How to Use Residential Proxies: Getting Started Guide

Q: How do I set up residential proxies for the first time?

Create an account, select a plan or a free trial, choose an authentication method, set your location and session type in the **Proxy setup** tab, then generate endpoints. The full walkthrough is above and takes about 5 minutes.

Q: How long can a sticky session last?

Presets are 1, 10, 30, and 60 minutes, and you can set any custom session. Rotating sessions change the IP on every request instead.

Q: Which protocols do Decodo residential proxies support?

HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5, plus _endpoint:port configuration_. Select your protocol in the **Proxy setup** tab before generating endpoints.

Q: How do I check how much traffic I've used?

Open the **Usage statistics** tab in the dashboard. It shows traffic per user across a week, a month, or a custom range, with cumulative uploads, downloads, and request counts. You can also cap usage per user with a traffic limit.

115M+

ethically-sourced IPs

99.99%

uptime

<0.5s

response time

99.92%

success rate

Free

advanced geo-targeting

What do you need before you start?

You'll only need 4 things to get started. Before you begin, make sure you have these essentials ready.

A Decodo account – it's free
An active residential proxy plan or a 3-day free trial with 100MB
Your public IPv4 address, if you plan to authenticate by whitelisting
The tool you're integrating with – see proxy integrations

Concentric colored semicircular arcs nesting into a pointed teardrop shape on a white background

What is a residential proxy?

A residential proxy is an intermediary server that sends your requests through an IP assigned by an Internet Service Provider to a real household device. Since the IP comes from a genuine home internet connection, websites see your traffic as coming from a regular user rather than automated software.

Multicolored lines forming the shape of a looking glass.

How does a residential proxy work?

Your request travels to the proxy endpoint, which forwards it to the target website using a residential IP from the pool. The website sees that residential IP and returns its response through the same path. You control whether the IP changes on every request or stays fixed for a set period.

How do you set up residential proxies?

Each step includes clear instructions on how to choose a subscription, authenticate, set a traffic limit, generate proxy endpoints, and track your usage.

How do you choose a subscription?

Decodo dashboard window showing a Residential proxy plan selection

After creating your account, pick a plan in the dashboard. Subscriptions are billed monthly by traffic volume. For one-off projects, choose Pay As You Go and pay only for what you use. If you're testing, select the 3-day free trial with 100MB before committing.

How do you authenticate with a username and password?

Open the Authentication tab. Your first proxy user is created automatically. To create another, click + Add user, enter a custom username, and the password will be generated automatically. To remove a user, click the 3 dots beside the username, then Edit user, Remove user, and Confirm.

How do you authenticate by whitelisting your IP?

In the Authentication tab, select Whitelisted IPs, then + Add IP. Enter an IPv4 address manually and click Save, or press + Add to add your current one.

Only IPv4 is supported. The IP must be your own – you can't whitelist while connected through another proxy or a VPN.

To name an entry, click the 3 dots, then Edit IP, then click the edit icon next to Name. To remove one, click the trash icon and Confirm.

How do you set a traffic limit for a user?

Click the 3 dots beside the user, Edit user, then Add traffic limit. Enter a GB cap that the user can't exceed and click Save. Useful when multiple people or scripts share a single subscription.

How do you select location, session, and protocol parameters?

Go to the Proxy setup tab and select a user.

Location. Choose "Random" to draw from the full pool, or specify a continent, country, city, or state. Setting the location to the USA also unlocks ZIP code targeting.
Session type. Sticky sessions hold the same IP until expiry (1, 10, 30, 60 minutes, or a custom session); rotating sessions change IP on every request. See sticky and rotating sessions for more details.
Protocol. HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS5, and endpoint:port configuration are all supported.

How do you generate your proxy endpoints?

Set the number of endpoints to generate – the default is 10. Copy a single endpoint or the entire list to your clipboard, or download it as a CSV or TXT file. See how endpoint port filtering works if you need a specific pool.

