How to rotate proxies in Selenium Python? [5 Easy Steps]

A regular proxy server is usually sufficient for light tasks. However, a need for advanced types arises occasionally. 

For instance, you will need proxies for web scraping and other data-gathering projects. Rotating proxies are the best type for that job. 

When scraping large files, rotating proxies help you avoid IP bans effectively. You can send multiple requests many times, each looking like they’re from different users.

Proxy rotation is possible with various tools. However, doing it in Selenium Python has more benefits. 

Luckily, this guide will show you how to do that—so keep reading!

How to Rotate Proxies in Selenium Python?

Rotating proxies in Selenium Python involves technical steps, which seems daunting for beginners. Nonetheless, it gets easy once you know the process.

Below, you'll find everything you need to know to rotate proxies in Selenium Python.

Things You Need To Rotate Proxies in Selenium Python

To rotate proxies in Selenium Python, you will need the following:

Steps to Rotate Proxies in Selenium Python

Here's a guide on how to rotate proxies in Selenium Python:

1. Install Python 3 and Selenium

Before starting with the whole process, make sure your system supports Python 3 and Selenium. You can do a test by running this code in your source code editor:

If your system has the latest version of Python, the reply will show:

It can be higher by the time you're reading this. Nonetheless, you can proceed as long as it shows Python 3.

Suppose the response indicates an error or Python 2 (or lower), head to Python’s official site and download the latest version. 

Once you have the latest version of Python, open a new project using your code editor. Then, add the Selenium Binding Package through this command:

2. Update Your Chrome and Add WebDriver Manager

After installing Selenium, add Python's WebDriver Manager package using this command:

This package lets you have efficient driver management, so you won’t have to download a ChromeDriver whenever your browser receives updates.

3. Control Chrome Using Selenium

The Python and Selenium packages you installed on the code allow you to control the browser using Selenium. 

Use this command to install the needed tools to start the WebDriver function and go to a target:

This step marks the completion of setting up Selenium Python. The following actions will use the finished setup to work with proxies.

4. Set Up Selenium to Use a Proxy Server

In this step, you need a reliable proxy server in Chrome before visiting your target. 

As soon as you get your hands on a proxy, copy the proxy server URL. Then, add it to Selenium using this command:

Chrome will import requests using the proxy address. After running the code, go to http://httpbin.org/ip. Make it your target page through this command:

This site will reply with the IP address of the request. With it, you can check whether the proxy you used works. 

You can also get the JSON value like this:

Once done, you can put all the code together. Altogether, it should look like this:

If it works, the reply should be:

5. Set a Proxy Rotation Command in Selenium Python

After configuring Selenium Python to use a proxy, you can use more codes to support rotation.

Rotating proxies in Selenium Python uses Selenium Wire, and here's how to do it:

From your pool of proxies, list the ones you'll use in a set that looks like this:

Once your proxy list is ready, take one proxy using the random choice command:

This command will start a new driver instance that looks like this:

Once done, you can start browsing with a random IP rotation. However, keep in mind that you must repeat the process for every page you visit.

Optional: Adding Proxy Authentication

Although affordable, free proxies often come with safety issues. They lack encryption and might infect the device with malware. 

This is why most paid proxy servers require authentication to improve user security. You can also do that to the proxy that you’re using. 

If you want to lay out a username and password with a proxy URL in Selenium, follow the format below:

You can install this plugin the same way we did earlier with proxy rotation:

After that, use the plug-in to deal with proxy authentication using this code:

You may encounter Error 407, which occurs when users enter the wrong credentials. Make sure that your proxy URL uses valid authentication.

Rotating Proxies in Python vs. Selenium Python

Both Python and Selenium are useful open-source tools. They both have the same principle as tools for rotating proxies. However, in some ways, they are also different from one another. 

Python is a programming language that creates codes or functions. With it, you can set a proxy pool to rotate based on your preferred intervals.

By rotating proxies in Python, you can:

• Create a proxy rotator function
• Add a random command in the proxy pool
• Set an interval 
• Add more functions like grouping proxy addresses to working, not-working, offline, etc.
• Use a Timer Function to do tests after a specific time

On the other hand, Selenium is a tool used for automation testing. It's a tool that can work alongside Python to do automatic tests for browsers and web apps. 

Rotating proxies in Selenium Python lets you:

• create a proxy rotator function
• code Python to use a proxy address for web browsing
• set up more plug-ins for your browser
• add proxy server authentication using Selenium wire
• use the Selenium dedicated browser for testing

Overall, a rotating proxy in Python is more suitable for general use. It's also ideal if you're working with free proxies. The output is also best for tasks that don't need authenticated proxies.

Meanwhile, rotating proxies in Selenium Python are more browser-based. They are best for web scraping and automated scraping.

Benefits of Rotating Proxies

Rotating proxies offer plenty of advantages to their users. To name a few, here's a list of benefits of rotating proxies:

Sending unique requests

Users who send multiple requests to a target site can get blocked due to suspicious activity. If a site detects an unusual amount of requests, it might treat the requests like spam.

This problem is fixed by rotating proxies since you'll have a different IP for every request. As a result, you can send plenty of requests like they're coming from unique users.

Avoiding trackers

Most sites track IP addresses—for marketing and other purposes. Though most trackers are harmless, there are still a few that can compromise a user’s security. 

You can avoid the trackers using with rotating proxy since you’re given a different IP for each request. This lets you enjoy better anonymity and security while browsing the web.

Skipping CAPTCHA and Other Anti-Bots

CAPTCHA and other anti-bots occur when users send multiple requests to a site. While these features are a minor issue, they can still be a hassle for data scrapers.  

However, with a rotating proxy, you can avoid them since you're browsing with a unique IP every time.

Other than the benefits above, rotating proxies are also used in:

• Analyzing market competition
• Web scraping
• Improving business intelligence
• Increasing conversion rates of a site
• Researching market data trends

Conclusion

Rotating proxies in Selenium Python is essential for web scraping and other tasks. With those, users can send many requests multiple times as if each comes from a different user.

With this guide, setting up a rotating proxy in Selenium Python becomes simpler. Thus, enjoy more anonymity, security, and accessibility than what a typical proxy provides.