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16 posts tagged with "proxy"

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Using Wget with Proxies

· 6 min read
Oleg Kulyk
Co-Founder @ ScrapingAnt

Using Wget with Proxies

In today's interconnected digital landscape, wget stands as a powerful command-line utility for retrieving content from web servers. When combined with proxy capabilities, it becomes an even more versatile tool for secure and efficient web content retrieval.

This comprehensive guide explores the implementation, configuration, and optimization of wget when working with proxies. As organizations increasingly rely on proxy servers for enhanced security and access control (GNU Wget Manual), understanding the proper configuration and usage of wget with proxies has become crucial for system administrators and developers alike.

The integration of wget with proxy servers enables features such as anonymous browsing, geographic restriction bypass, and improved security measures. This research delves into various aspects of wget proxy implementation, from basic configuration to advanced authentication mechanisms, while also addressing critical performance optimization and troubleshooting strategies.

Residential Proxies Usage for Ads Verification with Puppeteer

· 7 min read
Oleg Kulyk
Co-Founder @ ScrapingAnt

Residential Proxies Usage for Ads Verification with Puppeteer

Updated 2026-10-26

Added a section that checks a page from four countries through residential IPs with the ScrapingAnt API, run once against the live API on 2026-10-26. The rest of the article was not re-tested in this update.

The integrity and effectiveness of ad campaigns face unprecedented challenges, with the industry suffering losses exceeding $61 billion due to ad fraud in 2022. As digital advertising continues to evolve, the need for robust verification methods has become paramount. Residential proxies have emerged as a critical tool in the fight against ad fraud, offering sophisticated solutions for advertisers to verify their campaign deliveries and protect their investments. These proxies, operating through legitimate IP addresses provided by Internet Service Providers (ISPs), enable comprehensive geographic testing, fraud detection, and quality assurance measures that are essential for maintaining the integrity of digital advertising campaigns. This research report examines the technical infrastructure, implementation strategies, and best practices for utilizing residential proxies in ad verification, while also addressing the crucial aspects of compliance, ethics, and performance optimization. Through analysis of current industry practices and technological capabilities, we explore how residential proxies are revolutionizing the approach to ad verification and fraud prevention in the digital advertising ecosystem.

Residential Proxies Usage for E-commerce Web Scraping

· 7 min read
Oleg Kulyk
Co-Founder @ ScrapingAnt

Residential Proxies Usage for E-commerce Web Scraping

Updated 2026-10-26

Added a section that scrapes product prices through a residential IP with the ScrapingAnt API, run once against the live API on 2026-10-26. The rest of the article was not re-tested in this update.

Residential proxies have emerged as a crucial tool for e-commerce web scraping, enabling companies to gather valuable market insights while maintaining anonymity and avoiding detection. These proxies, which utilize IP addresses from real residential internet service providers, offer a legitimate means to access and collect publicly available data from various e-commerce platforms. The implementation of residential proxies has become particularly significant as e-commerce platforms enhance their anti-bot measures and security protocols. Residential proxies provide superior reliability and success rates compared to traditional datacenter proxies, making them indispensable for large-scale e-commerce data collection operations. This research explores the comprehensive strategies, best practices, and optimization techniques for effectively utilizing residential proxies in e-commerce web scraping, while maintaining ethical standards and ensuring data quality.

How to Use cURL With a Proxy: -x, Auth, Env Variables, no_proxy

· 16 min read
Oleg Kulyk
Co-Founder @ ScrapingAnt

How to Use cURL With a Proxy: -x, Auth, Env Variables, no_proxy

Updated 2026-09-15

Rewritten as a tested reference. Every command below was run against local proxies started by the example package (an HTTP proxy with Basic authentication, a SOCKS5 proxy with authentication, an open HTTP proxy) and the output is copied from that run. The previous version repeated its configuration section three times, used placeholder hosts throughout, and contained a mangled example address; all of that is gone.

Updated 2026-10-23: added a section that sends a country-targeted request through the ScrapingAnt API, run once with proxy_country=FR.

