At first sight, users, who need to scrape dynamic content data, may face some difficulties. However, modern developer tools help resolve virtually any issue. So, if you think of setting up proxy rotation to crawl dynamic content, Python and Selenium are likely to be among your best friends.
What is a rotating proxy?
A rotating proxy, as the term implies, is a proxy server that alters IP addresses that users send their requests through, either every connection, with the specified frequency or after a certain time interval. This way, it seems that each request is sent by another user. This approach ensures ultimate security and anonymity, and is demanded by those involved in web scraping, ad verification, marketing activities, data mining, or multiple account management.
How to rotate proxy in Python?
Nowadays, Python is often used to create customized solutions for web scraping, including proxy rotation functionality. This is quite understandable: without IP rotation, anti-bot systems of modern websites will easily identify the user who breaks their rules. Thus, proxy rotation is a must if you want to succeed with web scraping.
Happily, many Python libraries, Requests among them, support the IP rotation capability. To implement proxy rotation as part of web scraping, a user needs a list of valid IPs from a reliable source. To make the code sample clear and valid, free proxies are often used as a reference. But in real-life settings, it is highly recommended to use premium proxies provided by a reliable provider: This will save you from errors caused by invalid proxies and deliver the quality and privacy you need when pursuing actual business tasks.
- Create a list of valid proxies to rotate for crawling:
- Write a code for the rotating mechanism to choose IPs from the list when requests are sent:
This code is supposed to choose a proxy for scraping requests each time it is called.
- Now, add the capability to handle invalid proxies to complete the scraping code:
How to rotate proxies using selenium
Standard Python-based tools are enough to crawl static web content. However, if you open a website in Canada and in France, in either country, you will see different dynamic content related to geolocation. There are other factors that impact the feed shown to the user, for example, search history and cookie parameters. Dynamic is not incorporated in the HTML source code but is added with JavaScript or other client-side technologies.
It’s hardly possible to scrape dynamic content with static-content tools, and this is where you can rely on Selenium, a browser automation framework that manages web browsers programmatically. Selenium ensures automation of web page interactions, including scrolling, clicking buttons, or submitting forms. Inter alia, in the headless browser, you can also open URLs to load dynamically generated content.
Prerequisites for using Selenium include installed Chrome and ChromeDriver of the same version.
- Install Selenium using one of the following commands:
- Import Selenium Modules. Necessary modules include ‘webdriver’, ‘Service’ and ‘Options’. You can also import additional modules depending on your preferences.
- Create the WebDriver instance. To do that, state the path to the ChromeDriver executable that will function as a bridge between the scraper script and Chrome.
- Enable headless mode in the WebDriver options. This is useful to improve performance, optimize resources, and automate web scraping tasks by running scripts in the background.
- Load the web page. With the WebDriver’s get() method, go to the web page you need. For this, state the URL as the argument, and Selenium will load the page.
- Extract the page source that contains dynamic content, and use WebDriver’s page_source attribute to store the HTML source code as a string in a variable.
- To massively scrape data, you will need IP rotation. Use the following code to implement it:
The first two lines repeat the actions of importing Webdriver and its modules, just to show the steps merely for proxy rotation.
- You can optionally configure proxy authentication. This is useful even with free proxies, since they can have safety issues, and will be necessary with paid proxies. The code looks as follows:
Tips to rotate proxy in selenium
There are some tips that will enhance the results of IP rotation in Selenium:
Choose a proxy provider with the vast pool of proxies. The larger the IP pool is, the easier you can ensure rotation with the parameters you need, and the lower the chance of exceeding rate limits and being banned.
Vary intervals between requests. This will make them look like requests n line with the natural user behavior.
Implement the error-handling functionality. In the course of IP rotation, various errors can arise, including those caused by connection problems, failed proxies, or new website rules. To enable seamless proxy rotation, include an error-free mechanism in your script that will overcome timeouts or connection errors.
Check proxies beforehand. Choose a part of your proxy pool to test proxy rotation before you start your script in real-life scenarios. Use the online environment that simulates the conditions you will launch the script in and make sure it copes with errors and anti-bot measures.
