As a business entity, there are things to take into consideration when you obtain proxies. Organizations have different needs, so the proxy application also differs.
Before we delve further, it is important to know what is a proxy and how they accompany various business needs.
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What is a proxy?
A proxy server is a gateway that lies between an internet user and the internet. It creates a barrier between you and the websites you visit. More so, it comes with different levels of security, functionality, and privacy, depending on your needs. For a detailed explanation, read Oxylabs’ blog post on the definition of what is a proxy.
There are different types of proxies, however, in this article, we will focus on the most common types – residential and datacenter proxies.
What is a Residential Proxy?
Residential proxy is one that is given out to homeowners, and it comes from the Internet Service Provider (ISP). It is a real IP address connected to a physical location and features a higher level of security.
What is a Datacenter proxy?
A data center proxy has no association with an Internet Service Provider (ISP). It is a product of Secondary Corporation and delivers private IP authentication and a high level of anonymity.
Having this in mind, let’s look at scraper API.
Scraper API
A scraper API is a data collection tool designed for collecting data from an array of online sources. You can customize it for heavy-duty retrieval of data from desired online sources, e-commerce websites, or search engines.
Both residential and datacenter proxies come in handy for various business needs, depending on the organization.
Residential Proxies for Business
Unbannable
When buying a proxy, you want to look for specific features such as online security. Residential proxies provide you the perfect protection for your business. You can easily access sites that would otherwise block your traffic. With that, you can expand your operations to a large extent. Regardless of your needs, your traffic is very unlikely to be blocked by websites.
No Misleading Information
If a server detects an IP to be suspicious, it takes specific measures to keep it at bay. Rather than block such IP, it could send misleading information. Such a scenario is not possible with a residential proxy. It takes away the possibility of inaccurate data, which can cost you in both time and resources.
Ad Verification
Hackers would go the extra mile to mess with your ad campaign, resulting in lost revenue at the expense of the advertiser. But switched-on advertisers turn to proxies to safeguard their ad campaigns.
You see, ads may not appear the same to your audience based on IP address and location. Website administrators are doing all they can to win the online war, so they resort to residential proxies for ad verification and ensure they do not lose resources.
Price Comparisons
Price comparison is essential for travel sites, online retailers, and e-commerce websites. Businesses of these types need to be price competitive to win the customer.
However, you may be restricted when you try to access some of your competitors’ sites, and that is where the use of residential proxies comes in to play. It keeps you under the radar, so you can successfully scrape the data you need.
Datacenter Proxies for Business
Cost Savings
With datacenter proxies, businesses can save costs because this type of proxy tends to be cheaper.
Market Research
By understanding how to deploy proxies for proper use, there will be no confusion as to which is best for any of your business operations. A business can buy proxy for market research, and in this case, datacenter proxies come handy. With that, they can scrape as much information as they need without being detected from less challenging data sources.
Comparing Proxy and Scraper API
It might be frustrating when, during the web scraping session, you are being affected by IP blocks and CAPTCHAs. However, when using scraper APIs, you would not encounter such a situation. You can rotate IP addresses with each request, usually from a pool of proxies over a dozen ISPs, thus, also automatically retry failed requests.
Scraper API will also help you handle CAPTCHAs, so you leverage the information you gather from different websites.
Proxies will allow you to scrape data endlessly with the use of a data-scraping tool. With a scraper API, you’ll scrape data without the need for setting up a proxy. You can automate proxy procedure while using scraper API, saving cost in the process.
Conclusion
Your business needs will determine whether a proxy is best for your operations or a scraper API. If your business is a large scale venture and you have a developer team on the ground, your best decision is to have an in-house data gathering solution supported with proxies.
However, if you operate on a small scale and have fewer resources but high competition, you’ll be better of using a scraper API. When you use this solution, there is no need for building a scraper and having a team to manage your infrastructure.
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