There are many reasons why someone might want to use a datacenter proxy. From providing access to a website only available in certain countries to keep your identity and location hidden from the website you're visiting; datacenter proxies bring a lot to the table.
However, they’re still a mystery to most people.
In today’s article, we’ll take an in-depth look at what datacenter proxies are, their most common uses and much more. Plus, we’ll talk about the top datacenter proxy providers that even the best IT service companies recommend.
You can also have a look at our list of the best datacenter proxy providers.
Table of Contents
What Are Datacenter Proxies?
Datacenter proxies are IP addresses that aren’t associated with an internet service provider. In essence, they are the middleman between your device and the internet.
Datacenter proxies are extremely beneficial in improving web applications’ performance and reducing the load on web servers. By masking the IP address, they provide users with greater security, privacy and anonymity while browsing online.
Moreover, they also support fast page loading times. They cache frequently requested webpages and serve them directly to the user instead of having to fetch them from the source every time a request is made.
You can use datacenter proxies in several scenarios, from market research and website performance testing to accessing geo-restricted content or browsing anonymously—but we’ll get to that later.
Datacenter proxies are just one of the many types of proxy servers. They are often compared to residential proxies, however, datacenter proxies are usually more reliable and faster as they have higher bandwidth. What’s more, they’re also less likely to be blocked by websites as they have a more legitimate IP address.
3 Types of Datacenter Proxies
There are different types of datacenter proxies, including:
1. Public Datacenter Proxies
Public datacenter proxies are most commonly used as they can be accessed from any device with an internet connection.
They are used for a variety of tasks such as online shopping, streaming services or accessing geo-restricted content. Allowing users to stay under the radar while online, these proxies also help access blocked websites or bypass internet filters.
When you connect to a public proxy, your IP address is hidden and replaced with the IP address of the proxy server. In that sense, public datacenter proxies are popular among internet users who wish to remain anonymous online.
However, because they are publicly accessible, they are often slow and unreliable. As a business, you have to be aware of the fact that some public proxies may be used by hackers to exploit vulnerabilities in your system.
2. Private Datacenter Proxies
Private datacenter proxies are proxies that provide users with greater security than public ones because they restrict access based on the user’s IP address. Only those who have been given permission can use them, making it more difficult for hackers or other malicious actors to gain access.
Unlike public proxies, private ones tend to be faster and more reliable since fewer people are using them at once. However, these types of proxies come with a higher cost as each user needs their proxy server to access the service securely.
3. Shared Datacenter Proxies
A shared datacenter proxy is an IP address used by multiple users at the same time. These proxies offer some advantages over both public and private options. For one, they are hosted on multiple servers simultaneously allowing for better performance and reliability.
They also provide some level of anonymity since there is no single point of failure where information could potentially be leaked or accessed without authorization. Shared datacenter proxies typically cost less than either type discussed above but still provide good speed when compared to other forms of proxying solutions available today.
5 Common Uses of Datacenter Proxies
- Market Research
- Web Scraping
- Website Performance Testing
- Accessing Geo-Restricted Content
- Browsing Anonymously
Datacenter proxies are becoming increasingly important in recent years as they support many business operations, such as:
1. Market Research
Datacenter proxies are used by businesses to conduct market research in a secure, anonymous manner. This type of proxy allows them to access competitor websites without having their IP address tracked or blocked, allowing them to gather data on pricing structures, marketing strategies, customer service processes, and more—all without being detected.
2. Web Scraping
If you need to extract large amounts of data from multiple websites at once, datacenter proxies can come in extra handy. By using this type of proxy server instead of accessing each website individually, users can quickly and easily retrieve valuable information such as product prices and availability which they can then use for different purposes (for instance, e-commerce price comparison).
3. Website Performance Testing
Companies often rely on datacenter proxies when testing how their website performs under different conditions or locations around the world. By routing requests through these servers located in various parts of the globe, businesses can get an accurate picture of how well their site is functioning no matter where a user might be trying to access it from.
4. Accessing Geo-Restricted Content
Many streaming services will block certain content based on geographical location due to copyright laws or other reasons. With datacenter proxies, users have a way around this restriction by connecting through servers located in different regions so they appear as if they’re browsing from another country.
5. Browsing Anonymously
There are several reasons why you might want to browse anonymously with datacenter proxies. Perhaps you are concerned about your privacy online or you want to access content that is blocked in your country. Datacenter proxies can help you accomplish both of these objectives.