Manage proxy efficiency. To make sure your proxies work fine, track their health regularly. This will help you timely detect any issues, such as proxy failure or slow response time. Besides, keeping an eye on proxy performance gives you an opportunity to promptly shift to highly performance proxies.
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Benefits of rotating proxy in Python/selenium
Obviously, proxy rotation delivers a range of benefits that improve security, anonymity, and the possible scale of web scraping:
Reducing user’s suspicious behavior. When a user sends multiple requests, a website can ban them, treating such actions as suspicious activity. Proxy rotation resolves this issue, as it sends requests from a new IP every time, or changes IP once a certain time interval.
Bypassing trackers. Proxy rotation helps bypass trackers that occasionally threaten user security.
Bypassing anti-bot measures and CAPTCHAs. These are measures that websites employ to struggle with multiple requests sent by one user. Proxy rotation helps eliminate this issue, as it changes IPs according to the set pattern.
Conclusion
For users wondering how to rotate proxy in Selenium Python this concept may seem difficult at first glance. However, once you implement several tried and tested code fragments and follow simple tips that improve rotation efficiency, you come to the conclusion that this is a simple solution that brings your web scraping to quite a new level.
Please read our Documentation if you have questions that are not listed below.
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Are there any disadvantages in proxy rotation?
The disadvantages users can face include lower speed of the Internet connection and somewhat higher costs.
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Can you find off-the-shelf solutions that support proxy rotation?
Many proxy providers offer dashboards that support IP rotation.
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What’s the best proxy type to choose for proxy rotation?
Datacenter proxies would be the best choice for proxy rotation, as they are cheaper than residential ones, but still rather fast and reliable.
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Do you have to be good at coding to implement proxy rotation in Python / Selenium.
Well you should have some basic coding skills, but there’s no need to be programming genius.
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How to Use and Rotate Proxies in Python
Proxy rotation can be one of the most important techniques that you can master. Depending on the project, this option can easily save up some portion of your budget and, at the same time, improve the existing success rate.
Introduction to Proxy Rotation
Rotation of proxy servers can be described as the function for automatic IP change. This function can be included in packages offered by your provider, but otherwise you should perform it yourself with the help of a custom server list. In this manner, you can create custom rules for your rotation.
Understanding Proxies
Proxies, in the basics, work as the gateway for all connections between your device and the needed site. So the signal is first delivered to the server and only then to the destination. In this manner, the proxy is masking your real address and providing you with the ability to browse content related to some specific regions or locations.
There are different kinds of proxies available at the market. For example, the most popular residential proxy take advantage of clean, real-user IPs to provide the most simple and direct approach in terms of proxy servers. Then there are also datacenter proxy that can give extensive power to the datacenter infrastructure.
What is Proxy Rotation and Why Is It Important?
So what is a rotating proxy? Rotation technology provides an option for auto-IP change. These addresses come from a dedicated pool. For example, you can change IP over dedicated periods of time or when the address gets blocked.
This technology is useful because it can automatically protect you from most of the risks in terms of blocks. And more than this, rotating proxy helps to keep all proxy-related processes uninterrupted.
Difference Between Static and Rotating Proxies
Static and rotating servers differ in many ways and even basic principles. First of all, these two types serve different tasks. Static residential proxy or other static servers are more applicable when you need to participate in more sustainable and time-consuming activities that require connection with one IP address.
The rotating type, for example, the datacenter rotating proxy, on the other hand, is useful for the tasks that need to be extra protected from the possible blocks. With rostation, even if some IPs get triggered, your server will just switch them and proceed.
Setting Up Your Environment
Let’s look at the steps you should take to create the desired environment.
Installing Required Libraries
First, you should create the installing virtual network with all the needed libraries for this. Then activate the created environment and add the requests option. Now you should be able to send test requests to the portals of your choice.
Creating a Proxy List
At this step, you should create your personal list of proxies in the csv format. There you should specify the expected time of response for servers. Then add a piece of code that will automatically read your list by lines.
