Datacenter proxies explained

What a datacenter proxy is

A datacenter proxy is a server that forwards your requests and uses its own IP address when it talks to the website. The address belongs to a hosting or cloud company, not to a home internet provider or mobile carrier. Because the company owns the whole range, it can assign thousands of addresses at once, which keeps them cheap.

How it works

You connect to the proxy's address and port, usually with a username and password or by allowing your own IP address. The server then makes the request to the website and returns the response. Providers may give you a dedicated address that only you use, a shared address used by several customers, or a rotating pool.

Public information such as the address's owner and network number shows it is a hosting range. You can see this yourself by looking an address up in the IP lookup.

Pros

• High speed and low latency, because the connection is a data center link, not a household one.
• Low cost per address, and often generous bandwidth.
• Stable and predictable. Dedicated addresses do not vanish mid-session.
• Large volumes of traffic cost far less than on per-gigabyte residential plans.

Cons

• Easy to identify as hosting traffic, so sites that filter servers may block or challenge it.
• Shared or recycled addresses can inherit a poor reputation from earlier users.
• Addresses from the same provider are often in neighbouring ranges, so a block can cover a whole group.
• Fewer locations at city level than large residential pools.

How datacenter proxies are usually priced

The common model is per IP address, billed monthly, for a dedicated or semi-dedicated address. Shared proxies cost less than dedicated ones. Bandwidth may be unlimited, capped, or billed per gigabyte on top, so read what is included. Some providers sell rotating pools by the number of ports or threads. Quantity discounts are typical, and the price usually depends on how many customers share the address and in which country it sits. We do not list prices on this site.

How to test one

Enter the address, port, type and credentials in the proxy checker and run it. Confirm that it connects, that the response time is reasonable, that the country matches what you ordered and that the anonymity level is what you need. Then check the address in the IP lookup to confirm the owner is a hosting company, which is what you expect for this type.

If you plan to use it for browsing, also run the WebRTC leak test in a browser configured with the proxy, because a browser proxy setting does not always cover WebRTC.

A provider to consider: Webshare

Webshare (webshare.io (Affiliate link)) sells datacenter and residential proxies. According to its own website, you can start with 10 free proxies without a credit card, which makes it easy to try a few addresses in our proxy checker before deciding whether to pay for anything. Check the current plans, limits and terms on its site, because they can change.

Disclosure: this is an affiliate link. If you buy through it, GlobeProxy may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Our research-based Webshare review covers its pricing, limits and gotchas, but we have not tested its network ourselves, and the commission does not affect our tests or how we describe any provider. Read the full affiliate disclosure.

Red flags when buying

• Claims that a datacenter proxy is undetectable. Its owner is public information.
• Vague descriptions of what is shared. Ask how many customers use each address.
• Unlimited bandwidth with no stated fair-use limits.
• No information on where the addresses are located, or locations that do not match the exit country when tested.
• Open proxies advertised in free lists. They are often unreliable, may log or alter your traffic, and can be abused by others.
• No terms of service or refund policy.

For help choosing between types, read residential vs. datacenter proxies. Provider comparisons will be added once we have tested them.