How to use cURL with Proxy

Proxies are a must-have tool for secure scraping. Below we will discuss in detail how to use cURL with proxy. Mediation servers are most important for multi-threaded grabbers and debugging issues. If you work in a more or less serious web-scraper, then the proxy will add stability and security to the process.

Why work in cURL with proxy

Using a mediation server, requests from your computer are masked. They will be sent through another IP address that you have connected, which will allow you to create an anonymous connection and avoid blocking the actual IP address of your device. That is, using cURL proxies, you get a technical intermediary when connecting to a remote server.

Setting up a proxy will be relevant for you if you need to scrape a large amount of data. By sending thousands of requests per minute from one IP address, work with sites will be limited over time. At the server level, protection is activated to prevent DoS attacks, and you will not be able to work freely. Using different proxies for cURL will solve this problem and freely scrape the necessary data without the risk of getting blocked.

How to connect cURL proxies

Follow the step by step instructions:

1. Open your code in cURL.
2. Enter the parameter «CURLOPT_PROXY» and next indicate the proxy server data: IP, port.

   

3. Next, write «CURLOPT_PROXYTYPE»,indicate the type of proxy server with cURL`s constant.

   

4. Register the site to which the transition through the proxy server will be completed using the «request» parameter.

   

5. Set timeouts, that is, the timeout limit, after which the request will be considered as not received.

   

Done. Now all network connections will be made by cURL with proxy.

How to choose cURL proxy

An important point when choosing proxy servers is the degree of their anonymity. For example, transparent cURL proxies, of course, process the request, but at the same time through them, you can still see the user`s real IP address. Anonymous proxies that do the same job, but do not transmit real computer data, are more valued. Using anonymous servers, the fact of using a proxy can only be displayed, but the actual IP will be hidden.

Elite SOCKS 4/5 servers are the most secure in cURL proxies. They will help you hide even the fact of using a proxy server. The most reliable option is private paid proxies.