**When scraping or automating at large scale**, avoiding IP blocks becomes critical. Techniques like proxy rotation, session control, realistic request timing, and dynamic headers all work together to help traffic stay under the radar.
## **Why blocks happen (beyond IPs)** Most anti-bot systems use a multi-factor detection model: - **IP reputation** (bad IP history, ASN, datacenter flag) - **Traffic behavior** (RPM spikes, non-human click patterns) - **Headers & TLS** (incomplete headers, signature mismatch) - **Fingerprinting** (canvas, audio, WebGL, plugins, resolution) - **JavaScript/JS challenges** (Cloudflare, Akamai, PerimeterX) To avoid bans, your solution must go beyond just IP rotation. You must build a rotating identity stack.
## **Layer 1: Proxy strategy (Squid Proxies)** | Aspect | Recommendation | |--------------------------|------------------------------------------------------| | Rotation policy | Rotate per request or domain. Avoid fixed sequences. | | Pool separation | Use separate proxy pools per use case/domain | | Residential vs datacenter| Use residential proxies for login-heavy or geo-sensitive flows | | Whitelisting | Prefer IP whitelisting over user/pass authentication | | Geo-matching | Match proxy country with target domain region | Use Squid Proxies’ rotating residential pools for stealth + dynamic assignments. For scale, maintain a pool size appropriate to your concurrent threads (e.g., 100+ IPs for 25–50 concurrent bots).
## **Layer 2: Header & identity rotation** Every request or browser session should randomize: - User-Agent - Accept-Language - Referer - Sec-CH-UA headers (for Chromium spoofing) - Device resolution, touch capability, OS version Use tools like: - `faker` for UA generation - `puppeteer-extra-plugin-stealth` or `undetected-chromedriver` for browser fingerprint spoofing ```python headers = { "User-Agent": get_random_user_agent(), "Accept-Language": "en-US,en;q=0.9", "Referer": "https://www.google.com" } ```
## **Layer 3: Behavioral throttling** Bots fail when they behave like bots. **Throttle strategies**: - Delay between actions (randomize between 500ms to 2.5s) - Session pacing (slow login or form fill to human speed) - Idle simulation (add no-op wait times on landing pages) - Avoid burst traffic (max X req/min per IP) ```python import time, random sleep_time = random.uniform(0.8, 2.2) time.sleep(sleep_time) ```
## **Layer 4: CAPTCHA & challenge response** Integrate CAPTCHA solving services like: - 2Captcha - CapMonster - Anti-Captcha See [CAPTCHA Handling with 2Captcha](https://www.squidproxies.com/developer-docs/dev-advanced-guides/captcha-handling-with-2captcha) for a full walkthrough. Also prepare fallback strategies: - Retry with new IP/session - Log failed challenge pages for analysis - Store JS challenge tokens and review trends
## **Layer 5: Detection monitoring & feedback loops** Don’t guess if you’re blocked—instrument your system to detect: - HTTP 403, 429, 503 patterns - Login page redirects - CAPTCHA appearance - Content length anomalies (blank pages) ```python if response.status_code in [403, 429]: flag_ip(proxy) retry_with_new_session() ``` Maintain ban rate metrics per proxy, UA, task, domain, and time.
## **Additional anti-bot tactics** | Tactic | Use case | |----------------------------|-------------------------------------| | Token or cookie pre-seeding| Start session by fetching main page | | Warm-up phase | Emulate browsing before target action | | Screenshot-based detection | Log headless render issues visually | | IP fingerprint validation | Verify IP before assigning task |
## **Anti-bot stack checklist** | Layer | Component | Tool/strategy | |-----------|------------------|----------------------------------------| | Proxy | Rotation, geo, separation | Squid Proxies, dedicated pools | | Identity | UA, TLS, headers | Custom headers, stealth plugins | | Behavior | Timing, delay, pacing | `random.uniform`, click emulation | | CAPTCHA | Solve or bypass | 2Captcha, CapSolver, browser injection | | Detection | Real-time analysis| Status codes, redirects, content diff |
## **Final recommendations for avoiding blocks** - Build a rotating identity stack: proxy + headers + behavior - Test every endpoint for ban triggers before scaling - Monitor block rate trends and rotate faster when detected - Stay agile: rotate infrastructure, behavior, and UA pools frequently
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**More Guides:** - [Rate Limiting and Retry Logic](https://www.squidproxies.com/developer-docs/dev-advanced-guides/rate-limiting-and-retry-logic) - [IP Hygiene & DNS Leak Protection](https://www.squidproxies.com/developer-docs/dev-advanced-guides/ip-hygiene-amp-dns-leak-protection)