To ensure secure connections in proxy services, two main authentication methods are typically used: username/password or IP whitelist. In this article, we will examine in detail what the IP whitelist feature is, how it works, and in which situations it should be preferred.
IP whitelist is a security mechanism that allows connections to the proxy server only from specific IP addresses. In this method, the user's static (fixed) IP address is registered in the proxy system, and only connection requests from this IP address are accepted.
Key advantages of using whitelist:
All proxy services offered by LivaProxy have IP whitelist feature:
Both username/password and IP whitelist methods can be used simultaneously across all product groups.
You can follow these steps to define IP whitelist:
To use the whitelist feature, you need to have a static (fixed) IP address. The whitelist feature is not suitable for users with dynamic IP, as your IP address may change with each connection.
To find out your current IP address:
Currently, there is no self-service interface for whitelist management in the customer panel. You need to contact our support team for whitelist definition:
Share the following information in your support request or communication channel:
After the whitelist definition is completed by our support team, you can configure your proxy connection without username and password. Your connection information will be in the following format:
With Username/Password:
proxy_ip:port@username:password
With Whitelist (without username/password):
proxy_ip:port
You must have a static (fixed) IP address to use the whitelist feature. If you receive a dynamic IP from your internet service provider (ISP), the whitelist will not work as your IP address will change with each reconnection.
If you don't have a static IP:
If you want to connect to your proxy service from different locations or different devices, you can have multiple IP addresses added to the whitelist. It is sufficient to notify our support team separately for each IP address.
If there is a change in your static IP address (for example, ISP change, office relocation, etc.), you need to notify our support team of your new IP address again. Otherwise, your proxy connection will not work.
Consider the following security measures when using whitelist:
In some usage scenarios, you may want to use both whitelist and username/password authentication together:
In this mixed usage model, username/password is not required when connecting from IP addresses on the whitelist, but authentication is mandatory when connecting from other IP addresses.
Currently, there is no self-service whitelist management in the customer panel. Whitelist definitions are performed manually by our support team. This feature may be added to the panel in future updates.
Since our support team is active 24/7, whitelist requests are usually completed within a few minutes. During busy hours, it may take at most a few hours.
Yes, you can have both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses added to the whitelist. It is sufficient to provide your address in the IP protocol you will use.
After the whitelist is activated, you should completely remove the username and password part from your proxy configuration. In some applications, you can leave these fields blank, while in others you may need to disable the authentication option.
Whitelist support is also available in Rotating Proxy services. If you provide your static IP address, you can access the rotating IP addresses without username/password in each request.
While there is technically no limit, it is recommended to add a reasonable number of IP addresses for security reasons. If you want to add too many IP addresses, it will be useful to share your usage scenario with our support team.
With Username/Password:
curl -x proxy.livaproxy.com:10000 -U username:password https://api.ipify.org
With Whitelist:
curl -x proxy.livaproxy.com:10000 https://api.ipify.org
With Username/Password:
proxies = {
"http": "http://username:[email protected]:10000",
"https": "http://username:[email protected]:10000"
}
With Whitelist:
proxies = {
"http": "http://proxy.livaproxy.com:10000",
"https": "http://proxy.livaproxy.com:10000"
}
The IP whitelist feature offers significant advantages in terms of both security and ease of use for users with static IP addresses. Since it does not require username and password management, it is particularly preferred in automation projects, server-based applications, and corporate usage.
If you want to use whitelist, it is sufficient to contact our support team and provide your static IP address. Our team will quickly evaluate requests and complete your whitelist definition.