Proxy glossary: residential, 4G/5G, ASN, CGNAT and more

Proxy terms A to Z by topic

Residential proxy

A proxy that sends your requests from an IP address assigned by a home broadband ISP, such as BT, Sky or Virgin Media. Websites see a normal household connection rather than a server. PontProxy sells residential proxies from $0.36/GB, with UK ISPs including BT, Sky, Virgin Media and TalkTalk.

ISP proxy (static residential proxy)

A proxy hosted on a server in a data centre, using an IP address that a consumer ISP announces. The IP stays the same for weeks or months. An ASN lookup shows the ISP, so it cannot tell an ISP proxy from a home line. PontProxy sells rotating and sticky residential IPs, not static ISP proxies.

Datacenter proxy

A proxy whose IP belongs to a hosting or cloud company, such as Amazon (AS16509), Hetzner (AS24940) or OVH (AS16276). Datacenter IPs are fast and cheap, but websites can identify them easily from their ASN. PontProxy does not sell datacenter proxies. See how to check a proxy's ASN.

Mobile proxy

A proxy that routes your requests through a mobile operator's network, usually via a modem with a SIM card. Websites see an IP from a carrier such as EE, Vodafone, O2 or Three. Mobile IPs are often shared by many subscribers through CGNAT. See our mobile proxies.

4G proxy

A mobile proxy whose modem connects to the operator over a 4G (LTE) network. 4G is the most widely available mobile technology in the UK and Europe. The IP comes from the operator's mobile ranges, the same ranges that phones on that network use.

5G proxy

A mobile proxy whose modem connects over a 5G network where coverage allows. Where there is no 5G signal, the modem uses 4G instead. The public IP still comes from the same mobile operator, so websites see the same type of carrier address. PontProxy sells 4G/5G ports on EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three.

Dedicated mobile port

A proxy port linked to one 4G/5G modem and SIM that only you use. You decide when the IP changes. At PontProxy, a dedicated port comes with unlimited traffic with no daily cap, and a new IP on demand by link or API, or automatically on a timer. Ports start from $4.50/day. See UK mobile proxies.

Rotating proxy

A proxy that gives you a different exit IP over time, either on every request or at set intervals. Rotation spreads requests across many addresses, which suits large public-data collection. PontProxy offers a new IP on every request, or sticky sessions you control. Rotating 4G/5G mobile traffic starts from $1.50/GB.

Sticky session

A setting that keeps the same exit IP for a period of time instead of rotating it. Use it when a task needs several requests from one address, such as browsing a multi-page catalogue. PontProxy sticky sessions last up to 60 minutes. You set them in the proxy username.

Session TTL

TTL means time to live: how long a sticky session keeps the same IP before it ends. At PontProxy, you set it with the ttl value in the proxy username, in minutes, up to 60 minutes. The username format is USERNAME-country-{cc}-city-{city}-session-{id}-ttl-{minutes}.

Backconnect gateway

A single host and port that forwards your requests to many exit IPs behind it. You connect to one address, and the gateway picks the exit IP from your username settings. The PontProxy gateway is gw.pontproxy.com. The quickstart guide shows the full set-up.

Proxy port

The network port number your software connects to on the proxy host. Different ports often carry different protocols. On the PontProxy gateway, HTTP and HTTPS use port 7777, and SOCKS5 uses port 7778. A dedicated mobile port is a separate product: one modem reserved for you.

HTTP proxy

A proxy that understands the HTTP protocol and forwards web requests for you. Most browsers, scraping libraries and command-line tools such as curl support it. For plain HTTP pages, the proxy can read the request. For HTTPS pages, it opens an encrypted tunnel with the CONNECT method.

HTTPS (CONNECT) proxy

A proxy that tunnels encrypted traffic using the HTTP CONNECT method, defined in RFC 9110. Your client asks the proxy to open a connection to a host on port 443. The TLS encryption then runs end to end between you and the website, so the proxy cannot read the page content.

