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Rotating vs. Static Proxies: Key Differences, Uses, and Limitations

Reena Choudhary
Updated on August 30, 2024

To ensure safe browsing and data security, it is noteworthy to have a proxy handy. If you are wondering how they work, the primary function of a proxy server is to change your IP address to make your identity anonymous and untraceable. 

Whereas, proxies can further be categorized based on their security methods. Static and Rotating proxies are prime examples. However, the fundamental principles of both static and rotating proxies like IPRoyal are constant (for web scraping, APIs like Zyte).

So, follow the write-up till the end to figure out and embrace the differences between them. Also, learn about Oprekladač by reading this article.

A Brief Explanation: How Proxies Work?

At their core, proxies simply play with your IP addresses and other system information to keep your identity private. Their main principle is to maintain security, privacy, and protection from any potential data theft. 

Apart from that, proxies also provide extra security infrastructure such as data encryption to carry on privacy. So, instead of your real IP address, it gives the web browser a fake one. 

With that note, let’s throw some light on static vs. rotating proxies.

Static Proxies: Define and Features

As the word “static” justifies the meaning, static proxies keep on working on the same IP address over time. For instance, whenever you turn your proxy on, your real IP address will be covered with the same fake IP address every time. 

Are they good? Well, static proxies are pretty common and are heavily used in common use cases. 

Key Features

The following are some features that a static proxy comes with: 

  • Consistent and Fewer Complexities: Static proxies are kind of a go-to or easy option for various people who just want to casually surf the internet and do not want to dive into the deep or banned side of the internet.
  • Easy to Use: Thanks to fewer complexities and simple working, the use and functioning of static proxy is pretty easy. The program just gets you connected with the same IP over time.
  • Less Flexible: It is pretty justified by the name, if you want to regularly keep changing the location or other factors of the program, it might not be the one for you. Static proxies are less flexible by nature and generally take time to adjust to new settings or locations. 

Rotating Proxies: Define and Features

Unlike a static proxy, a rotating proxy is a quite dynamic and complex option to go for. How they actually work is that it keeps on changing the IP address in a regular interval of time (let’s say 10, 20, or 30 minutes). 

With this approach, it gets more difficult for the browser to keep updated with your location and identity.

Key Features

Compared with static proxies, rotating proxies come with more sophisticated features:

  • Geographical Targeting: Rotating IP keeps shifting your IP information from various locations ranging from towns, cities, and even different states. Also, these addresses are random combinations of real and fake ones. So, pinpointing the real one becomes way more difficult.
  • Variety of Types: In rotating proxies, there are majorly three types of proxies. Rotating data center proxies, residential proxies, and mobile proxies. Each one of them has its own functioning rules and follows a different working model.
  • More Difficult to Detect: Since it uses a combination of real and fake IP addresses, and its working is more complex, beating them becomes more difficult than the usual static proxies.

Following are the statistics of various service providers including Oxylabs, IPRoyal, etc. and their statuses. 

statistics

A Brief Comparison of Static Proxy vs. Rotating Proxy

Static ProxiesRotating Proxies
SecurityOffers lower security features if compared with a rotating proxy.Offers more sophisticated security features.
General PricingComes with affordable and low price points.Pricing depends on various factors such as traffic and pool.
MaintenanceNeed to maintain your IP list manually.The whole operation function of rotating is automated.
Internet SpeedStatic proxy comes with high-speed data uptime and web browsing speed.Increased complexities and numerous factors make it difficult for rotating proxies to provide high speed.

What are the Best Use Cases for Each Proxy?

With so many nuances to the basics of these proxies, there must be some suitable situations when these programs can be used. Following are some examples:

Static Proxy Use Cases

Static proxy is suitable for casual web surfing or light internet scraping. Following are some examples: 

  • Online Shopping
  • Social Media Account Management

Rotating Proxy Use Cases

Compared to the static proxy, the rotating proxy can be used for much heavier tasks. For instance:

  • Heavy Data Scraping
  • Business Intelligence

Final Words

Static and rotating proxies, both have different working operations and use cases. This write-up discussed all of them in brief and gave detailed information. If you find it helpful, share it with friends and colleagues.




Reena Choudhary

Expertise


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