A datacenter proxy is a proxy server hosted in a commercial data center that routes your web requests through IP addresses owned by the data center operator rather than by an internet service provider (ISP). These proxies act as intermediaries between your web scraper and target websites, masking your real IP address with one from the data center's pool.
How datacenter proxies work
When you send a request through a datacenter proxy, the proxy server intercepts it and forwards it to the target website using its own IP address. The website sees the proxy's IP instead of yours, then sends the response back through the proxy to your scraper. Most providers offer IP rotation, which automatically switches between different addresses for each request or session. You can also choose IPs from specific geographic locations and select between shared or dedicated IP options.
Advantages for web scraping
Datacenter proxies run on high-bandwidth infrastructure built for server workloads, so they deliver fast connection speeds. They cost significantly less per IP and per gigabyte compared to residential proxies, making them ideal for large-scale data collection. If you need to scrape thousands of pages quickly without breaking the bank, datacenter proxies get the job done. They scale easily and perform consistently, which matters when you're running automated extraction jobs around the clock.
Limitations to consider
Websites can often identify datacenter IPs because they belong to known hosting providers rather than consumer ISPs. Sites with strong anti-bot systems may block or rate-limit these proxies more aggressively. Major e-commerce platforms, social networks, and search engines tend to scrutinize datacenter traffic closely. If your target site has sophisticated bot detection, you might see higher failure rates compared to using residential proxies.
Common use cases
Datacenter proxies work well for scraping public websites with lighter protection, such as collecting product listings, monitoring competitor prices, or gathering SEO data like search rankings and backlinks. They handle high-volume crawling efficiently when some blocked requests are acceptable. Teams also use them for API testing, ad verification, and checking geo-targeted content across different regions.
Datacenter proxies vs residential proxies
Residential proxies route traffic through IP addresses assigned to real households, making them harder for websites to detect as bot traffic. They achieve better success rates on heavily protected sites but cost more and run slower. Datacenter proxies offer speed and affordability at the trade-off of easier detection. Many scraping teams combine both types: datacenter proxies handle routine, high-volume tasks while residential proxies tackle difficult targets where blocks would hurt the project.
How Browse AI can help
Managing proxies yourself takes time and technical know-how. Browse AI handles proxy rotation and management automatically, so you can focus on extracting the data you need without worrying about IP blocks or infrastructure setup. The platform lets you build web scrapers without writing code and takes care of the technical complexity behind the scenes.
