PRO

Residential Proxy Detection

Detect P2P residential proxies that route traffic through real users' devices - the hardest proxy type to identify and the weapon of choice for sophisticated fraud.

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Traditional proxies & VPNs
  • Typically run on datacenter or known infrastructure
  • Operated by identifiable providers or open to the public
  • Well-catalogued and easier to identify
  • Detected by most IP reputation services
Residential proxies
  • Use real residential IP addresses
  • Assigned by ISPs to regular users
  • Indistinguishable from legitimate traffic
  • Missed by traditional IP reputation databases

How residential proxy networks work

Free app or extension

User installs a free app, browser extension, or SDK-bundled app

Bandwidth is shared

The user's IP address becomes an exit node, often without their full awareness

Fraudster uses the IP address

Bad actors route traffic through the residential IP address, appearing as a legitimate user

One API call. Full classification.

The residentialProxy field tells you instantly whether an IP is part of a P2P proxy network. Combined with VPN, Tor, open proxy, and datacenter detection - all in a single request.

Available on the Professional plan.

{
    "hostname": "host-1-2-3-4.example.com",
    "ip": "1.2.3.4",
    "asn": 12345,
    "isp": "Example ISP",
    "countryCode": "US",
    "countryName": "United States",
    "block": 1, Hosting, proxy or bad IP
    "blockReason": "Residential proxy",
    "proxyType": {
        "residentialProxy": true,PRO
        ...
    }
}

Who needs residential proxy detection

If your fraud prevention stack doesn't cover residential proxies, you have a blind spot.

Payment fraud

Fraudsters use residential proxies to appear local when making purchases with stolen cards. Detect and flag these transactions before they result in chargebacks.

Account security

Detect credential stuffing and account takeover attempts that use residential proxies to bypass IP-based rate limiting and blocking.

Survey & research

Prevent respondents from taking surveys multiple times using residential proxies that make each submission appear to be a unique participant.

Anti-scalping

Stop bots from using residential proxies to hoard limited-edition products, event tickets, or other scarce inventory at scale.

Giveaways & contests

Ensure fair participation by detecting users who enter multiple times through residential proxies that mask repeat entries.

Ad fraud prevention

Identify fake clicks and impressions generated through residential proxy networks that make bot traffic indistinguishable from real users.

Why IPHub

Simple API

One GET request, one JSON response. Easy to integrate with any stack.

Real-time updates

Residential proxy data updated continuously as new IPs are observed in proxy networks.

All-in-one

Residential proxies, VPNs, Tor, open proxies, and datacenter IPs in one call.

Since 2014

Trusted by thousands of businesses across gaming, e-commerce, fintech, and research.

Frequently asked questions

A residential proxy routes internet traffic through a real residential IP address - typically a home broadband or mobile connection. Unlike datacenter proxies that use IP addresses from hosting providers, residential proxies use IPs assigned by ISPs to regular users.

Most residential proxy networks are built through free VPN apps, browser extensions, or SDKs bundled into mobile applications. Users agree (often without fully understanding) to share their bandwidth, and their IP address becomes available for others to use as a proxy exit node.

Yes. While residential proxies are harder to detect than datacenter proxies or VPNs because they use legitimate ISP IP addresses, they can be identified through active monitoring of proxy networks. IPHub continuously monitors known P2P proxy networks to identify which IP addresses are currently acting as exit nodes.

No detection method is perfect - residential proxy IPs are transient, with new ones appearing regularly and previously observed ones going inactive. IPs are retained in the database for a period after they are no longer actively observed, ensuring broader coverage.

VPNs route traffic through servers owned or rented by the VPN provider, usually in datacenters. These IP addresses are relatively easy to identify because they belong to known hosting providers and VPN services.

Residential proxies route traffic through real users' home internet connections, so the IP address belongs to a regular ISP - the same type of IP a legitimate user would have. This makes them significantly harder to detect using traditional methods that rely on IP ownership data.

Residential proxy detection is available exclusively on the Professional plan. The Basic plan includes detection of VPNs, Tor exit nodes, open proxies, and datacenter/hosting IPs, but does not include residential proxy detection.

The residential proxy database is updated continuously. New IPs are added as they are observed in proxy networks, and previously seen IPs are retained for a period after they are no longer actively observed.

Start detecting residential proxies

Subscribe to the Professional plan for residential proxy detection, or try the lookup tool for free.

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