Proxies For Scraping - Why do you need them and which provider is best

Using web scraping to collect and coordinate information from various web properties can be a very efficient way of conducting market research, monitoring brand reputation, and creating content.

Doing this at scale will require the use of proxy servers, or else you will have many ongoing issues that make scraping difficult.

Throughout this article, we explain the complexities involved and how proxy servers make web scraping more efficient and effective.

What Is A Proxy Server?

A proxy server is a computer or server that you connect to, which then connects to the internet on your behalf. Typically when someone is accessing the internet they connect directly to the internet from their device, whether it be a phone, tablet, or computer.

Where a proxy server acts as a bridge, or intermediary, that you access the internet through, rather than connecting directly. 

We all understand the term proxy, as something that acts in the place of something or someone else, and the same goes for computers and the internet. A proxy server accesses the internet on your behalf, according to your instructions, and you then engage directly with the proxy server, but the internet is not aware of you and or IP address.

Using a proxy server has multiple benefits:

Firewall – A firewall is a form of cyber protection designed to prevent unauthorized people from accessing a computer or a network. A proxy server is a great place to host a firewall as it can protect you and your entire internal network from malicious threats posed by the internet. By doing this you can access the internet safely and securely, but your proxy server acts as a security guard of sorts to your computer and the rest of your network.

Caching – Caching is the process of storing files and data locally (on your computer) so they are quicker and easier to access, rather than having to retrieve them from the internet each time. Proxy servers are great for this as you can download those files that you and your organization access frequently to create a much quicker and less expensive internet experience (due to decreased data costs).

Content Filter – Proxies can also be used to block certain websites or online portals. If there are certain web locations you don’t want to access or don’t want your family members or organization staff to be able to access then filters can be configured in the proxy server to make these inaccessible.

Bypassing Geo-Restrictions – Some websites and online apps put IP restrictions on their content meaning you can only access certain content if the IP address you are connecting to them from, is within certain ranges. These IP ranges indicate your approximate geographic location, and at times certain countries are prohibited from accessing certain content.

A proxy server with a different IP address to your own can be a great way to get around IP bans and other types of georestriction.

What Is Web Scraping?

Web scraping refers to the activity of accessing, copying, and downloading information from other websites.

There are many different types of information that people and companies scrape from the web including product information, plane trip details, organization and individual contact information and much more.

Many companies run their business using scraped information by aggregating publicly available information and turning that information into a product, or formatting that information in a way that attracts website visitors, at which point they try and monetize their attention in that way.

There are countless examples of businesses and websites that rely on scraped information, and there are always new and interesting examples of things people have done with scraped information.

Why Do You Need A Proxy For Web Scraping?

Security & Anonymity

One of the primary reasons to use proxy servers for web scraping is the security it provides you. Given the proxy server is what will be used to interact with the website or web property you are scraping, then the host site will see the IP address of the proxy server, but won’t be able to identify you specifically.

Using proxies for scraping gives you a layer in between yourself and the host site, so they can’t connect your scraping activity with you or your company.

Fewer Geo-Restrictions

When using a Proxy Server you have the ability to use one in any country you like. As a result, you can scrape web content from any website in the world, without needing to be in that country, in the event of geo-restrictions on the content.

Higher Request Volume

When web-scraping from a certain site you are going to be accessing data multiple times, for multiple products, or multiple people. When the host server detects numerous requests from one IP address in a short space of time this will be viewed as suspicious and they may block your IP address. However, using proxies in a certain way allows your requests to come from different proxies to avoid this activity being detected by the host site. When you use a recommended proxy provider, you can ensure you have limited downtime and minimal disruption to your scraping activities.

Get Around Blanket Bans

Sometimes websites impose blanket bans on a wide range of IP addresses, which your IP address can be caught up in. If that happens you can use a new proxy server to escape this ban and continue with your scraping activities.

Consequences of Not Using A Proxy For Web Scraping

If you don’t use proxies for web scraping you are likely to run into issues on a regular basis that hampers your web scraping progress.

Get Your IP Blacklisted

Firstly, there is a good chance your IP address will be blacklisted very quickly when you use your own IP to scrape multiple pieces of information from the same website. As a result, you will no longer be able to access the website unless you have a way to get yourself a new IP address. 

For some internet providers, you will have a dedicated IP address, and for others, you may use any available address from a certain range. But even if you have the ability to use a range of different IP addresses, they may have the ability to block the whole range.

Limited Speed

If you are using your own computer and your own IP address, then you will be limited in the speed of scraping you can do and how many requests you can make at once. 

But if you set up a system that connects to multiple proxies at the same time, you won’t have this same limitation from throttling and will be able to scrape much more data in a much shorter time frame. 

Lack Of Automation Tools

If you set up a scraping system you will have a great opportunity to implement automation into your scraping process. Without proxies, you will be limited to what one person can do from one computer, but to really scale your scraping and build your databases you will need to use automation in some form.

Regional Limitations

Your IP address may be in a range that certain companies tend to ban, block or limit for certain types of content (think streaming content services). With a proxy server, you will have no way of getting around these geo-restrictions but by using a proxy server you can mimic any location you want, and not be limited by the same geo-restrictions you are exposed to natively.

What Type of Proxy Do I Need to Use For Scraping?

There are two main types of proxies. Datacenter proxies and residential proxies.

Datacenter Proxy – A datacenter proxy is a very simple proxy. It is just a server computer, most likely in a room with many other computers. These proxies are cheap and simple, but they are also easily traceable. As a result, many of the host websites you would want to scrape can detect a data center proxy and will actively block them, or have a filter that shows a different data set, usually a less helpful one.

Residential Proxy – The alternative to a data center proxy is a residential proxy. A residential proxy uses the actual IP address of a real device (smartphone/computer) so the host website you are scraping sees you as a typical user, not a data center. These residential proxies are a lot harder for web hosts to detect making them a lot better to use for web scraping.

Best Practices When Scraping With A Proxy

When scraping information from other websites there are a few things you should keep in mind. 

Don’t Overload The Website

With a sophisticated proxy server setup and the right automation tools, you will have the ability to start tens or hundreds of website sessions, with the click of a button.

Please be respectful and considerate with your scraping and ensure that your scraping will not overload the host server and prevent other users from accessing the website. 

Be Careful With Copyright

Just because you can scrape some information, does not necessarily mean you are permitted to do so and are permitted to do other things with that information.

If you proactively ignore that, you could make yourself liable for prosecution. 

There is a lot of information you could scrape, but if you do so without permission and then use that data to your own advantage, it could end up causing you a lot more trouble, than any benefit gained.

Final Thoughts

A good proxy server will increase the speed at which you can scrape information from the web as well as reduce the likelihood that your scraping activities are detected and prevented.