PROXY SERVERS

Short-term proxy IPs serve as powerful anti-blocking tools for data collection, dynamic shields for privacy protection, and versatile instruments for business testing. In contrast, long-term proxy IPs excel in stability and persistence. By combining both—such as a “70% long-term + 30% short-term” strategy—a company can reduce network downtime by 90% and cut proxy costs by 35%.

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In the age of digital transformation, IP proxies have become essential tools for online operations. Short-term proxy IPs, known for their speed, anonymity, and flexibility, shine in fields like data scraping and privacy protection, while long-term proxies offer stability, persistence, and dedicated access for critical services. This article breaks down the core functions of short-term proxies and compares them with long-term proxies through practical use cases and technical analysis.

Three Core Functions of Short-Term Proxy IPs

1. Anti-Blocking Weapon for Data Scraping

Scenarios such as price monitoring on e-commerce platforms or sentiment analysis on social media require frequent access to public data. Using a static IP can trigger anti-crawling mechanisms and result in a ban. Short-term proxies automatically rotate IPs every 5–30 minutes, breaking tracking chains and enabling persistent data extraction.

Example: A cross-border e-commerce brand saw an 80% improvement in real-time price monitoring and an increase in data scraping success from 65% to 98% after adopting short-term proxies.

2. Dynamic Shield for Privacy Protection

In sensitive activities like anonymous reporting or competitor research, users need to conceal their real identity. Short-term proxies dynamically assign temporary IPs, which—when combined with HTTPS encryption—ensure that target sites can only log brief, non-traceable sessions.

Example: In a simulated cyberattack test, a security team found that only 3% of short-term proxy sessions were traceable, compared to a 92% exposure rate when using static IPs.

3. Multi-Faceted Tool for Business Testing

Developers often need to test how applications perform across different network environments. Short-term proxies can simulate user access from around the world and evaluate server load.

Example: A game company used a pool of short-term proxies to simulate 100,000 simultaneous users, helping them discover and fix a database connection overflow bug before launch—preventing post-release server crashes.

Four Key Differences Between Short-Term and Long-Term Proxy IPs

1. Duration: Flexibility vs. Stability

Short-term IPs typically last a few minutes to 24 hours and are ideal for frequent switching. Long-term IPs, however, are valid for days, months, or even years—some services offer IPs that stay stable for up to 12 months.

Example: An e-commerce team found that price monitoring with short-term proxies required 200 IP changes per day, while long-term proxies only needed to be switched manually once during promotional periods.

2. Cost Model: Pay-Per-Use vs. Subscription

Short-term proxies often use a pay-as-you-go or per-GB billing model. While individual use costs as little as $0.01, high-frequency usage can add up. Long-term proxies are usually sold as annual subscriptions, offering up to 60% lower costs per unit.

Example: A data company estimated that using 1,000 short-term proxies daily would cost around ¥30,000/month, while an equivalent long-term proxy plan costs only ¥12,000/month.

3. Technical Setup: Dynamic Pools vs. Fixed Nodes

Short-term IPs rely on dynamic IP pools, automatically assigning fresh IPs through algorithms. Some providers refresh 6 million clean IPs daily across 200+ countries. Long-term IPs use fixed nodes—dedicated servers with high bandwidth (10 Gbps) and low latency (<50ms), suitable for high-volume data transfers like video uploads.

4. Risk Profile: Low Traceability vs. High Exposure

Due to frequent IP changes, short-term proxies are hard to label as malicious traffic. In one test, only 15% of short-term proxy usage triggered risk control systems, whereas long-term proxies had a 78% trigger rate due to prolonged exposure.

To mitigate risks with long-term IPs, additional measures like rotating user agents and randomizing request patterns are recommended.

Mixed Deployment: The “Golden Combo” of Proxy IPs

In practice, businesses often combine both types. For instance, a multinational company implemented a “70% long-term + 30% short-term” proxy strategy: long-term IPs maintain stable operations (e.g., ERP systems, API connections), while short-term IPs handle temporary tasks (e.g., anti-crawling updates, ad-hoc data scraping).

This hybrid deployment lowered network interruptions by 90% and cut proxy acquisition costs by 35%.

Conclusion

Short-term proxy IPs act like a “chameleon” in the digital world, dynamically changing to break through limits and protect privacy. Long-term proxies are more like a “stabilizing anchor,” maintaining consistent connections for ongoing operations.

Choosing between them depends on timing, budget, and technical needs:

• For high-frequency scraping, short-term IPs are more efficient.
• For long-term sessions or mission-critical tasks, long-term IPs offer reliability.
• For optimal performance and cost savings, hybrid deployment strikes the perfect balance between agility and security.

As AI-based risk control continues to evolve, proxy technology will advance toward intelligent switching and protocol obfuscation, offering users a safer and smarter web experience.