SOCKS5

A proxy protocol, defined in RFC 1928 (1996), that forwards any TCP connection, not only web traffic. It also supports username and password authentication. Use it for tools that do not speak HTTP, or when you want the proxy to handle DNS. PontProxy supports HTTP, HTTPS and SOCKS5.

socks5h

The proxy scheme that curl and many libraries use for SOCKS5 with remote DNS. The "h" means the proxy resolves the hostname, not your computer. Your local DNS server then never sees the sites you visit. In Python requests, socks5h needs the requests[socks] extra.

IP whitelisting

An authentication method where the proxy accepts connections from listed client IP addresses without a password. It suits servers with a fixed IP. If your own IP changes, the proxy will refuse you until you update the list. Username and password authentication works from any location.

Sub-user

A separate set of proxy credentials under one main account, usually with its own traffic limit. Agencies and teams use sub-users to split traffic between clients or projects and to revoke access cleanly. At PontProxy, sub-users come with the Pro plan (50 GB) and larger residential plans.

Bandwidth (GB) billing

A pricing model where you pay for the data that passes through the proxy, counted in gigabytes. Uploads and downloads both count. Residential and rotating mobile proxies are usually billed this way. PontProxy residential traffic starts from $0.36/GB, and the price per GB falls on larger plans.

Traffic expiry

The date after which unused prepaid gigabytes are lost. Some providers sell monthly plans whose unused traffic expires at the end of each billing period. At PontProxy, residential and rotating-mobile traffic never expires. You can buy a larger plan at a lower price per GB and use it at your own pace.

Concurrency

The number of connections or threads you run through a proxy at the same time. Higher concurrency finishes a job faster but puts more load on target sites. Responsible scraping keeps concurrency low enough to respect each site's rate limits and robots.txt rules.

ASN (autonomous system number)

A number that identifies a network routing its own blocks of IP addresses on the internet. Regional registries such as the RIPE NCC assign ASNs. For example, BT uses AS2856 and Vodafone UK's mobile network uses AS25135. An ASN lookup shows who owns a proxy's exit IP. Read how to check a proxy's ASN.

Eyeball network

A network that connects end users, such as home broadband subscribers and phone users, rather than servers. UK examples include BT, Sky, Virgin Media and TalkTalk for broadband, and EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three for mobile. Residential and mobile proxy IPs come from eyeball networks.

CGNAT (carrier-grade NAT)

A technique that lets an operator put many subscribers behind one public IPv4 address. Each device gets a private address, often from the 100.64.0.0/10 range reserved by RFC 6598. RFC 6888 sets the requirements for these NAT devices. Mobile operators use CGNAT widely, so one mobile IP can represent many real users.

IPv4 and IPv6

The two versions of the Internet Protocol. IPv4 addresses are 32 bits long, written like 192.0.2.1, and are in short supply. IPv6 addresses are 128 bits long, written like 2001:db8::1, and are plentiful. Many websites still treat IPv4 traffic as the default, so most proxy pools focus on IPv4.

MNO (mobile network operator)

A company that owns or controls its own mobile radio network and spectrum. The UK has four network brands: EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three. Vodafone and Three UK merged into VodafoneThree on 31 May 2025. Mobile proxy IPs come from an MNO's address ranges.

MVNO (mobile virtual network operator)

A mobile brand that sells SIM plans on another operator's network instead of running its own radio network. For example, giffgaff is a UK MVNO that uses the O2 network. A SIM from an MVNO usually receives IPs from the host operator's ranges.

Carrier targeting

Choosing which mobile operator your 4G/5G proxy IP comes from. A carrier-targeted proxy lets you see a website or app the way a customer of that network sees it. At PontProxy, you can choose EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three in the UK, and carrier choice included at no surcharge.

City targeting

Choosing the city of your exit IP, for example London, Manchester or Berlin. Cities matter for local search results, store prices and ads. City data comes from IP geolocation databases, so a small share of IPs may be placed in a nearby town. At PontProxy, country, city and ISP/ASN targeting included at no extra cost.

ISP targeting

Choosing the internet provider or ASN behind your residential exit IP. It helps when a test must match one network, for example how a site behaves for BT or Sky customers. PontProxy includes ISP targeting, with UK ISPs including BT, Sky, Virgin Media and TalkTalk. See UK residential proxies.

Geo-targeting

Choosing the location of your exit IP: country, region or city. Websites show different prices, languages, search results and ads by location. Geo-targeting lets you see each version as a local visitor does. PontProxy covers the UK and Europe, and every country is available at checkout.