When you connect to a datacenter proxy, your traffic is routed through the proxy server before it reaches its destination. This means that your IP address is hidden from the sites you visit and that any blocks on those sites based on your location will be bypassed. Datacenter proxies are therefore an excellent choice for anyone who wants to browse the web anonymously.
Datacenter Proxies Pros & Cons
There are many advantages associated with using datacenter proxies, but it is also important to consider their drawbacks to make an informed decision when deciding whether or not to use them.
Datacenter Proxies Advantages
Datacenter proxies allow secure communication between two or more systems. Based on this alone, datacenter proxies offer countless benefits, such as:
Giving Access to Web Content From Different Locations
A datacenter proxy allows users access to high-performance servers located in various parts of the world without compromising security or privacy. They can be used to access web content from a different location than what is available locally, hiding your true IP address while accessing restricted content.
Protecting Against Malicious Attacks
By masking your identity, a datacenter proxy can protect you against malicious attacks and other cyber threats. This way, datacenter proxies provide additional layers of security to keep you safe online.
Reducing Latency Times
By routing traffic through datacenter proxy servers, users can reduce latency times significantly compared to traditional internet connections. This is because your requests are sent directly from one point on the network to another rather than making multiple hops along its route.
The high performance of datacenter proxies makes them an attractive choice for businesses that need reliable services and fast response times. They can be scaled up or down depending on the user’s specific needs, allowing businesses to keep their IT costs under control while still providing superb efficiency.
Providing Secure Connection
Datacenter proxies also provide a secure connection for users by encrypting data being transferred between two points on the network. This prevents unauthorized access from third-party entities such as hackers or governments from viewing sensitive information sent through these connections.
Ensuring Data Safety
When utilizing datacenter proxies, businesses can ensure their data remains safe and secure when transmitted across networks or devices located in different locations around the world.
Keeping Costs Low
Another benefit associated with using datacenter proxies is cost efficiency.
Instead of investing large amounts of money into dedicated servers and other physical infrastructure typically required for more traditional solutions like VPSs (Virtual Private Servers), companies can use cheap yet powerful shared resources offered by datacenters.
Datacenter Proxies Disadvantages
As hinted, there are certain drawbacks associated with datacenter proxies, including:
IP Address Management
One of the major drawbacks associated with using datacenter proxies is that they require IP address management. As traffic passes through the proxy server, it must be assigned a dedicated IP address so it can access content in different locations without revealing its true identity or location.
This process can become complicated and time-consuming if there are too many users accessing the same proxy server at once as each one has to be given a unique IP address.
Additionally, these changes must be tracked constantly so that any updates are applied quickly and accurately across all proxies.
Speed Concerns
Shared proxies are the cheapest, but they are often associated with slow speed.
Due to their shared nature, most datacenter proxy servers have limited bandwidth which can significantly reduce download and upload speeds for certain activities such as streaming videos or downloading large files from remote locations.
Since multiple users are sharing the same hardware resources at once, this can lead to further speed reductions when lots of people are connected simultaneously to the same proxy server. This could potentially bottleneck performance even more.
Lack of Reliability
Another issue associated with datacenter proxies is the lack of reliability due to their shared infrastructure setup.
If one user’s activity causes disruptions on a particular server, it will likely affect all other users who share that resource as well. This can lead to potential outages or other service interruptions during peak usage times if not properly managed by administrators regularly monitoring performance levels.
5 Best Datacenter Proxy Providers
If you can benefit from datacenter proxies, give these a try:
1. IPRoyal
IPRoyal is the best datacenter proxy provider for several reasons: they bring high speeds of 10Gbps, scalability with unlimited bandwidth and threads and additional security features, allowing you to protect your online activities from malicious actors or other third parties.
Aside from datacenter proxies, IPRoyal offer a home-grown residential proxy pool of 250,000 monthly IP addresses.
Their proxies run on dedicated hardware and work with all browsers, apps and bots. The network is distributed across multiple locations around the world, giving users access to dozens of countries with minimal latency times.
In case you encounter any bumps on the road, they provide 24/7 customer support so you can get help whenever needed without delays or complications.
Businesses on a budget will especially appreciate the cost-effective plans.
2. Oxylabs
As one of the leading providers of datacenter proxies, Oxylabs offers users access to high-performance servers around the world with low latency times. They have over two million datacenter proxies at 188 locations across the globe.