The short answer:

curl -x http://proxy.example.com:8080 https://example.com/ # through an HTTP proxy
curl -x http://proxy.example.com:8080 --proxy-user user:pass https://example.com/ # with authentication
curl -x socks5h://user:pass@proxy.example.com:1080 https://example.com/ # SOCKS5, proxy resolves names

-x (long form --proxy) takes [scheme://][user:pass@]host[:port]; without a scheme curl assumes an HTTP proxy, and without a port it assumes 1080. The rest of this page shows what actually happens on the wire for each variant, how to set a proxy through the environment or .curlrc, how to switch it off for some hosts, and how the common failures look. Transcripts marked -v are trimmed to the proxy-related lines (a real -v prints a lot more), and non-local IP addresses are masked as <ip>. Tested with curl 8.7.1.

How To Scrape Instagram Data | A Step-By-Step Guide To Scraping Valuable Insights

· 11 min read
Oleg Kulyk
Co-Founder @ ScrapingAnt

How To Scrape Instagram Data | A Step-By-Step Guide To Scraping Valuable Insights

Insights from social media platforms like Instagram hold valuable potential for researchers, marketers, and businesses. Scraping Instagram, which involves extracting data from the platform, is a powerful technique to gain insights into user behavior, demographics, preferences, and trends. This article will discuss the legality, tools, methods, and best practices for how to scrape Instagram.

Is Using Proxies Safe? 10 Tips to Use Proxies in Scraping Legally

· 7 min read
Oleg Kulyk
Co-Founder @ ScrapingAnt

Is Using Proxies Safe? 10 Tips to Use Proxies in Scraping Legally

The popularity of proxies has made many users ask, are proxies safe? Yes, proxies are safe to use. Some are vulnerable to security breaches, while others offer robust protection.

When web scraping, it’s essential to understand the different types of proxies and their associated risks.

Essentially, there are two proxies available for use. They include free or public proxies and dedicated or private proxies.

As the name suggests, the free proxies are free for anyone. In contrast, the dedicated proxies are typically assigned to individual users and can only be accessed after being paid for.

10 Main Types of Proxies and How to Manage Them Effectively

· 9 min read
Oleg Kulyk
Co-Founder @ ScrapingAnt

10 Main Types of Proxies and How to Manage Them Effectively

One of the best practices for web scraping is the use of proxy servers, as they efficiently keep the scrapers anonymous and well-protected. Because of the anonymity, you can easily scale your web scrapers without being detected by antibots.

However, not all proxy servers are the same. There are several different types of proxies with varying proxy server uses, so picking the right one is crucial. We’ll review some of them to help you make an informed decision.

Let's dive right into the ultimate list of proxy servers right now.

Best Residential Proxies for 2027: Pricing & Buying Guide

· 18 min read
Oleg Kulyk
Co-Founder @ ScrapingAnt

Best Residential Proxies for 2027: Pricing and Buying Guide

The best residential proxy for your scraper is the one that delivers the right regional data, supports your request flow and fits the bandwidth you will actually use. Compare the full commitment, targeting and session controls before buying a large allowance.

Running your own scraper? Start with ScrapingAnt residential proxies: HTTP/HTTPS, country/state/city targeting, optional sticky sessions and unlimited concurrency. Start at $30/month for 5 GB ($6/GB), or choose $3/GB with Enterprise at $3,000/month for 1,000 GB.

Reverse Proxy vs. Forward Proxy. A Detailed Comparison!

· 6 min read
Oleg Kulyk
Co-Founder @ ScrapingAnt

Reverse Proxy vs. Forward Proxy. A Detailed Comparison!

Using proxy servers is crucial in today's world. As the Internet has become a part of our daily life and is integrated into almost everything, it is quintessential to use it while maintaining privacy and security.

Data leaks and personal information breaches are more serious than most people think. So using measures to browse and use the internet with security is a must. Using proxy and VPNs is one of the best ways of ensuring online safety. So today, we shall teach you details about reverse proxy vs. forward proxy and much more. Let’s begin.