SERP

Search engine results page: the list of results a search engine shows for a query. SERPs change by country, city, language and device. SEO teams collect SERPs through proxies in each target location to see what local users see. See SERP tracking.

Rank tracking

Measuring where a website appears in search results for chosen keywords over time. Because rankings vary by location, rank trackers send searches from IPs in each target market, such as London or Paris. Residential IPs show the results a real local user would get.

Ad verification

Checking that online ads appear where, when and how advertisers paid for them. Verification teams load pages from IPs in each target country and network to spot wrong placements, hidden ads or misleading redirects. See ad verification.

Price monitoring

Collecting public prices, stock levels and promotions from retail and travel websites at regular intervals. Prices often differ by country or region, so monitoring tools use local IPs. Price data usually contains no personal data. See price monitoring.

Geo-testing

Testing how a website or app behaves for users in different countries, cities or mobile networks. Teams check translations, currency, consent banners, redirects and content rights from local IPs before and after a launch. See geo-testing.

User agent

An HTTP request header, defined in RFC 9110, that identifies the software making the request, such as a browser version. Websites use it to choose the page format. Responsible scrapers send an honest user agent, often with contact details, so site owners can reach them.

Rate limiting

A limit a website sets on how many requests one client may send in a period. Sites often answer excess requests with HTTP status 429 (Too Many Requests), defined in RFC 6585. Good practice is to slow down and retry later, rather than spread the same load across more IPs.

robots.txt

A text file at the root of a website that tells crawlers which paths they may visit. The format is the Robots Exclusion Protocol, RFC 9309 (2022). RFC 9309 says the rules are not access authorisation, but regulators such as the French CNIL expect scrapers to respect them. See are proxies legal in the UK and EU?.

KYC (know your customer)

Identity checks a business runs on its customers, such as an ID scan, a selfie or proof of address. Banks and crypto exchanges must run KYC under anti-money-laundering rules. PontProxy does not run KYC. No KYC — no ID, no selfie, no documents. Pay in crypto. See no-KYC proxies.

AML (anti-money laundering)

Laws and controls that aim to stop criminals from passing illegal money through legitimate businesses. AML rules require regulated firms, such as banks and crypto exchanges, to check customers and report suspicious activity. Crypto bought on a regulated exchange has already passed that exchange's own checks.

GDPR data minimisation

The principle in Article 5(1)(c) of the GDPR that personal data must be "adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary" for its purpose. PontProxy applies it to itself: we do not collect ID documents, because selling proxies does not need them. Login is by account-number login — email optional.

UK GDPR

The version of the GDPR that applies in the United Kingdom after Brexit, read together with the Data Protection Act 2018. It keeps the same core principles as the EU GDPR, including data minimisation. The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 amends parts of it in stages.

AUP (Acceptable Use Policy)

The rules that say what customers may and may not do with a service. The PontProxy Acceptable Use Policy allows public-data work, such as scraping, SEO and ad verification. It blocks online banking, government portals, payment processors and outgoing email (SMTP ports 25, 465 and 587). Abuse reports go to [email protected].

TRC-20

The technical standard for tokens on the TRON blockchain, similar to ERC-20 on Ethereum. USDT is widely issued as a TRC-20 token, and TRON network fees are usually low. When you pay with USDT, send it on the network shown at checkout, or the payment may be lost.

Stablecoin

A cryptocurrency designed to keep a stable value, usually one US dollar per coin. USDT (Tether) and USDC (USD Coin) are the most common. Stablecoins let you pay in crypto without price swings between sending and confirmation. PontProxy prices are in US dollars.

Blockchain confirmation

The point at which a network records your transaction in a block. Each new block on top adds one more confirmation and makes the payment harder to reverse. Payment gateways wait for a set number of confirmations. At PontProxy, delivery is instant — credentials appear as soon as your top-up confirms and you buy a plan.

IP reputation

A score or label that security services give an IP address based on its past behaviour, such as spam or attacks. A poor reputation can lead to CAPTCHAs or blocks. Shared mobile IPs behind CGNAT carry many users' history. Our Acceptable Use Policy bans spam and abuse to protect every user's IPs.