Using Proxies with Python Requests
As said before, you need to map a dictionary to work with the proxy variable. In this dictionary, define connections for needed protocols and map them to needed URLs.
Making a Request Without a Proxy
To start, you should test the current setup. Simply send a request without any servers implemented. Then read the response parameters to determine if you faced any problems on this step.
Using a Proxy with Requests
To start utilizing requests in this configuration, first you should map a dictionary for your servers. Additionally, specify the URLs you will target in the process. Now, you should make a GET request to pass the created dictionary.
Using an Authenticated Proxy
Most of the proxy servers require some form of authentication. In most cases, it will be enough to just put the needed credentials in the URL string. The same approach will work for the selenium or for environmental variables about which we talk next.
Setting a Proxy Via Environment Variables
Requests support built-in variables for HTTP and HTTPS connections. This function can be useful if you use multiple scripts at the same time and need to have the same proxy parameters across all of them. So, you simply need to set this variable to work with proxies and start enjoying your new setup.
Rotating Proxies
So how to rotate IP address? To start, implement all needed libraries and then choose an option for IP retrieval. Then add a pool of your servers and send requests to an API call. Now you can use the proxy_request method with needed variables and automatically change your IPs.
Rotating Proxies with Each Request
You are also able to make each request with the new IP. To perform this, you need to add a function that will automatically pull new IP from the existing pool. The main difference here will be that you need to specify the time frame and requirement for IP change on each request. That's basically how you can implement the rotate IP address Python option.
Using a Proxy Pool
How to rotate proxies from the pool? As mentioned before, you need to have a pre-made file with the specifications to start implementing servers. Then you need to make a custom option for reading the proxy variables. Also, you should pay attention to the configuration of the request module. To use only the currently active servers, you can add brake parameters at the end.
Rotating Proxies Using Asynchronous Methods
To automate the Python proxy rotator power with a synchronous approach, you need to use asyncio or the same libraries. To start, simply install the library and make a new file with all the other wanted libraries. After this, specify the pool of servers, targeted URL, and amount of time gap for response. And only now specify the parameters for the functions and print the results. After this, you only will need to add an option for proxy list reading. And with this, your basic asynchronous rotating IP address setup is ready.
Tips for Effective Proxy Rotation
Here’s the list of the most useful tricks to use while changing proxies.
Using Reliable Proxy Services
When working with servers, the trust in your server sources is one of the main things to secure. You should take a good time when choosing the provider and consider all options needed for you. With the wrong choice, you can face not only poor performance across the whole project but also legal risks if the provider does not collect IPs ethically.
Avoiding Predictable Proxy IP Addresses
Automated changes of IPs require you to pay extra attention to the quality of the servers in your pool. If at some point you will start to use flagged or just faulty servers, you can face a new set of problems instead of improved protection.
Combining IP Rotation with User Agent Rotation
In some cases, when working with advanced anti-bot systems, you will also be forced to change UA. These tasks can be hard to pull because of the UA complexity. But you can find tools that will change them automatically for you.
Troubleshooting Proxy Issues
In some cases, your web scraper can report basic problems with servers on its own. But ultimately, it is best to have an understanding of the processes to troubleshoot the existing problems yourself.
Checking Proxy Validity
You will be able to check proxy validity fully manually or use tools for proxy testing. In manual mode, you probably need to add requests and analyze the answers from the server. For automatic checking, just feed your pool to Scraper and finalize the results.
Handling Failed Proxies
Proxy can fail for many reasons, and in some situations you may even falsely claim the server fault, so you better perform a double check. And even if the server has really failed, you can test it on some other platforms. If the server falls completely, you can try to contact your provider and get a new one.
Conclusion
Rotation has become one of the main and important tools to pair your scraper with. With this type of technology in your system, you can forget about most of the risks in terms of blocks and improve your overall success rate across all of the projects.
Anastasia Zatonskaya 2024/05/31
Traditionally, users who wanted to bypass geo restrictions or access any blocked content with the help of proxies had to modify settings in the web browser or operating system as a whole. However, now we have more user-friendly tailored options that are easier to customize without affecting the settings of the entire system or other browsers.