Datacenter Proxies Vs Residential Proxies: A Quick Guide

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Proxies simply transform everything you know about the internet and shatter so many of your assumptions. Proxies break the geographical location barrier of your IP, it lets you access blocked websites that originate from countries that’s not your own. A proxy acts as a gateway between you and the internet, bypassing restrictions, breaking digital barriers, and a solution provider for secure web scraping. A quick Google search will give you innumerable options for proxies. With so many options available, it may be difficult to choose the right one. Here we bring to you two of the most important proxy types. This will act as a guide to help you understand what fits you based on your needs.

Datacenter Proxies Vs Residential Proxies

One of the most common proxies is datacenter proxies. Datacenter proxies don’t have anything to do with your internet service provider or the internet connection. When you buy datacenter proxies, you get an assortment of unique IP addresses to use. On connecting with a proxy, your identity will be masked providing you with a new IP address. For example, you can be in Paris and get an IP address of New York using datacenter proxy. 

Every time you connect to the internet, you make use of a residential IP address.This IP address connects you to various websites by giving you an identity. The internet service provider gives you an IP address when you make use of a residential proxy. For example, you may live in Paris, and your internet service provider may be based out of New York, hence when you get a connection, it might look as if you are based out of New York. 

Let us now dissect both the options and understand the primary differences: 

Datacenter proxies

  • Extremely fast
  • Protective but not legitimate
  • Easier to harvest data
  • Less expensive 

Residential proxies

  • Legitimate
  • Hard to get blacklisted
  • Expensive

Depending on your priorities such as speed, legitimacy, and high security, you have to choose one among the two. Residential proxies don’t leave any footprint and hence avoids any security concerns. Datacenter proxies can be identified as not real users as there are thousands of data centers worldwide. But it is easier to buy them in bulk which can be crucial if you want to scrape data. 

Types of IP Network

Going further, there are various types of IP networks to pick from as well. 

1. Datacenter

As mentioned above, they are cost-effective and specifically used for non-sophisticated target websites

2. Static Residential Network

This type offers a residential IP through the internet service provider. They are extremely suitable for permanent, non-rotating IPs and also for businesses that require a small amount of residential IPs.

3. Residential Network

This makes use of real, rotating IPs and is used for accessing sophisticated target websites to show you as a real user. 

4. Mobile Network

This again makes use of real, rotating IPs using a mobile connection of 3G and 4G. It helps in accessing sophisticated target websites. 

Luminati is one such service provider that makes use of advanced, open-source proxy management software.Luminati also has an Unblocker which helps you get through tough target websites with a 100% success rate.

Having one of the most advanced Datacenter Network offerings, Luminati is available in over 95 countries and over 770,000 IPs across the world.

Luminati IP Network

Luminati has over 90,000 IPs in its Static Residential IP Network with high success rates and high response time.

Luminati is one of the largest residential network providers with over 40 million real-peer IPs across the globe. 

Luminati makes use of more than 70 million IPs in its Mobile Proxy service. 

The biggest advantage of Luminati is that it has a network of genuine user IPs belonging to real users. This means that it is highly unlikely that they will be blocked by your target websites. Despite offering the traditional Datacenter Network, Luminati’s forte is its Residential offering. 

Next is its extensive customer support. Apart from having a detailed FAQ section and tutorial videos section, it provides you with a personal account manager who provides one-to-one assistance over mail and Skype. Of course, there is a 24/7 email/Skype assistance available from the web interface. 

Luminati is considered to be one of the most ethical companies as well. It has a host of measuring features to improve transparency and avoid misuse. It has also extended its support to fight against COVID-19 by offering Luminati Networks Online Data Extraction Tools and Platforms for free.

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Final Thoughts

Not all proxies are the same and it is important to understand what’s what and what fits your needs. This article gives you a holistic view of the different proxies and their advantages. Just ensure that you buy your proxy from a reputable site like Luminati which encompasses a lot of features and is highly reliable.