What Is a Rotating IP Address?

What is IP address rotation?

First, let’s visit the basics: What is an IP address?
An IP address identifies a device connected to the internet, and there are two types: IPv4 and IPv6.

A rotating IP is a proxy type that regularly alters the IP address it employs to establish a connection with the data source. This adjustment can be scheduled to happen after a specific duration or after a specific count of requests has been executed.

For example, when connecting via an Internet Service Provider (ISP), an IP address is automatically assigned from a pool of IPs. The ISP then distributes the IP address as soon as disconnection or reconnection occur.

ISPs rotate dynamic (static don’t rotate) IP addresses because they usually have more users than IP addresses at their disposal. Hence, when a particular user disconnects, the ISP will return the user’s IP address to their pool of IP addresses.

In addition, a type of proxies exists – called IPv6 or IPv4 proxies – that are designed to work with each protocol to enhance security and performance (here is ipv4 proxy for more information).

What is proxy rotation?

ISPs rotate IP addresses, and this process is transparent to their users. Although in the online world, there are plenty of cases when internet users intentionally rotate their IP addresses.

With rotating proxies, you can manage numerous connections from a single device, and carrying out web crawling and data scraping operations becomes a much easier task.

There are different methods used to rotate IP addresses. In some cases, it has to be done manually, as with Chrome proxies (learn how to use proxy in Chrome). But here at Oxylabs, we offer a Proxy Rotator that does all the work for you. How does it work? A client gets one entry node which is used as a static address to get a proxy from the list. The rotator works by random IPs, meaning it rotates an IP on each request.

Why rotate proxies?

When it comes to web scraping operations, the common challenge is to avoid getting blocked by websites while trying to gather the data.

Several techniques can aid the prevention of blocks, one of which is proxy rotation. It can help to operate scrapers past most of the anti-scraping measures as it allows them to imitate the behavior of multiple users, hence strengthening the chance of being undetected while gathering vast amounts of data.

There are countless cases out there when proxy rotation is being used. Here are some examples:

• SEO firms use proxies that automatically rotate to check keyword rankings from various locations I.e., with Brazil proxy or German proxy, you can check keyword rankings in that country.

• Data intelligence companies rotate proxies automatically to scrape websites for analytic and performance purposes.

• Corporate firms can rotate IP addresses to eliminate regional presentation and price gouging.

• Data triangulation companies validate data through IP rotation.

• To maintain network loads, IT companies rotate the IP addresses for their outgoing bots.

• You can exceed request limits and eliminate geo-restrictions.

Methods used to rotate IP addresses

Internet Service Providers rotate IP addresses using a number of different methods:

• Pre-configured IP rotation. This refers to a technique where the rotation is pre-configured to occur at specified intervals. Once the time specified elapses, the user is assigned a new IP address.

• Specific IP rotation. The user can choose which IP address to use for an outgoing connection.

• Random IP rotation. This method assigns a randomly selected address to each new outgoing connection. The user has no control over which address gets assigned.

• Burst IP rotation. The ISP assigns new IP addresses after a specified number of connections. For example, if the specified number is 10, a new IP address will be given to the eleventh connection after every ten connections are initiated.

How to rotate an IP address?

Proxy Rotator

An internet user can use an automated proxy rotating tool such as our Proxy Rotator. This tool will automatically rotate the proxy IP address using the random IP rotation method. Here’s how it works:

1. Add the proxy rotator to your proxy plan by logging in to your account or contacting us.

2. Get a single endpoint to your assigned proxy list.

3. With every request, the endpoint will fetch a different IP address.

Once you purchase Datacenter Proxies, you’ll receive detailed documentation that helps you get started. There you will find answers to frequently asked questions and more details on how to set up the proxy rotator.

A dedicated proxy rotating service makes it easy to get past blocks when web scraping. It also reduces the risk of incorrectly configuring the IP rotation process, which could result in the overuse of some proxies and lead to bans. 

Note, our Residential Proxies do not need a proxy rotator and are self-rotating. However, for Datacenter Proxies, we do highly recommend using rotation as that reduces the chances of being blocked even more.

Manually

On an individual person level, proxy rotation can be carried out manually. For instance, a user can manually configure the proxy settings in Chrome. Proxy managers such as FoxyProxy can significantly help set up and easily change proxies.

Programmatically

You can also execute proxy rotation programmatically using tools such as the Python Requests library. See this detailed guide for more information on rotating proxies in Python.

Conclusion

Now you know what benefits a combination of proxies and IP rotation provide and the purpose it serves. Suppose you are indeed carrying out data scraping and web crawling tasks. In that case, we highly recommend implementing a high-quality proxy rotation solution or using reliable proxies, such as Rotating ISP Proxies, to increase your success rates.

If you liked this blog post, we also recommend reading about static vs. rotating proxies, IPV4 vs. IPV6, or using a static proxy for brand protection. Additionally, feel free to contact us if you have any queries.