Datacenter Proxies: The Complete Guide (What They Are, How They Work & When to Use Them)

Keep reading to learn more about datacenter proxy servers, including how they work, their ideal use cases, limitations, and more. But first, we will start with a summary of everything covered in this guide to give you an idea of what to expect.

Key Takeaways

• Performance and success rate: Datacenter proxies use datacenter IPs, which offer fast connection speeds and low latency. However, they are easier to detect than residential proxies and other proxy types, which significantly lowers their performance. 
• Traffic routing: They hide your real IP by routing requests through servers in data centers, hiding your real IP address and making your connection more anonymous and private.
• Flexible types: Options for datacenter proxies include rotating or static IPs, shared or dedicated datacenter IPs, SOCKS5 or HTTP/HTTPS, and private/shared/public proxy servers. Each is designed for different needs.
• Wide use cases: Some of their practical use cases include web scraping, SEO monitoring, tracking prices of goods and services, accessing geo-restricted content, app testing, and managing multiple social media accounts using one device.
• Comparison with other proxies: Residential and mobile proxies provide higher trust and legitimacy. However, datacenter proxies are the fastest and way cheaper. 
• Pros and cons: Datacenter proxies are fast, scalable, and cost-effective, yet more likely to be detected and blocked than residential or mobile proxy servers.

What Are Datacenter Proxies?

Datacenter proxies are intermediary servers sitting between client devices and the internet. They rely on IP addresses from datacenters instead of real home or mobile devices, offering faster speeds and lower prices. When you use these proxy servers, websites see the data center’s IP address, not yours, making your connection more anonymous. 

How Do Datacenter Proxies Work?

Datacenter proxies route your internet traffic through IPs of servers hosted in a data center somewhere. When using a proxy, it first sends your requests to the proxy server and then forwards them to the target websites and any internet services on your behalf. The response also follows the same path. So, in the process, your IP address is totally hidden from the target online services you use.

Unlike residential or mobile proxies, datacenter proxies are not tied to real users, which allows them to offer higher speeds, but are less trusted. This makes them ideal for tasks that need the fastest speeds possible, but they may not be a great option in applications where success rate is the most important metric. 

Forward vs. Reverse Proxy

A forward proxy sends requests on behalf of the client (user) and hides the user’s IP address. This is what scraping and automation tools usually use. The goal is to hide the IP address of the user from the target server. Forward proxies allow users to bypass geo-restriction on online services like Netflix or Prime Video. 

A reverse proxy on the other hand sits in front of a website and manages incoming traffic. These proxies are mainly used for security and performance, not anonymity. The people that visit websites using reverse proxies cannot notice that a proxy is being used . 

What Is a Datacenter IP Address?

A data center IP address is assigned to servers hosted in data centers. Unlike ISP-assigned IPs, datacenters IPs are generated by hosting companies and cloud providers. These IPs are fast and reliable, making them ideal for tasks that need the fastest speeds. The main disadvantage of using IP addresses assigned by cloud providers or hosting companies is that they are pretty easy for websites to detect and block. 

How Datacenter Proxy Servers Are Created

Datacenter proxy servers use IP addresses from large data centers, not home or mobile networks. Providers offering proxy services pay for and configure servers in these data centers and assign them public IPs. Server hosting is done by cloud providers or website hosting companies. 

These servers route traffic on behalf of users, allowing fast and scalable internet access through data center IPs. Depending on the plan you choose, the IP address used to route your traffic can be shared with others or dedicated to your traffic alone. 

What Companies Create Datacenter Proxies?

• Hosting providers: These supply servers and public IP addresses from their data centers. Some popular companies in this space include GoDaddy, BlueHost, and Hostinger. 
• Proxy Vendors: They buy or rent data center IPs and resell them as managed proxy services. There are a few providers that do own data centers. The majority rent servers offered by cloud platforms.  
• Cloud platforms: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) cloud providers like AWS and Azure offer virtual servers with data center IPs that proxy networks can deploy quickly. These usually give providers more flexibility when configuring servers than hosting companies. Several providers use shared datacenters since it is way too expensive to rent one out as a single entity.

Why Use Datacenter Proxies? Key Benefits

Compliance Considerations

They are commonly used for legitimate tasks like research and monitoring when provider rules are followed. It is easier to follow regulations in several jurisdictions since the IP addresses from datacenter servers are fully controlled by the proxy services providers. 

Privacy and Security

Datacenter proxies hide your real IP address by replacing it with a server IP. This makes your connection more anonymous and private, reducing basic tracking risks. Users can even switch between different IPs to further enhance anonymity and privacy. 

Speed and Reliability

A datacenter proxy offers high speed and stable connections. They are also easier to scale if you need more performance for specific tasks like data scraping. For tasks that need the fastest possible speeds, these proxies are the best choice. 

Cost-Effectiveness

They are more affordable than residential or mobile proxies. It is much easier and cheaper to set up servers and configure them with IP ranges than sourcing residential or mobile IPs from real home devices. So, for tasks that are not as sensitive, using proxies with data center IPs is worth it, considering their cost advantage. 

Efficient Web Scraping

They handle large numbers of requests quickly, making them ideal for scraping public data. Their ability to handle large web scraping projects is primarily driven by the reliable and fast speeds they offer compared to other proxy types. 

What Are Datacenter Proxies Use Cases?

Scraping Public Website Data

They allow fast collection of public data such as product listings, reviews, and search results. Datacenter proxies also support IP rotations, which allows users to automatically change IPs after each request or session. This can help bypass IP bans that are common with this proxy type. 

