Detailed Explanation of the Differences Between Data Center Proxies and Residential Proxies

Using the same IP address for multiple accounts is a major taboo on many platforms, often resulting in account suspension,it's essential to understand the differences between commonly used data center proxies and residential proxies.

What are they, how do they differ, and which business types are they suitable for? To keep your accounts safe, you must understand these differences and choose the correct type of proxy. This article will explain in detail.

What is a Residential Proxy?

You can think of a residential IP as a connection assigned to homeowners by an ISP. When you move into a new house or apartment and set up the internet, your connection is assigned an IP address. Its format might look like 11.22.33.444 or 111.22.33.444. Additionally, you can see detailed information associated with your IP address on the website, such as the ISP's name and even your approximate location. If you connect through different residential IP addresses as proxies, your public IP information will display as any specific residence using that IP.

What is a Data Center Proxy?

Data center proxies differ from residential proxies because they do not belong to an ISP. They act as a "wall" between you and anyone trying to view your IP through the network. Those trying to see your real IP address won't see your home IP and all related identifying information; instead, they will see the data center's proxy address and related information about the data center company. You can consider data center proxies a way to mask your real IP address and its identifying information, but they cannot completely replace residential IPs.

What Are the Differences Between Them?

If you only want to mask your real IP address, residential IPs are more suitable as proxies since they are closer to real users and can potentially provide anonymity. On the other hand, if someone needs to send a large number of emails to popular sites and requires different IP addresses to bypass site filters, they typically choose data center IPs because they are easier to obtain in large quantities compared to residential IPs. You can use data center IPs for browsing, but be aware that doing so may trigger additional scrutiny from site security systems.

Residential Proxies

• More Secure: Residential IPs are assigned only to residential users. Security systems generally consider residential IPs more trustworthy and compliant than data center proxies.
• Fewer Providers, Higher Costs: Collecting residential IPs suitable for proxy connections is challenging, so few providers offer such connections, making residential IPs more expensive.
• Can Be Blacklisted: Although residential IPs are more credible, they can still be abused by malicious actors. Consequently, some residential IPs may be blacklisted by certain security systems and databases.

Data Center Proxies

• Completely Anonymous: Due to the widespread misuse of data center IPs, logging into accounts with data center proxies often triggers strict scrutiny. However, most data center proxies are highly anonymous.
• Numerous Providers, Lower Costs: There are many data center proxy providers, making these proxies more affordable.
• Use Different Proxies for Each Account: Although it's evident you're using a proxy, it's safer to use a clean, dedicated data center proxy for each account. Ensure different proxies are used for different accounts to avoid direct association.

Which Should You Choose?

Both can perform the same task of hiding your real IP on the internet. Data center proxies are sufficient for most users' needs and can provide higher-level protection when combined with fingerprint browsers. Remember that data center proxies are just one factor in triggering security system scrutiny. Using clean residential proxies along with trustworthy fingerprints can allow most websites to pass without strict scrutiny. Generally, residential IPs are less likely to trigger website security checks than data center proxies, so it's advisable to use both fingerprint masking and data center proxy masking.

We recommend using legal and compliant IP proxies and being cautious of unclean proxies in the market to avoid impacting your business.

IPFoxy provides clean global data center and residential proxies and offers free trials for new users. Their secure and high-speed services are widely recognized. If you're still unclear about the differences, you can try IPFoxy for a clearer understanding.