The difference between randomize IP and sticky IP

When discussing the difference between randomize IP and sticky IP, we are mainly concerned with the persistence of IP addresses and how they change over time.

Randomize IP means that the IP address changes randomly and the user has no control or predictability over its duration. This model is used in situations where IP addresses need to be changed frequently to improve anonymity and prevent tracking. For example, in a web crawler or data collection scenario, using randomize IP reduces the risk of being blocked because each request may come from a different IP address .

In contrast, Sticky IP allows the user to set the duration of the IP address, usually between 1 and 30 minutes.Sticky IP mode is suitable for scenarios where a connection to a specific website needs to be maintained for a longer period of time to ensure continuity and stability. For example, when performing tasks such as account creation, filling out surveys, or streaming media, using Sticky IP allows you to stay on the same IP address, thus avoiding the inconvenience of IP changes.

In addition, when using a proxy server, the concept of a “sticky port” is similar to that of a sticky IP. Sticky ports allow users to connect to a static IP address that rotates at set intervals. Users can set their own IP rotation intervals, while sticky ports always start at port 10000 and increase upwards.

In Nginx's load balancing configuration, the “sticky” module uses cookies to maintain sessions between the client and the backend server. This means that requests from the same client are routed to the same server, and the session is recognized and maintained by assigning a specific cookie value.

To summarize, the main difference between randomize IP and sticky IP is the frequency of IP address changes and persistence. randomize IP provides frequent IP changes for scenarios that require a high degree of anonymity, while sticky IP provides persistent IP connections for a certain period of time for applications that need to maintain session consistency.