SEO Monitoring

Businesses can use datacenter proxies to check search rankings, ads, and SERP results from different locations. Datacenter IPs are available in most of the major regions, allowing precise SEO monitoring without spending a fortune. 

Price Monitoring

Datacenter proxies can also be used to track competitor prices and product availability at scale on the various e-commerce websites. By switching to different IPs, it is possible to even access geo-limited platforms and view pricing for products limited to those regions. 

Accessing Geo-Restricted Content

They make it possible to view region-based content by using IPs from specific countries. This makes them ideal for streaming TV shows on platforms like Netflix or accessing websites that are available in certain regions. 

App Testing and Deployment

They help test apps, APIs, and websites from different locations in a controlled way. Developers can simply switch to different IPs to get first-hand experience of users in those regions. This can be done both during testing and when fixing bugs that may affect specific regions.

Purchasing Limited-Edition Products

They are used to improve speed and success when buying high-demand items. Purchasing items such as limited edition sneakers requires speed, and datacenter proxies provide just that. They also allow users to switch IP addresses if these products are only available in certain regions. 

Social Media Account Management

Datacenter proxies support managing multiple accounts by separating login activity and reducing IP-based restrictions. Users can simply use a different IP address every time they switch to another account on the same device. This minimizes chances of account bans. 

Types of Datacenter Proxies

Rotating vs. Static IP Addresses

Rotating IPs change automatically after each request, session, and pre-determine duration. Using fast rotating IPs is ideal for web scraping and tasks that need many requests. They make it easy to bypass possible IP bans. 

Datacenter proxies with static IPs on the other hand maintain the same IP over time. They are better for tasks such as account logins, testing, and long sessions that require using the same IP for longer periods to ensure consistency. 

Dedicated vs. Shared IP Addresses

Dedicated IPs are used by one customer only and usually offer better performance. In addition to performance, they also offer more privacy and better control. However, it costs more to use these IPs than shared ones. 

Shared IPs on the other hand are used by multiple users. They are cheaper but have a higher risk of blocks, making them only ideal for light or non-sensitive tasks.

SOCKS5 vs. HTTP/HTTPS Protocols

HTTP/HTTPS proxies work at the web level and are mainly used for browsing and scraping websites. These handle only web traffic, which limits their use cases. 

SOCKS5 proxies on the other hand work with different types of traffic and are preferred for apps, gaming, and advanced use cases. They can even be used for UDP traffic that is common with online gaming, streaming, and online calls. 

Private vs. Shared vs. Public Proxies

• Private proxies are paid, limited-access proxies with good speed and safety. They’re the best choice if you have the budget. 
• Shared proxies are paid but used by several users, providing lower cost with some performance trade-offs. Their IPs can frequently be blocked, especially when accessing sensitive websites. 
• Public proxies are free and open but often slow, unstable, and unsafe. These free services often use IPs that are shared among several users. Sharing IPs affects performance and privacy.

Datacenter Proxies vs. Other Proxy Types

In this section, we will compare datacenter proxies with other common proxy types, including residential proxy and mobile proxy solutions. 

Residential Proxies

Residential proxies route your traffic through residential IPs from real home devices such as mobile phones and personal computers. They are highly trusted and less likely to be blocked, making them ideal for sensitive tasks like account management or accessing sensitive sites. You can also use rotating residential IPs for even more anonymity. The main downside of residential proxies is that they are slower and also way more than datacenter proxies.

Mobile Proxies

Mobile proxies route traffic through IPs of devices connected to 4G or 5G mobile networks. They offer high legitimacy for tasks like app testing or social media since most websites trust mobile traffic. But just like residential proxies, they are slower and cost more than datacenter proxies.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Datacenter Proxies

Advantages

• Fast and stable connection
• Affordable plans and priced per month or per IP
• Easier and faster to scale
• They make compliance much easier

Disadvantages

• More likely to be detected or blocked
• They are less trusted than residential or mobile proxies.

How to Get Datacenter Proxies

You can purchase reliable datacenter proxies from ProxyWing with flexible plans and global IP coverage for any project. Once you subscribe to any of our plans, we will provide you with the proxy server details, including the hostname (IP address) and port number. 

Alternatives to Datacenter Proxies

• Residential proxies: These use IPs from real home devices. Such IPs are trusted more, but they are slower and more expensive. 
• Mobile proxies: These use IPs of devices connected to mobile networks. They are also trusted more than datacenter IPs, but are slower and more expensive. They’re best for mobile app testing and social media tasks.
• ISP proxies: Offer a middle ground between residential trust and datacenter speed. They use IPs from servers running in ISP-managed datacenters. 

Your choice between these proxy types should largely depend on your project’s speed, cost, and reliability needs.

FAQs

Are datacenter proxies legal to use?

Yes, using datacenter proxies is legal, as long as you follow laws and website terms of service. You should use datacenter proxies from trusted proxy providers like ProxyWing. It is also best to avoid free and public proxies. With free or public proxies, IPs are often shared among several users, including those who may use them for unethical tasks. 

Why are datacenter proxies cheaper than other proxy types?

They are easier to produce, use data center IPs, and don’t rely on residential or mobile networks. So, automatically the cost savings are passed over to the end users. 

Can websites detect datacenter proxies?

Yes, some sites can detect and block datacenter IPs, especially if traffic looks automated. To minimize the impact of IP bans, you can use automated IP rotation, especially when doing tasks like data scraping that involve sending many requests. 

Are datacenter proxies good for web scraping?

Yes, they are fast and scalable, making them ideal for scraping large amounts of public data. The only downside of these proxies is that their IPs are easy to detect and are often blocked. This makes them less ideal for scraping websites with strict bot policies.