Rotating, sticky and static
| Setting | Typical behavior | What it does not guarantee |
|---|---|---|
| Rotating | The provider selects exit IPs according to its rotation policy, often per request or connection. | A different IP on every retry. Connection reuse and the provider’s policy matter. |
| Sticky | A session identifier asks the provider to reuse an exit IP for a period. | An IP that stays available indefinitely. Time limits and upstream disconnects can end a session. |
| Static | An address is assigned for longer-term use under the product’s allocation rules. | Permanent ownership or unchanged availability outside the assignment period. |
Match the session to your workflow
For a sequence of requests that shares a cart, login or multi-step form, an IP change can interrupt the flow. A sticky or assigned IP may be appropriate when your provider supports it. Independent public-page requests may not need that continuity.
Cookies and proxy sessions are different. Keeping the same IP does not preserve browser cookies; reusing cookies does not guarantee the same IP.
Save a preferred location
In a Crawlhub proxy draft, enter a two-letter country code such as US, GB or DE. Leave it blank if you have no preference. Save the draft after changing it.
A preferred country is not an inventory reservation. City, state and ASN targeting are not exposed in the current setup form. Availability must be confirmed for the activated product.
Session syntax is provider-specific
Once you have active credentials, compare repeated requests to an IP-check endpoint to see whether the exit IP behaves as expected. Country databases can disagree, so record the checker and timestamp when reporting a mismatch.