Definitions:
Random Port: A random port will rotate the IP that you are connected to for each request that you make. We recommend using port 9000 if you want to use a random port.
Live example of using a random port here.
Sticky port: A sticky port will connect you to an IP address that will remain static for a set amount of time and then rotate the IP address for you. You can set the rotation interval (how long before the IP rotates) yourself by following this guide. Sticky ports always start at port 10000 and go up from there. The number of sticky ports you have available in your user dashboard will depend on your subscription.
Live example of using a sticky port here.
Access:
The following proxies have access to both random and sticky ports:
Unmetered Residential
Premium Residential
USA Rotating Datacenter
Global Rotating Datacenter
The following proxies only have access to sticky ports:
Private Unmetered Residential
Static USA Datacenter
Please note: Sticky ports work differently with Static USA Datacenter proxies. These IP addresses will not rotate at all and will remain completely static.
Use Cases:
A random port is generally used when you need to rotate your IPs quickly, like when scraping thousands of web pages or doing web data collection. In this use case, it can be very helpful to have a new IP for each request that you make.
Sticky ports are helpful when you want to use the same IP address for a longer amount of time. This can be good for things like account creation, surveys, streaming, etc.
Sticky Ports:
Sticky ports also have several more configuration options available to you, such as how long you would like to keep the same IP address. We have multiple guides that will help walk you through these different options:
Setting the rotation interval: https://help.proxyrack.com/en/articles/5829865-set-rotating-session-interval
Auto-Replace, which will tell the server to automatically replace an IP that has gone offline: https://help.proxyrack.com/en/articles/5829884-auto-replace-sticky-ip
Releasing a sticky port: https://help.proxyrack.com/en/articles/5829870-release-a-sticky-session
Get information about a sticky session: https://help.proxyrack.com/en/articles/5829908-sticky-session-information
Get information about all of your sticky sessions: https://help.proxyrack.com/en/articles/5829894-list-all-active-sessions
Troubleshooting:
Sticky Sessions are not working
There are a few reasons or things to consider if you are trying to use sticky ports and they are not connecting (so they aren't working!)
You may be trying to connect too much bandwidth.
This might happen as an example if you are trying to connect your proxies to your Mac OS (so the entire device/computer) rather than just say connecting to your Firefox browser.
You have gone too granular with your targeting options
If there are no proxies available for your geo-targeting request we do actually send you an error message. However, in order for this to work, you have to visit a non-HTTPS website.
You have run out of data (for Premium Residential proxies)
If this is the case we will send you an error stating that you are out of bandwidth.
My IP is not rotating for each request I make on a random port
If you are using a browser, the browser will keep the connection open to the IP, which will not allow the proxy server to rotate the IP for every request that you make. This is part of the behavior with the browser and not an issue with the proxies.