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Static vs Rotating Proxies: Which Is Best for You?

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Gabija Fatenaite

Last updated by Yelyzaveta Hayrapetyan

2025-07-08

5 min read

Planning and launching a data scraping operation is not an easy task. Learning what is a bot, choosing, configuring them, and avoiding getting blocked are just a few pieces of the puzzle. One of the most important decisions you will have to make is choosing a type of proxy.

There are a lot of nuances when deciding between different proxy types, and one of the more important ones is knowing the differences between static vs rotating proxies. Once you do, you will be able to make an informed decision and go with a proxy that suits your business needs and goals. 

What are static proxies?

A static proxy allows accessing the web from a single unique IP address. A static proxy is (in most cases) a datacenter IP that gets assigned to you. You can continue to use the static IP address you got assigned as long as you need to. The other common name for a static IP address is a sticky IP address

With a static IP proxy server, you will still be able to reap the benefits of using a proxy. You will enjoy high speed and good bandwidth while maintaining online anonymity. However, with static proxies, you will have to build a certain logic that rotates proxies to avoid IP bans.  

While most static proxies are datacenter proxies, and residential proxies are always rotating, there are some exceptions. For example, datacenter proxies can come with a proxy rotator feature, so it is important to find out exactly what type of free proxy server or paid proxies you need for your case.

However, there are also a couple of business use cases where you need to implement a static IP proxy. For instance, social media managers who handle multiple social media accounts may require a dedicated static proxy for each account to avoid getting blocked by the platforms for using different IPs. 

Similarly, in manual marketing research, a proxy with static IP can be useful in gathering consistent data from a specific location or source, especially considering the dynamic and rapidly changing nature of marketing data.

Static proxies key features

  • Dedicated IP: Each static proxy provides a single, unchanging IP address that remains yours for as long as you need, ideal for scenarios where continuity of identity is critical.

  • High speed & bandwidth: Built on datacenter infrastructure, static proxies deliver fast connection speeds and ample bandwidth, ensuring smooth, uninterrupted access to web resources.

  • Stable anonymity: By pairing a consistent IP with robust masking techniques, you maintain online privacy without the unpredictability of rotating addresses.

sticky proxy vs rotating proxy

What are rotating proxies?

Unlike a static proxy which assigns one sticky IP, the rotating proxy provides you access to an entire pool of IP addresses. Rotating proxies interchange at either fixed or random intervals. For example, the IP address can change with every request you make, or every few minutes.

Best rotating proxies provide you with an additional level of security and anonymity as the requests you send to servers originate from different IP addresses, often from unrelatable geo-locations. 

Rotating proxies key features

  • Automatic IP switching: Rotating proxy for scraping switches your IP address at regular intervals or per request, helping to mask your identity and reduce the risk of unwanted IP blocks and CAPTCHAs.

  • Enhanced anonymity: By constantly changing IP addresses, a rotating IP makes it harder for target websites to track your activity or link requests back to a single source.

  • Broad IP pool access: Gain entry to large pools of datacenter, mobile, or residential IP addresses, ensuring diverse geographic and network coverage for scraping, testing, and meeting diverse business requirements.

Proxy rotator

Do not confuse residential or datacenter rotating proxies with a proxy rotator. Proxy rotator is a software solution that rotates otherwise static proxies for you. The software assigns IP addresses automatically and enables you to choose cooldown times between IP changes. This tool is a useful addition to datacenter proxies. We have published a blog post that explains how to use the proxy rotator.

Static and rotating proxies compared

Feature Static proxies Rotating proxies
Pros Session continuity, easy whitelisting, consistent geo-location Minimizes blocks, high anonymity, large, diverse IP pool
Cons Single IP can get flagged, requires manual rotation logic Session breaks between IPs, harder to whitelist, potential latency during rotation
Use cases Email protection, website change monitoring, threat intelligence Price monitoring, ad verification, broad market research
Pricing Lower, typically billed per IP Higher, typically billed per GB or bandwidth
Speed Very high, low latency Generally high, though rotation can introduce occasional latency spikes

Static or rotating proxies for product information scraping

Big players in the e-commerce industry are well aware their competitors are going to scrape their websites. They are most likely doing it themselves, too. However, scraper bots can ruin the customer experience. They can generate a lot of traffic in a short time. This amount of traffic and requests sent to the server can slow down an e-commerce website or even bring it down.