How do you track your usage statistics?

Open the Usage statistics tab to see traffic per user across a week, a month, or a custom range, plus cumulative uploads, downloads, and request counts. Check this early – it's the quickest way to confirm your requests are actually routing through the proxy.

Should you use rotating or sticky sessions?

Attribute

Rotating sessions

Sticky sessions

IP changes

On every request

When the session expires

Duration options

n/a

1, 10, 30, 60 min, or a custom session

IP diversity

Highest

Limited to session length

Best for

Large-scale collection, price monitoring, SERP tracking

Logged-in flows, multi-step forms, checkout testing

Set where

Proxy setup, then Session type

Follow every step in a video walkthrough

The full setup, start to finish, in 1 short video – account, authentication, parameters, and first request.

How do you fix common setup errors?

Symptom

Likely cause

Fix

407 authentication required

Wrong username or password, or the IP isn't whitelisted

Regenerate credentials in the Authentication tab, or re-add your current IP

Response shows your own IP

Proxy settings not applied by the tool

Confirm the endpoint and port are set at the tool level, not just the OS level

Whitelisting won't save

Connected through a VPN, another proxy, or an IPv6 address

Disconnect and re-add; only IPv4 is supported

Requests stop mid-job

Traffic limit reached for that user

Check the Usage statistics tab and raise or remove the cap

Same IP across every request

Sticky session selected

Switch session type to rotating in Proxy setup

Slow or timing-out requests

Very narrow geo-target

Widen from city to country, or set the location to Random

What free tools come with a Decodo plan?

Tool

Description

Chrome extension

Switch proxies and locations from the browser toolbar. Free with any plan

Firefox add-on

The same controls for Firefox – set a location and start browsing through it immediately. Free with any plan

Proxy Checker

Test endpoints in bulk and confirm they respond before you wire them into a script

How do you connect proxies to your tools?

Your endpoint works anywhere an HTTP or SOCKS5 proxy can be configured. These guides cover the most common setups.

Authentication method panel displaying username dedicates_01 and password ********** in a proxy list generator UI

Scrapy Proxy Middleware

View proxy integrations

What do people say about Decodo’s residential proxies?

We're thrilled to have the support of our 135K+ users and the industry's best.

Attentive service

The professional expertise of the Decodo solution has significantly boosted our business growth while enhancing overall efficiency and effectiveness.

N

Novabeyond

Easy to get things done

Decodo provides great service with a simple setup and friendly support team.

R

RoiDynamic

A key to our work

Decodo enables us to develop and test applications in varied environments while supporting precise data collection for research and audience profiling.

C

Cybereg

Best Usability 2025

Awarded for the ease of use and fastest time to value for proxy and scraping solutions.

Best User Adoption 2025

Praised for the seamless onboarding experience and impactful engagement efforts.

Best Value 2025

Recognized for the 5th year in a row for top-tier proxy and scraping solutions.

Techradar

The best proxy of 2025, that’s highly affordable for most use cases.

Proxyway

The provider has become an all-rounder that tries to retain these winning qualities.

PCMag

Decodo’s residential proxy service is crucial for your business’s data collection.

Frequently asked questions

How do I set up residential proxies for the first time?

Create an account, select a plan or a free trial, choose an authentication method, set your location and session type in the Proxy setup tab, then generate endpoints. The full walkthrough is above and takes about 5 minutes.

How long can a sticky session last?

Presets are 1, 10, 30, and 60 minutes, and you can set any custom session. Rotating sessions change the IP on every request instead.

Which protocols do Decodo residential proxies support?

HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5, plus endpoint:port configuration. Select your protocol in the Proxy setup tab before generating endpoints.

How do I check how much traffic I've used?

Open the Usage statistics tab in the dashboard. It shows traffic per user across a week, a month, or a custom range, with cumulative uploads, downloads, and request counts. You can also cap usage per user with a traffic limit.

Where can you learn more about residential proxies?

Most recent

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