How to choose a proxy for parsing?

In the digital world, automated data collection from websites, or parsing, has become commonplace for businesses and researchers. However, launching a parser without additional preparation is often doomed to failure. Websites are actively protected from mass requests from a single address, and this is where website parsing with proxies comes to the rescue—the only reliable way to collect information.

We will examine the types of servers, their features, and the criteria that will help you choose a proxy for parsing. You will learn about proxy service settings and the advantages of mobile options from our company.

What is a proxy for parsing?

A proxy for parsing is an intermediary between your data collection tool (parser) and the target websites. Simply put, all requests go through a proxy server instead of directly to the website. As a result, the target resource sees requests coming from the proxy’s IP address instead of your own. This approach solves several problems at once: it hides your real address, distributes the load between different IPs, and helps bypass restrictions.

When you use a proxy server, your parser first sends requests to the proxy, which then redirects them further. Responses from the site are also returned through it. In this way, it acts as an “intermediary,” masking the true source of the request. For example, if you are in Germany and collecting data from an American website, a proxy can make the website “think” that the request is coming from the US or another country.

The main tasks that proxies solve when parsing

Properly selected options can solve many problems that arise during automated data collection. Here are the main tasks for which proxies are required:

• Avoiding IP blocking.
• Ensuring anonymity and confidentiality.
• Bypassing geographical restrictions.
• Scalability and speed of data collection. With large amounts of data, a single IP address will not be able to cope – requests will be sent sequentially and very slowly. Proxy services for parsing allow you to run dozens or hundreds of simultaneous request streams.

Let’s look at an example. A real estate market analysis company parses listings from dozens of city portals. Without a proxy, its server would be instantly blocked by each portal for making too many requests. Instead, the company set up 50 different addresses and distributed the requests between them. As a result, the portals think that different users are viewing the information and do not block the collection of information.

Why is parsing impossible without a proxy?

Try collecting data without proxy servers. Most likely, nothing will work, especially when it comes to large websites or search engines. Why parsing and proxies are inextricably linked:

• Without changing your IP, your parser will quickly attract attention.
• The absence of a proxy limits you geographically.

There is also the issue of speed and volume. Without a proxy, you are forced to send requests sequentially to avoid being banned. This slows things down considerably.

Key criteria for choosing a proxy for parsing

Let’s say you understand the importance of proxies and have decided to use them. The question arises: what kind of proxies do you need and how do you choose them? There are dozens of offers on the market, varying in type, price, and quality. The main criteria to consider when choosing:

Taking these criteria into account, make a list of requirements for your proxies. For example, you need 100 proxies from 5 countries with rotation every 10 minutes, speed not lower than a certain level, budget – $X per month. This will help narrow down your search.

Types of proxies for parsing and their features

Let’s take a look at the main types of proxy servers used for data collection, their pros and cons. The success of your campaign largely depends on the type you choose, so it’s important to understand the differences. Types of proxies:

• Data center. IP addresses belong to large data centers and hosting providers. They are not tied to real user devices. Data center proxies are usually very fast and inexpensive, easily scalable (hundreds of addresses are available for purchase).
• Resident. They provide you with an IP address that belongs to a regular Internet user (home or office). In essence, it’s as if you are using someone else’s home computer in the desired city. Such IP addresses have a high level of trust from websites — they are difficult to distinguish from real visitors.
• Internet service providers (ISPs). An intermediate option between data center and residential proxies. These are IP addresses officially registered to telecom companies but provided through the infrastructure of data centers. They are also called static residential proxies.
• Mobile. They issue IP addresses of mobile operators (3G/4G/LTE). They use SIM cards and cellular networks. Today, mobile IPs are considered the “cleanest” and most reliable: websites rarely block them, fearing to affect real smartphone users.

Proxies can be public (free) or private (paid). We strongly recommend the second option for parsing. Free proxy lists obtained through proxy parsing websites or public forums are usually unreliable: the speed is low, many are already banned by resources, and most importantly, you don’t know who else is using them.

Please note that proxy parsing is a risky business. In the worst case, your data may be intercepted by malicious actors on such free nodes. It is much safer to purchase private proxies from a trusted provider.

Some tech-savvy users try to save money by searching the internet for fresh addresses themselves, using a special proxy parser to collect free proxy servers. In practice, this takes a lot of time, and the result is almost always unsatisfactory. After spending hours searching, you will get a couple of working IPs that may stop working the next day.

It is much more efficient to use a reliable service right away than to waste resources on dubious proxy collection.

Proxy service settings

Once you have decided on the type and purchased a proxy, it is important to configure it correctly. Most providers offer convenient control panels where you can configure the basic settings:

• Add IPs to the whitelist.
• Use a login and password. Alternatively, you can get a login/password from your provider to access the proxy.
• Setting up rotation. Some services allow you to set up periodic IP changes in your account. For example, every 5 minutes or after N requests.
• Monitoring and checking proxies. Regularly check that your proxies are working and have not been blocked.
• Select a protocol. If the service supports multiple protocols (HTTP(s) and SOCKS5), decide which one you need.
• Use a VPN connection. Some providers, including LTESocks, allow you to connect to a proxy via VPN technology. For example, with OpenVPN server for Windows, you can create a secure connection and route all your computer’s traffic through the mobile proxies provided.
• Limits and flows. Pay attention to service restrictions on the number of simultaneous connections or traffic volume.
• Additional services. Many modern proxy services offer useful add-ons. For example, LTESocks has a SIM card hosting service, which physically stores SIM cards for your needs.

Setting up a proxy service is not too complicated, but it requires attention. Be sure to follow your provider’s instructions.

Conclusion: how to choose the right proxy for website analysis?

Let’s summarize how to choose a proxy. It all comes down to assessing your needs and capabilities. First, determine what data you are collecting and from which websites, how secure it is, and how much you plan to collect. Then decide what type of proxy is best for your purposes, whether it’s fast data center IPs for simple tasks or reliable mobile addresses for complex cases.

Next, pay attention to the main criteria: anonymity, speed, geography, pool size, support, and price. A proxy for data parsing is an investment in the success of your project, so it’s better to choose a high-quality service right away. Using random free servers can lead to wasted time and even information leaks.

For many tasks today, mobile proxies are the optimal solution. Thanks to them, parsing goes unnoticed by websites, as requests look like normal smartphone traffic. The LTESocks service provides fast mobile proxies with automatic IP rotation and high reliability. This allows you to collect data even from the most “capricious” web resources without the risk of being blocked. Mobile types are perhaps the best proxies for parsing.

Properly selected and configured proxies for parsers will become a reliable foundation for your data collection project, providing quick and unhindered access to information. Of course, there are other ways to use proxies, such as for SEO promotion of a website.