How are these residential proxies made?

J

Jackreach3r

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We have several types of proxies such as datacenter and residential proxies.

For datacenter proxies, it is clear how they work. they buy a vps, server and a block of ips, then install proxy on them.

But how does this work for residential proxies? Some sellers claim huge numbers like 10m rotating res proxies.
though they exaggerate about numbers of proxies like 10m , 20m....
But I can only think of two possibilities :
  1. A botnet infected residential devices and turned them into proxies.
  2. They are actually datacenter proxies, but the IPs are registered under ISP names or residential looking ASNs.

What do you think?
 
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there’s a third big route too: opt-in apps/SDKs and bandwidth-sharing networks where real users agree to let traffic pass through their connection. plus plenty of “providers” are just reselling the same upstream pool under different branding.
 
Proxellor said:
there’s a third big route too: opt-in apps/SDKs and bandwidth-sharing networks where real users agree to let traffic pass through their connection. plus plenty of “providers” are just reselling the same upstream pool under different branding.
Click to expand...
"opt-in apps/SDKs and bandwidth-sharing networks" no such a thing exist
 
A lot of large residential pools come from SDKs added to free apps, browser extensions or bandwidth sharing apps. Users allow the app to use their connection and their device becomes an exit node while it is online. Some providers also resell traffic from smaller networks, so the same IPs can appear in several pools

Botnets do exist, but that does not mean every residential network is a botnet. The second case is usually sold as ISP proxies. The IPs belong to an ISP, but the servers are hosted in a datacenter and remain static

Also, 10 million IPs usually means IPs seen over a certain period, not 10 million live and exclusive IPs at the same time
 
Residential proxies don't automatically mean botnets. Many providers build their pools through opt-in apps, SDKs or P2P networks where users share bandwidth voluntarily. Also, those “10M+ IPs” figures usually don't mean 10 million IPs are available simultaneously
 
hidden SDK's are real thing. Google brought down very large chinese proxy supplier recently
 
Free and paid VPNs are another major source. Barely anyone reads their terms, but they should :) Users often unknowingly consent to having their network connection used as an exit_node/proxy.
 
Opt-in networks do exist, that’s how the legit ones work. Someone installs an app or SDK, agrees to share part of the connection and gets paid or gets the app for free. The bad side exists too, free VPNs and apps that hide this information in their terms of service, which no one reads. If you want to check a provider, ask where the IPs come from and if they have something like EWDCI, it’s an industry group that checks this consent part. We’re DataImpulse, we got that accreditation recently, so of course I’d say ask
 
Jackreach3r said:
We have several types of proxies such as datacenter and residential proxies.

For datacenter proxies, it is clear how they work. they buy a vps, server and a block of ips, then install proxy on them.

But how does this work for residential proxies? Some sellers claim huge numbers like 10m rotating res proxies.
though they exaggerate about numbers of proxies like 10m , 20m....
But I can only think of two possibilities :
  1. A botnet infected residential devices and turned them into proxies.
  2. They are actually datacenter proxies, but the IPs are registered under ISP names or residential looking ASNs.

What do you think?
Click to expand...
Most residential proxies use real devices through SDKs or apps that share users’ bandwidth. The important question is whether users actually consent to it.
 
You're missing the P2P model. Some providers get residential IPs through apps and SDKs where users agree to share their connection. Also, 10M usually means unique IPs seen over time, not 10M active proxies at the same moment.
 
Real devices that are sharing their IP into the network, either through opt in (they allow certain applications that are free to use their IP in exchange and put it into their network), or there is botnets which do the same thing but without the user's knowledge
 
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