Proxies: What They Are, Types, and What They Are Used For

What is a proxy

A proxy is an intermediary between your device and the target resource (website, API, or application). All requests first go to the proxy server, and from there to the desired site, so the site sees the proxy's IP address, not your real one. This provides several useful effects at once:

• Hiding your real IP and geolocation;
• Bypassing geo-blocking and local restrictions;
• Reducing the number of bans during scraping, multi-accounting, and other "sensitive" activities.

Simply put, proxies help you look like different users from different regions on the internet, rather than the same person.

Proxy types by IP source

Datacenter proxies

Datacenter (server) proxies use IP addresses from hosting and cloud servers, rather than home connections or mobile devices. They are usually the cheapest and fastest, but they are the easiest to recognize as proxies — large websites and social networks are well aware of typical datacenter ranges.

Best for:

• Mass technical scraping;
• Price and competitor monitoring;
• Tasks where banning individual IPs is not critical.

Residential proxies

Residential proxies work through the IP addresses of real home internet connections (ISPs). To websites, this traffic looks like a regular user, so trust and stability are noticeably higher than with datacenter addresses.

Best for:

• Social networks and ad accounts (Facebook, Google Ads, TikTok);
• Marketplaces and e-commerce;
• Tasks where IP reputation and a minimal number of blocks are important.

Mobile proxies

Mobile proxies use the IP addresses of mobile operators (3G/4G/5G). To websites, this traffic looks like requests from real smartphones and other mobile devices, and the IP often changes due to the characteristics of mobile networks.

Best for:

• TikTok, Instagram, and other "mobile-first" services;
• Aggressive account farming;
• Situations where moderation looks very closely at the device and behavior.

By IP rotation: Static, Sticky, and Rotating

It is important not only where the IP comes from, but also how often it changes.

• Static proxies issue the same IP for a long time — during a session, and sometimes even for days or weeks. This is convenient when the IP needs to be "tied" to an account or whitelisted.
• Sticky proxies hold one IP for a limited period (e.g., 10–30 minutes) and then automatically change it. Essentially, this is a stable session variant: for a set period, the IP remains the same, but rotates carefully over time, helping to reduce captchas and bans.
• Rotating proxies change the IP very often — on every request or after a short interval. This is the best choice for large-scale web scraping, mass data collection, and tasks where request volume matters more than the stability of a specific session.

By anonymity level: Transparent, Anonymous, and Elite

Another important parameter is how much information the proxy reveals about you and the fact that it is being used.

• Transparent proxies can transmit your real IP and explicitly state in headers that a proxy server is being used. They are mainly used inside corporate networks for filtering, caching, and traffic control, not for anonymity.
• Anonymous proxies hide your IP, but the website can still understand that the request is coming through a proxy. This is a normal option when it is enough to hide the real address, but hiding the fact of using an intermediary is not critical.
• Elite (high anonymity) proxies provide maximum confidentiality: they hide both the real IP and the fact that a proxy is being used, making the traffic look like a regular direct user connection. These solutions are chosen where a mistake is costly: in crypto, financial services, strict anti-fraud systems, and serious ad multi-accounting.

Which proxies suit different tasks

To avoid getting confused by the terminology, you can rely on simple logic: what service you are using, what level of ban risk is acceptable to you, and what your budget is.

Ultimately, when choosing a proxy, it is important not to look for the "perfect universal option," but to soberly assess your goals, budget, and acceptable risk level. Start with a small pool, test the behavior on your services, and scale gradually — this way, you will find the exact combination of IP source, rotation, and anonymity that works best for your real tasks.