As a result, many e-commerce websites implement anti-scraping technologies. These technologies enable servers to spot suspicious user behavior and request headers. Telling bots from users is easy today. Frequent requests and high quantity of requests from a single IP address is one of the main signs. This is where the sticky vs rotating proxies comparison becomes relevant.

Given the fact that you are performing a large scale scraping operation because the number of product pages is substantial, getting blocked is the most probable, if not imminent, scenario. 

To sum up, this particular use case requires either a large number of sticky proxies, or rotating proxies. Some targets require you to keep the same IP address for a specific time, and others may require a frequent proxy rotation. However, if you are not sure how likely you are to get blocked by the target website, or if you do not know how many static proxies you would need to gather the required information, then rotating proxies are a better choice.

static vs rotating proxies

A powerful alternative: Web Scraper API

For those who don’t want to deal with the complexities of managing proxies, there’s a simpler yet powerful way – implementing a ready-to-use scraping solution. For example, Oxylabs’ Web Scraper API is packed with features that go way beyond automatic proxy management. With custom parameters, JavaScript rendering, CAPTCHA bypass, AI-driven fingerprinting, this scraper API takes care of every step of the web scraping process so that you could focus on driving insights and other strategic tasks.

sticky proxy vs rotating proxy

Conclusion

You have learned the main differences between static and rotating proxies, and which one to choose if you are gathering product information from e-commerce sites.

If you are about to launch a large-scale web scraping project and are wondering whether to use static or rotating proxies, the answer depends on your target site. But if you do not have enough information about the target site, and how likely it is to block scraping, then choose rotating proxies.

Since you already know the difference between sticky vs rotating proxies, check out our blog to learn about ipv4 vs ipv6 or differences between residential and ISP proxies. And if you are interested in web scraping for e-commerce, check out different data gathering methods for this case. Lastly, take a look and consider trying our general-purpose web scraper for free. We have also published various guides to using our tools, like this guide to web scraping Etsy, so be sure to follow along and try out different scraping targets to get the most out of your free trial.

People also ask

What is sticky IP?

A sticky IP address is an IP that is assigned via a sticky proxy. This IP then remains unchanged for a certain amount of time, providing more stability and consistency.

What is a sticky proxy?

A static proxy server is a type of proxy that uses the same IP address for multiple connections or sessions. 

Some use the terms sticky proxy and a static proxy interchangeably. In other cases,  sticky proxies and static proxies might be differentiated depending on how long they stay online. For example, a sticky proxy will hold an IP address for up to 30 minutes, whereas a static proxy will keep the IP address for days.

What is the difference between static and rotating proxies?

A static proxy gives you one persistent IP address for all requests, ideal for tasks requiring session continuity. On the other hand, a rotating proxy automatically swaps IPs, either per request or on a schedule, providing enhanced anonymity and reducing block risk.

Is it better to have a fixed or rotating IP address?

It depends on your goals: use a fixed IP address when you need consistent identity and a rotating IP when you need maximum stealth and volume (e.g., large-scale web scraping, avoiding rate limits).

Should I use sticky or rotating proxies?

Choose static proxy IP for activities that require session persistence or whitelisted access, such as managing multiple accounts. Opt for rotating proxies when you need to spread requests across many IPs to minimize blocks and captchas.

About the author

Gabija Fatenaite avatar

Gabija Fatenaite

Former Director of Product & Event Marketing

Gabija Fatenaite was a Director of Product & Event Marketing at Oxylabs. Having grown up on video games and the internet, she grew to find the tech side of things more and more interesting over the years. So if you ever find yourself wanting to learn more about proxies (or video games), feel free to contact her - she’ll be more than happy to answer you.

All information on Oxylabs Blog is provided on an "as is" basis and for informational purposes only. We make no representation and disclaim all liability with respect to your use of any information contained on Oxylabs Blog or any third-party websites that may be linked therein. Before engaging in scraping activities of any kind you should consult your legal advisors and carefully read the particular website's terms of service or receive a scraping license.

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