Residential Proxy setup process is not much different from setting up any other proxy type. By using an entry point, port, and the customer-username string, you can start using Residential Proxies with no additional coding required.
The first step is choosing the platform where you'll be managing the proxies. If you're an experienced user, this isn't a must; however, if you're just getting started, it's an easy and convenient way to manage your proxies. Here's a guide to the most commonly used proxy managers in our documentation to help you pick.
Now, let's take a look at the details you'll need to enter to connect to a proxy:
- Entry point/host: pr.oxylabs.io
Instead of connecting you to a specific IP, a host will assign you the best-suited proxy from the Residential Proxy pool.
- Port: 7777
- Username: customer-USERNAME
Replace the 'USERNAME' bit with the sub-user you created in the dashboard.
- Password: enter the password you have chosen for the created sub-user
- Protocol: HTTP/HTTPS. See Residential Proxies documentation for more information.
Method 1.
You should use this method if you want to connect to a specific city or state.
Using the Endpoint generator:
To access this tool, first, you have to log in to the dashboard, then on the left side, select Residential Proxies, and click on Endpoint generator.
With the Endpoint generator, you can effortlessly retrieve a list of endpoints by choosing the parameters you need. Select the following settings:
- Region
This section allows you to select a region for better connectivity. Pick Hong Kong or Beijing if you're connecting from China, or choose Global for the rest of the world.
- Authentication method
User authentication — enter your proxy sub-user credentials.
Whitelisted IPs — the Endpoint generator will take your whitelisted IPs automatically.
- Endpoint type
Select the Backconnect entry. A single backconnect proxy enables you to choose city-specific settings via additional parameters in the username.
- Location settings
Here, you can choose the precise location of a proxy. Choose the Country, State, and City that you would like to connect to.
- Session type
Sticky — it will keep the same IP address for up to 30 minutes. You can adjust the duration under the Session time selection.
Rotating — it will use a different IP with each request.
- Output format
Here, you can select the format (port or HTTP) in which you’ll receive your endpoints list.
After the endpoints are generated, you can use them directly in our proxy manager. To do that, follow the instructions below.
Using the Oxy Proxy Extension:
In case you're using Whitelisted IPs, you'll need to enter your credentials, as the parameters are passed along with the USERNAME.
So, if your sub-user is oxylabs2022, the correct string would be:
customer-oxylabs2022
You'll need to enter this string in the USERNAME field in the proxy manager.
To understand better, let's look at how the process would look like using the Oxy Proxy Extension:
In case you need a specific country, add a parameter called cc:
customer-oxylabs2022-cc-US – this string will connect you to one of the proxies in the United States. If you'd like to connect to a different country, you can use a two-letter country abbreviation instead of the US. Here is a full list of country abbreviations.
In case you need to connect to a specific city, the parameter for a city looks like this:
customer-oxylabs2022-cc-US-city-miami
*Your credentials aren't visible to third parties.
If you need to connect to a specific state, use a st parameter, for example:
customer-oxylabs2022-st-us_california – this string would connect to a proxy in the state of California.
A full list of states can be found here.
If you need a longer session, you can add a sessid parameter that will extend the session for up to 10 minutes:
customer-oxylabs2022-st-us_california-sessid-newsession – in this string, 'newsession' can be replaced with any name you choose. This will keep the same location with the same proxy IP address from California for up to 10 minutes until it the session expires or you change the session.
Method 2.
You may follow this method when there is no possibility of using additional parameters in the username. The country entry method doesn't support state or city-level targeting.
Using the Endpoint generator:
Select the following settings:
- Region
This section allows you to select a region for better connectivity. Pick Hong Kong or Beijing if you're connecting from China, or choose Global for the rest of the world.
- Authentication method
User authentication — enter your proxy sub-user credentials.
Whitelisted IPs — the Endpoint generator will take your whitelisted IPs automatically.
- Endpoint type
Select the Country parameter. It enables you to choose a specific country without additional settings.
- Location settings
Choose the Country you want to connect to.
- Session type
Sticky — it will keep the same IP address for up to 10 minutes.
Rotating — it will use a different IP with each request.
- Output format
Here, you can choose the format (port or HTTP) in which you’ll receive your endpoints list.
Once you receive the generated endpoints, you can use them in our proxy manager. You can find more on that below.
Using the Oxy Proxy Extension:
This is a way more simple way to connect as you'd only need to change the Entry point/host and port. Also, this way, you can connect to a specific country when using the whitelisted IP method.
For the sake of this example, we'll connect to a random Germany-located proxy.
We'll use the entry point/host de-pr.oxylabs.io and port 30000:
If you wish to connect to a different country, the full list of country-specific entry nodes can be found here.
In case you need to keep the same IP location for longer, you can use Sticky Proxy entry nodes. By changing using ports listed here, you can stay connected to the same IP for up to 10 minutes.
For a quick example, let's take France this time.
In this scenario, our entry point/host will be fr-pr.oxylabs.io. For stickiness, we can use ports from 40001 - 49999. Every single one of these ports would give a different proxy IP when you connect.
Once you're done entering the settings (using Method 1 or 2), click Save changes, then Connect and you'll be good to go.