IP Rotation

IP rotation means sending requests from a changing set of outbound IP addresses instead of a single one. A proxy service assigns addresses from a pool, either a new address for each request or the same address for a set period, known as a sticky session.

Rotation is a routing setting. It controls which network path and location a request uses. It doesn't change what a website allows.

How rotation works

What rotation is useful for

• Regional data. Routing through a specific country to collect the public, localized version of a page, such as local prices. See geo-blocking.
• Session consistency. Sticky sessions keep the same IP through a multi-step flow, so the site sees one continuous visit.
• Reliability. If one exit address fails or times out, the next request can use another.
• Testing your own services. Checking how your site, CDN or ads behave from different networks and countries.
• Separating workloads. Keeping different jobs on separate sessions so their traffic is easy to monitor.

What rotation doesn't do

• It doesn't grant permission. If a site has refused or blocked your traffic, a new IP doesn't change that decision. Continuing from other addresses can breach the site's terms and, depending on circumstances, applicable law.
• It doesn't raise a site's rate limits. A site's limits apply to your workload, not to one address, and sites can identify clients by cookies, credentials or behavior as well as by IP. Keep your total request rate, across every IP, within what the site allows.
• It doesn't guarantee access. Sites decide what to serve based on their own rules, the request and the reputation of the network.
• It can break sessions. Rotating mid-flow can log you out, empty a cart or return inconsistent pages. Use a sticky session for anything with steps.

Choosing session behavior

IP rotation in MrScraper

MrScraper Residential Proxies use one endpoint, proxy.mrscraper.com:10000. The proxy username sets the country, the session and how long the session lasts:

# New IP on every request, routed through Germany
USERNAME-country-de:PASSWORD@proxy.mrscraper.com:10000
 
# Sticky session: same IP for the default 10 minutes
USERNAME-country-de-sessid-run42:PASSWORD@proxy.mrscraper.com:10000
 
# Sticky session lasting 30 minutes
USERNAME-country-jp-sessid-run42-sesstime-30:PASSWORD@proxy.mrscraper.com:10000

• Regions: country-level targeting with two-letter ISO 3166 codes, across 195+ countries. A username with no country routes through the US.
• Session IDs: letters, numbers and underscores, under 50 characters. The same ID keeps the same IP; a different ID gets a different IP.
• Expiry: when the session time ends, the next request gets a new IP. Set sesstime to cover the whole flow. To check that a session holds its IP, run this a few times; it should return the same address each time:

curl -x "USERNAME-country-us-sessid-test1:PASSWORD@proxy.mrscraper.com:10000" https://api.ipify.org

In the Scraper API, the geoCode parameter sets the country a page loads from instead.

These settings control routing only. They don't grant access to a site that restricts your traffic, and MrScraper's Acceptable Use Policy prohibits handling the security of any host, network or account.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between rotating and sticky IPs?

Rotating IPs change on every request. Sticky IPs stay the same for a session, so a multi-step flow looks like one continuous visit.

Does IP rotation prevent bans?

No. It changes the route, not the site's rules. Keep your total request rate within the site's limits, and if a site blocks you, stop and ask for approved access.

How many IPs do I need?

It depends on how many regions and parallel sessions you need. Your total request rate matters more than the number of addresses.

Is IP rotation legal?

Routing traffic through a proxy is a common networking practice. What matters is what you access, the site's terms and the law where you operate. This is general information, not legal advice.