Web Scraping - How to Avoid Bans Using Proxies
If you've tried web scraping, you know how frustrating it is to get blocked. Websites detect and ban scrapers through IP monitoring, rate limiting, and CAPTCHAs. The solution? Proxies. They let you rotate IP addresses and distribute requests to appear like normal traffic.
When choosing proxies, consider reliability, speed, and IP diversity. Free proxies work for testing but often have limits. Paid services offer better performance for serious projects. For beginners, ProxyLib provides a good starting point with their free options at https://www.proxylib.com and a free proxy list at https://proxylib.com/free-proxy-list. To avoid detection, always rotate user agents and add random delays between requests. Respect the website's robots.txt rules and never hammer servers with too many requests. A good practice is to stay under 1 request per second.
For coding, Python works best. Use the requests library with proxy support. Here's a basic pattern: first configure your proxy (like the free ones from ProxyLib), then add random delays, and handle errors gracefully. Store results as you go in case something fails.
The key is balancing effectiveness with ethical scraping. Free proxies help learn the basics, but professional work needs reliable services. Test carefully, start slow, and scale up responsibly. Whether you use free proxies like those at https://proxylib.com/free-proxy-list or upgrade later, proper techniques matter most for long-term success.