How to Choose the Best Proxy Service for Your Specific Use Case

How to Choose the Best Proxy Service for Your Specific Use Case

There are four main types of proxies. Each of them has its own characteristics that make it suitable for a particular use case. For instance, some proxies offer better performance and reliability, while others are inherently better at providing online anonymity. This article discusses the various uses of proxies and the best proxies for each use case.

Main proxy types

There are four main types of proxies:

1. Residential proxies: These proxies route traffic through real users’ personal devices via internet connections provided by their chosen ISPs. As such, residential proxies assign IP addresses registered with ISPs, making them much less susceptible to IP blocks.
2. ISP proxies: Also known as static residential proxies, these are hosted on data center servers. They assign IP addresses that are registered with ISPs.
3. Datacenter proxies: Datacenter proxies are hosted on data center servers. They assign IP addresses that are registered with data center companies. Unfortunately, this makes them susceptible to IP blocks because their IP addresses are associated with bot activity.
4. Mobile proxies: These proxies route all requests and server responses through mobile devices. They rely on cellular connections and therefore assign IP addresses registered with telecommunications companies that provide them.

The Best Proxies for Your Specific Use Case

You can use proxies to perform different kinds of tasks, including:

• Web scraping
• SEO monitoring
• Ad verification
• Market research
• Cybersecurity

1.bWeb scraping

For instance, residential proxies are preferred when undertaking large-scale web data extraction projects because they offer unmatched online anonymity. This is because they are associated with real users and real internet service providers (ISPs). Therefore, all traffic that is routed through these intermediaries appears to originate from real users, and as a result, residential proxies are not blocked as easily as other proxy types.

2. SEO monitoring

If you are looking for a proxy to monitor SEO parameters, you can choose either a datacenter proxy or a residential proxy. The former is cheap, fast, and reliable. However, datacenter proxies are prone to blacklisting because they are easily associated with bots.

Residential proxies, on the other hand, are not easily blacklisted. This means you can expect uninterrupted SEO monitoring. They are, however, not as fast as datacenter proxies. So, if speed is your main goal, choosing datacenter proxies is a no-brainer. But if you want unmatched anonymity, then residential proxies are your best bet.

3. Ad verification

Companies need to know how their ads are being displayed on different channels. Known as ad verification, this process enables companies to confirm that ads comply with internal and jurisdictional regulations. It also helps them prevent fraud by identifying fraudulent ad publishers. Successful ad verification often requires some level of anonymity, whether to avoid detection or to access geo-restricted websites. Rotating residential and ISP proxies play a crucial role in enabling success in this area.

4. Market research

Market research can take on many forms. It can involve researching competitors in a market, the number of products in each segment, how competitors price their products, and more. It can be a large- or small-scale exercise. But the bottom line is that the performance, reliability, and scalability of the proxy you wish to use should be primary considerations. This is due to the sheer volume of information you need to collect. Based on these considerations, you can select datacenter proxies that are good for broad, unprotected market research. However, you may be looking to collect data from websites that have implemented anti-bot and anti-scraping techniques, or you may be focusing strictly on e-commerce. In such cases, and if you do not mind paying more for anonymity, then you can select residential or ISP proxies.

5. Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity professionals often scan and monitor multiple websites for threats. Additionally, they also conduct extensive research to identify potential threats. Given the sensitive nature of their day-to-day work, these professionals often need solutions that provide excellent online anonymity. This is an area where residential proxies shine. This proxy type is ideal for cybersecurity-related activities because its assigned IP addresses are not easily blocked.

6. AI training

Data is the foundation of any AI model. AI researchers collect data that aligns with or is similar to the real-world problems the model is intended to solve. The model then learns patterns and correlations that help it make predictions. Data also helps generative AI models improve their responses through a process known as Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG). The role of data in AI training points to the importance of collecting it in large volumes, and this is where a fast, scalable, and reliable proxy type, such as datacenter proxy, shines. However, for high-quality data sources protected by severe anti-bot measures, ISP proxies may be required.

Conclusion

Proxy servers differ in terms of speed, capabilities, level of anonymity, reliability, and scalability. Their individual characteristics make them suitable for certain tasks. For instance, datacenter proxies are perfect for large-scale market research, while residential proxies are ideal for large-scale web scraping.