Proxy configuration options
Proxy networks access
There are two ways to access Bright Data’s proxy networks: Native and via REST API. Read more in this article to decide which is best for you: Proxy API Authentication .
Native access via proxy user name and password
After creating a Bright Data proxy zone, which includes a product and its configuration settings, you receive a proxy username and password.
The proxy user name comprises your account ID, zone name and optional parameters.
Proxy username structure is:
brd-customer-[customerID]-zone-[zone name]-[optional parameters]
Note, that you cannot change the zone name itself after it was created. If you need to change the zone name, create a new zone (you can transfer proxies from zone to zone of the same type).
This page explains how by adding optional parameters and modifying the username, you can control the Bright Data system in a very granular way from your code. The table below consolidates the options developers can use in the proxy username. Elaborated list can be seen in our API reference documentation: Proxy API documentation .
Access using API Token
API token enables access to proxy networks. Some users may find API token more convenient to use. API Token allows you:
-
Control your access with one token, instead of combination of two
-
Token is tied to a names user, which enhances traceability
-
Token to access all zones
-
Easier migration to high level scraping solutions for hard to access domains
-
Full compliant with REST API
Creating an API token
Please see here about our API token and its usage.
Intergrate with 3rd Parties & Tools
You can use the Proxy Integration Examples page on your dashboard to create different requests.
Proxy targeting options
These settings let you easily configure proxies for a specific country, state, city, zip code and ASN.
| Parameter | Description | Example username |
|---|---|---|
| -country-xx | Select a country using two letter code, or eu for random country in the European Union. List of country codes is here | brd-customer-<customer_id>-zone-<zone_name>-country-us |
| -state-xxxxx | Targets a state in the US using the two letter code. You must include US as country. | brd-customer-<customer_id>-zone-<zone_name>-country-us-state-ny |
| -city-xxxxx | Targets a city. You must include the country (e.g. username-country-fr-city-paris). Do not use spaces (e.g. -city-sanfrancisco) | brd-customer-<customer_id>-zone-<zone_name>-country-us-city-sanfrancisco |
| -zip-xxxxx | Targets a US zip code. Use a 5-digit zipcode | brd-customer-<customer_id>-zone-<zone_name>-city-memphis-zip-37501 |
| -asn-xxxxx | Targets an ASN from the list | brd-customer-<customer_id>-zone-<zone_name>-asn-56386 |
| -os-xxxxx | Only for Residential proxies. Allows targeting Windows, MacOS, orandroid | brd-customer-<customer_id>-zone-<zone_name>-os-windows |
| -carrier-os-xxxxx | For mobile proxies only, you can choose to use a specific carrier from this list | brd-customer-<customer_id>-zone-<zone_name>-carrier-dt |
Controlling your proxies
The following options, allow you to decide which specific proxy to use and allow you to maintain a persistence session:
| Function | Parameter | Description | Example username |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choose where DNS resolution is done | -dns-xxxxxx | Lets you choose if DNS is resolved remote on the proxy connecting to the site, or local on Bright Data’s servers (‘Super Proxies’). More info here | brd-customer-<customer_id>-zone-<zone_name>-dns-local |
| Keep the same IP for multiple requests or rotate IPs | -session-xxxxxx | Each unique session ID will get a unique IP, can be used to target the same IP repeatedly or force rotation. Recommended for implementing programmatic IP rotation. | brd-customer-<customer_id>-zone-<zone_name>-session-mystring12345 |
| Selecting specific IP | -ip-x.x.x.x | Available only for zones with dedicated IPs allocated | brd-customer-<customer_id>-zone-<zone_name>-ip-1.2.3.4 |
| Selecting specific group of IPs (gIP) | -gip-xxxxxx | Only for dedicated Residential or mobile proxies. | brd-customer-<customer_id>-zone-<zone_name>-gip-us_7922_fl_hollywood_0 |
| Keeping track of individual responses | -c_tag-xxxxxx | Include a unique c_tag flag in their requests. In response, businesses echo back the same tag in the header. This seamless exchange ensures that each response is bound to its corresponding request, eliminating confusion and streamlining data management.. | brd-customer-<customer_id>-zone-<zone_name>-c_tag-<C_TAG_VALUE> |
| Bind to peer in session | -const | Use the same peer for the session. If peer is unavailable, a 502 error will be returned with “no peer available” | brd-customer-<customer_id>-zone-<zone_name>-const |
Controlling ‘Super Proxies’
Super proxies are the main servers that decide on the routing of your request to the actual proxies (these can be datacentre, ISP or residential proxies). Note: modifying these parameters is rarely needed!
| Function | Parameter | Description | Example username | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Send requests directly from Super Proxy | -direct | Keeps the same IP for multiple requests. Each unique session ID will get a unique IP. | brd-customer-<customer_id>-zone-<zone_name>-direct | |
| Select super proxy in specific country | session-xxxxxx | Applies ONLY for choosing a super proxy, which is rarely needed. More details here | example | |
| Selecting specific group of IPs (gIP) | gip-xxxxxx | Only for dedicated Residential or mobile proxies. | brd-customer-<customer_id>-zone-<zone_name>-gip-us_7922_fl_hollywood_0 | hey |
Was this page helpful?