Users can quickly set up custom configurations for rotating proxies and manage their own IPs. For marketers, they offer powerful scraping tools that can extract valuable data from websites at scale without the risk of detection or flagging by anti-scraping measures implemented on certain sites.
Oxylab's customer service team is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week through various channels such as email support tickets or live chat assistance. However, all this comes at a price that may not fit everyone’s budget.
3. Shifter
Shifter is a datacenter proxy provider that offers fast, secure connections with 99,99% uptime for businesses and individuals who want to browse the web anonymously. Plus, you can scale your projects according to your needs, whenever you need.
They give users access to a globally distributed proxy network with coverage in all countries. Aside from allowing users to access data without any restrictions, Shifter also guarantees high degrees of privacy and security.
For any questions, you can reach out to Shifter’s 24/7 customer support. Although on the expensive side, Shifter delivers great value for the money.
4. Bright Data
As an award-winning proxy server provider, Bright Data has over 72 million residential, mobile, and datacenter IPs. They also offer a broad geographical coverage across 195 countries, high usage control and strong API.
Bright Data’s proxies are mostly used for web data collection at scale and as such, they are best suitable for large businesses or corporations.
With a 99.99% uptime, you can be confident in Bright Data’s services. Just in case you run into any issues, their customer support is available 24/7 to get your project up and running again in no time.
Note that there are cheaper alternatives to Bright Data, but this provider offers pricing flexibility.
5. Smartproxy
With over 40 million rotating residential IPs and 40,000 US datacenter proxies, Smartproxy is quickly building a name for itself although they’re relatively new on the market.
According to research, Smartproxy provides great results, both in terms of performance and pool size. One thing this provider pays special attention to is enhancing user experience. Aside from impeccable customer service, they also offer detailed documentation, intuitive proxy management tools and much more.
After thoroughly researching hundreds of datacenter we discovered the 10 best datacenter proxy providers available today that check all the right boxes. If you need more options, make sure to check our list of data center proxy providers available today that check all the right boxes. If you need more options, make sure to check our list.
What To Look for When Choosing a Datacenter Proxy Provider
When it comes to selecting the right provider for your needs, there are several critical factors you must consider, including:
Security Considerations
Most businesses and individuals choose proxy services for boosted security and privacy while browsing online. However, you shouldn’t neglect the importance of how the providers take care of your data too.
You have to choose a provider that is serious about protecting user information and adheres strictly to established regulations such as GDPR compliance requirements. Additionally, providers should be able to provide detailed reports on all activity taking place within the system, allowing administrators greater visibility into how requests are being handled at any given time.
This type of transparency ensures organizations remain compliant with industry best practices while remaining up-to-date on potential threats or malicious actors attempting access without permission.
IP rotations are an added layer of protection available from certain providers which enable them to switch between multiple IP addresses to avoid unauthorized access to your networks. By constantly cycling through different IPs, these services help keep user information safe while still providing unrestricted access where necessary depending on security clearance levels set by each organization using the proxy service provider’s network infrastructure.
Service Level Agreement
Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are an essential element of any datacenter proxy service. An SLA should clearly define the performance levels required for the network to remain available and accessible, as well as outline how resources will be allocated in case of an outage or other similar contingencies.
The agreement should also include details about support services such as technical assistance and documentation availability. A suitable provider should offer periodic reviews to ensure all aspects of the agreement are being met on both sides. This helps guarantee that organizations continue to receive reliable access and secure protection from outside threats throughout their contract period with the chosen provider.
Pricing Plans
To ensure you get maximum value out of your datacenter proxy service, review pricing plans carefully before committing to a particular solution. Different providers offer different rates based on volume usage and duration of the subscription, so don’t make a rush decision. Instead, do your research.
Monthly or annual plans are often the most profitable option when selecting a datacenter proxy service. By paying upfront for a period of time—typically one month or one year depending on the provider—organizations can save significantly in comparison to pay-as-you-go options while still enjoying the same level of protection and access.
This type of plan is ideal for those expecting consistent usage from their proxy services over an extended period as it eliminates any surprise costs that may arise down the line.
However, pay-as-you-go options provide complete flexibility when it comes to budgeting for your datacenter security needs. With this model, organizations only pay for what they use without having to commit to long-term contracts and can switch between providers at will if desired.
Since there are no fixed costs associated with this option, it is perfect for businesses that don’t expect high levels of usage.
