts, you inevitably have to consider the best kind of proxies for this use.
Proxies come in different types. Just like with anything else, before making your choice you must first weigh your options by considering how well each one fits your purpose.
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What are Residential Proxies?
These proxies are assigned to homeowners by Internet Service Providers (ISP). Residential proxies are the most legitimate because they are associated with a specific geolocation and are used by real web users. Since they look like any other normal human browsing online, they are very hard to single out and block.
What are Datacenter Proxies?
This is the most popular type of proxies, you’ll find them everywhere. To use these proxies well, take time to understand how to deploy them, so you don’t get into trouble. They have no connection with ISPs and are less reliable when compared to residential proxies because they are much more prone to getting blocked by your target websites.
There is another way to classify proxies, in terms of usage rights. These types are shared, semi-dedicated, or private proxies.
Private Proxy
Private proxies can only be used by a single person at a time. So if you rented this proxy, you’ll be the only one accessing it during the period of your rent. You’ll get high speed and performance using them. You will also be able to enjoy them without worries for purposes such as SEO, where you need high anonymity. If you want to learn more about this type of proxies, you can find more information on Oxylabs page.
Semi-dedicated Proxy
Two to three users share these types of proxies. They are in the middle between being a shared and private proxy and are cost-effective, if you can’t afford private proxies.
This is the cheapest and the worst option out there. Shared proxies are at a very high risk of getting blocked or, as is often the case, they are already blacklisted by the most popular websites. These proxies are often supposedly “free”, which may just mean that they collect your browsing data while you’re using them or even inject websites with malicious code.
Private Proxies for Web Scraping
People do web scraping for several reasons. For example, if you’re developing an e-commerce website, you may want to scrape data from Amazon, eBay, or Aliexpress. That will provide you an idea of the prices of a similar product you’ll be listing on your site.
While scraping data from Amazon or eBay, you risk getting your IP address blocked. If you use your single personal IP address and make an abnormal amount of requests to the server, they may consider it an attack on their website and take precautionary measures to ensure they frustrate your effort.
What is, then, the way out? Use proxy servers – and private proxies in this case. You may still have problems if you use any other type of proxies. But with private proxies, you get a high level of anonymity, and you can successfully scrape without any issue.
If you are serious about your web scraping project, then it is a must that you go with private proxies. The following reasons will convince you.
They’re called “private” for a reason – they’re exclusively yours and for private use only. Nobody has access to them, and you have no threat that other people may be using them. That means they come with a higher level of protection and they have more speed than other proxies out there.
You’ll be able to hide your IP address (while you scrape data) without the fear of being exposed or restricted because they consider your activity suspicious.
If you scrape with a large pool of private proxies, then the website will see your requests as coming from real users.
You may not get such a level of anonymity with shared proxies. Because you have to share it with other people, the speed of shared proxies is much lower than that which you get with private proxies.
Other reasons you should consider using private proxies for your next web scraping project:
- Private proxies give more reliability when you surf the internet
- You can fetch data faster using private proxies
- It is easy to change location while staying anonymous
- You have full control
With a shared proxy, the bandwidth could experience overload, and that could leave you frustrated with slow internet. You may not get a good experience using them.
However, don’t fret! Your personal information will not be out in the open while on private proxies – virtually no risk is involved with private proxies.
Keep in mind that some shared proxy providers are questionable and may expose your data. These providers may also have transparent proxies which give away your identity without you knowing.
That never happens when you’re on private proxies. Since these are usually rented by professional companies, you can be sure that your IP address will be invisible. What it means is that you’re covered when online.
You can’t downplay the importance of private proxies in today’s business environment. Even the search engines will have no inkling to what your IP address is when you scrape – especially if you have a large pool of private proxies. So you can scrape endlessly.
You need to have this at the back of your mind if you’re scraping the web – proxies do not come the same. You’ll have to play smart when selecting the best one for your next scraping project, otherwise, you risk some issues.
The pros will never reveal what they use, but count yourself lucky to be on this page; you now have the right information. Leverage it to get ahead of the game.