In short
Rotate to a new IP on every request when you are sending many independent requests (search results, product pages, public data). Use a sticky session — the same IP for several minutes — when a task must stay on one identity across multiple steps (logging in, adding to cart, checkout, paginating an authenticated session). The wrong choice is the most common cause of bans.
Per-request rotation
With per-request rotation the provider assigns a fresh IP to each connection. This spreads your requests across thousands of IPs so no single address triggers a rate limit. It is ideal for stateless scraping where each page is independent.
Sticky sessions
A sticky session pins one IP for a set duration (often 1–30 minutes). You need this whenever a workflow carries state: a logged-in account, a shopping cart, a multi-page form. Switching IPs mid-session looks suspicious and gets sessions invalidated or flagged.
With Soxway you control rotation in the dashboard or via the endpoint/session parameters, and switch between rotating and sticky without changing providers.
Rotation syntax with Soxway
With Soxway, rotation is set right in the proxy username via suffixes — the password and host/port never change. No suffix means a new IP on every request. Add _s-<id> to pin a session (stable: the same ID always maps to the same IP), and add _ttl-<N>m or _ttl-<N>h to make it sticky (the IP is held for N minutes/hours, then rotates).
# new IP every request (rotating)
socks5://user_country-GB:[email protected]:1080
# same IP for 30 min, then rotate (sticky)
socks5://user_country-GB_s-abc123_ttl-30m:[email protected]:1080Rotation best practices
- Match rotation to the task: stateless = rotating, stateful = sticky.
- Add randomized delays between requests instead of hammering at a fixed interval.
- Pair rotation with realistic headers and a consistent user-agent per session.
- Respect target rate limits — rotation reduces bans but is not a license to flood a site.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between rotating and sticky proxies?
Rotating proxies give you a new IP on every request; sticky sessions keep the same IP for a set time. Use rotating for independent requests and sticky for tasks that must stay on one identity.
How often should proxies rotate?
For stateless scraping, rotate every request. For logged-in or multi-step flows, keep a sticky IP for the duration of the session (typically a few minutes) and add random delays.
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