Beginner3 steps

How to Use Proxies for Web Scraping

Scraping the same website from a single IP address quickly triggers rate limits and blocks. Proxy rotation distributes requests across multiple IP addresses, making your scraper appear as natural user traffic rather than automated requests from one source.

Step-by-Step Guide

1

Understand proxy types

Datacenter proxies are fast and cheap — good for sites with minimal rate limiting. Residential proxies route through real user IP addresses — better for sites that filter by IP reputation. Mobile proxies offer the highest trust level but at the highest cost.

2

Use AlterLab's built-in proxy rotation

AlterLab automatically rotates proxies across all requests. You don't need to manage a proxy pool separately — the API handles selection and rotation based on the target site.

3

Verify your requests are distributed

Check the IP address reflected in responses (or use a test endpoint like httpbin.org/ip) to confirm that different IPs are being used across consecutive requests.

Code Example

PythonGet free API key →
import requests

# AlterLab handles proxy rotation automatically — no proxy config needed
responses = []
for url in ["https://example.com/page/1", "https://example.com/page/2"]:
    response = requests.post(
        "https://alterlab.io/api/v1/scrape",
        headers={"X-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "Content-Type": "application/json"},
        json={"url": url},
    )
    responses.append(response.json())

# Each request is automatically routed through a different proxy
print(f"Collected {len(responses)} pages")

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your key from the dashboard. No credit card required.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Responsible Use

AlterLab is designed for extracting publicly available data. Always review the terms of service for any website you access, respect robots.txt directives, and ensure your use case complies with applicable laws in your jurisdiction.

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terminal
curl -X POST https://api.alterlab.io/v1/scrape \
-H "X-API-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"url": "https://example.com", "formats": ["markdown"]}'

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    How to Use Proxies for Web Scraping | AlterLab | AlterLab