Discounts and packages are another way that many providers entice customers into signing up with them versus other competitors in the market space. While some discounts may be available all year round, others may require certain criteria such as volume thresholds being met before becoming eligible—therefore, read through each offer carefully before committing so you know exactly what value you’re getting out of your chosen plan.
Additionally, certain packages may include additional features such as dedicated IP addresses or free trial periods which could be beneficial depending upon individual requirements.
Speed
Speed is a major factor to consider when selecting a datacenter proxy service. A provider should deliver the necessary bandwidth and throughput needed for the applications running on your network, as well as guarantee response times that meet or exceed industry standards to ensure uninterrupted performance.
Let’s not forget that providers should have access to multiple redundant connections so they can quickly switch if one experiences an outage or other issue which could affect user experience.
Another important aspect of speed-related considerations is latency—this measures how long it takes for requests sent over the proxy’s network infrastructure to reach their destination servers. Low latency is key for those wishing to use their datacenter proxies for streaming services or gaming platforms. In these situations, even minor delays may result in sluggish performance or laggy visuals which could turn off potential users.
Certain providers may also offer additional acceleration methods such as caching technologies which help reduce response times further by storing frequently requested webpages locally within their networks. This allows them to deliver content faster without having to wait until all requests are satisfied before bringing up new ones ensuring a smooth user experience across all devices connected through the system.
Stability
Reliability and stability are two key aspects to consider when selecting a datacenter proxy service. A provider should be able to guarantee uptime levels that meet or exceed those outlined in the SLA as well as provide quick responses for any technical issues that may arise.
To ensure this, organizations should look into providers who have advanced monitoring systems in place which can detect any potential problems before they become major disruptions and take suitable measures to prevent them from occurring.
The chosen provider has to set realistic expectations regarding response times—while an immediate resolution cannot always be guaranteed, understanding how long customers can expect to wait for assistance is still essential to maintain trust between both parties.
Customer Service
Proper customer service can make all the difference. A reliable and responsive customer support team should be available 24/7 to address any issues that may arise regarding connection speeds, technical problems, or billing inquiries.
Look for a provider with knowledgeable staff members who can offer expert advice on various topics related to their services—this could include assistance with setting up and configuring access rights, troubleshooting compatibility issues between software applications as well as providing detailed explanations for complex tasks such as IP masking techniques.
If a provider has a comprehensive knowledge base, consider that a major plus and a green flag. Customers can find answers quickly without having to wait for contact from a customer service representative.
Additional Considerations
Reading through customer feedback on third-party sites can help you get an idea of how reliable and effective the provider’s services are in real-world scenarios.
It can also be beneficial to consider any additional features offered by a specific provider before signing up for their services. These features can be everything from bandwidth throttling capabilities which allow organizations to control network traffic speeds for certain users, IP rotation options for added protection against malicious actors and dedicated IP addresses that may be available depending upon user requirements.
Datacenter Proxies FAQs
Q: What’s the difference between datacenter proxies and residential proxies?
A: Datacenter proxies are servers that are owned by a datacenter, while residential proxies are IP addresses that are provided by an Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Datacenter proxies are usually faster and more reliable than residential proxies, but they can be blocked by websites that detect and block proxy server traffic. Residential proxies are less likely to be blocked, as they can easily replicate human behavior. However, they may be slower and less reliable.
Q: Can I use datacenter proxies on sneaker sites?
A: Yes. Using datacenter proxies on sneaker sites is a great way to buy a limited-edition shoe. Datacenter proxies allow you to have multiple IP addresses, which is essential when trying to purchase multiple pairs of shoes or when trying to buy a pair of shoes that is highly coveted and likely to sell out quickly.
Datacenter proxies tend to be very stable and fast, which is important when you are trying to purchase a shoe online as you need to be able to load the website quickly and add the shoe to your cart before it sells out.
Q: Can I test proxy providers before committing to one?
A: Proxy providers offer a variety of services and it can be difficult to determine which one is right for you and your needs. Luckily, many proxy providers offer free trials or money-back guarantees, so it is easy to test their services without commitment.
Datacenter Proxies: Key Takeaways
A datacenter proxy is a great way to improve your online privacy and security. By using a datacenter proxy, you can hide your real IP address and surf the web anonymously.
Another great thing about datacenter proxies is that they can help you bypass geo-restrictions and access websites that are otherwise blocked in your country.
However, it is important to remember that they are not perfect and there are some potential risks associated with using them. Therefore, do your research before settling on a proxy provider if you’re to witness the true power of proxies.
