What Does a Proxy Server Address Look Like? [Formats & Examples 2026]
What Does a Proxy Server Address Look Like? A Technical Breakdown
In the world of web scraping, cybersecurity, and automated traffic management, the proxy address is the fundamental coordinate that directs your data flow. While the average user sees a website as a friendly name like google.com, your browser and scraper see a proxy as a specific coordinate on the internet grid.
As a senior proxy expert, I categorize proxy addresses into two primary visual formats: IP:Port combinations and Proxy URLs (Hostnames). Understanding the difference is critical for configuring scrapers, browsers, and VPNs correctly.
1. The Standard IP:Port Format
The most recognizable proxy server address is the IPv4 address paired with a port number. This is the 'raw' format because it bypasses Domain Name System (DNS) resolution, pointing directly to the server's numerical coordinate.
Visual Structure
> Format: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:port > Example: 203.0.113.45:8080
Breaking Down the Components
1. The IP Address (203.0.113.45): This is the unique identifier of the physical or virtual server hosting the proxy software. In this example, 203.0.113.45 is a Public IPv4 address.
2. The Separator (:): The colon acts as a delimiter, telling the network stack that the numbers following it represent a specific service running on that server, not a continuation of the IP address.
3. The Port Number (8080): A server can offer thousands of services simultaneously. The port number specifies which 'door' to knock on. * 80, 8080, 3128: Typically used for HTTP/HTTPS proxies. * 1080, 1085: Standard for SOCKS proxies. * 9050, 9150: Often used for the Tor network.
2. The Hostname / Domain Format
Modern commercial proxy providers rarely give you a list of raw IPs. Instead, they provide a Gateway URL or Hostname. This allows the provider to rotate the backend IPs automatically without requiring you to update your scraping configuration.
Visual Structure
> Format: protocol://username:password@hostname:port > Example: https://user-scrape01:secret123@residential.proxy-provider.com:80
Why It Looks Like This
- Protocol (
https://): Explicitly defines the tunneling protocol (HTTP, SOCKS5). - Credentials (
user:pass@): Embedded authentication. This is standard for 'sticky' sessions or residential networks where IP whitelisting isn't used. - Hostname (
residential.proxy-provider.com): This domain resolves to multiple IPs via load balancers.
3. Protocol-Specific Visual Differences
The 'look' of the address changes slightly depending on the proxy protocol you are using. Below is a comparison table of how these appear in configuration files and code.
Proxy Address Comparison Table
| Protocol | Visual Format | Standard Port | Use Case | Example | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | HTTP | ip:port or host:port | 80, 8080 | Web scraping, caching | 192.168.1.5:8080 | | HTTPS | ip:port | 443, 8080 | SSL/TLS encrypted traffic | 10.0.0.1:8888 | | SOCKS4 | ip:port | 1080 | Basic TCP tunneling (No auth) | 123.45.67.89:1080 | | SOCKS5 | ip:port or user:pass@ip:port | 1080 | High security, UDP, DNS requests | user:pass@123.45.67.89:1080 | | TOR | .onion or .exit | 9050 | Anonymity, Dark Web | 127.0.0.1:9050 |
4. Python Implementation: How to Use These Addresses
Reading an address is useless if you don't know how to apply it. Below are code snippets demonstrating how these address formats translate into actual requests using Python's requests library. This is crucial for web scraping engineers.
Scenario A: Using an IP:Port Format (HTTP)
If your proxy provider gives you a raw IP (e.g., from a data center list), the syntax is strictly http://ip:port.
import requests
The address provided by the proxy service
proxy_ip = "203.0.113.45" proxy_port = "8080"
Constructing the dictionary (Protocol must be explicit)
proxies = { "http": f"http://{proxy_ip}:{proxy_port}", "https": f"http://{proxy_ip}:{proxy_port}", }
try: response = requests.get("http://httpbin.org/ip", proxies=proxies, timeout=5) print(f"Proxy Success: {response.json()}") except requests.exceptions.ProxyError: print("The proxy address refused the connection.")
Scenario B: Using a Hostname with Credentials (SOCKS5)
When using Residential proxies or rotating networks, the address usually looks like a URL. Note that the SOCKS protocol requires the requests[socks] library.
import requests
This is what the address looks like in your dashboard
user:pass@host:port
proxy_url = "socks5://scrape_user:my_api_key@gate.smartproxy.com:7000"
proxies = { "http": proxy_url, "https": proxy_url, }
response = requests.get("https://ip-api.com/json", proxies=proxies) print(f"Current IP via Proxy: {response.json()}")
5. Common Confusions: Proxy URL vs. Target URL
A common mistake I see in junior scraping scripts is confusing the Target URL with the Proxy Address.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08N5WRWNW (Where you want to go)http://user:pass@proxy-server.com:8000 (The middleman)The proxy address never contains the path of the website you are trying to scrape (e.g., it never looks like proxy.com/amazon). It strictly serves as the gateway.
6. IPv6 Proxy Addresses
While less common for scraping due to IP reputation databases, IPv6 proxies look distinctively different.
Visual Example
> Format: [2001:db8::1]:8080
Notice the brackets []? In technical configurations, brackets are mandatory when pairing an IPv6 address with a port number. Without brackets, the parser cannot distinguish between the colons in the IP address and the colon preceding the port number.
IPv6 Proxy Configuration
ipv6_proxy = "http://[2001:db8:85a3::8a2e:370:7334]:8080" proxies = {"http": ipv6_proxy, "https": ipv6_proxy}
Summary
To the untrained eye, a proxy server address looks like a random string of numbers and dots. To an expert, it is a structured instruction set containing Location (IP), Entry Point (Port), and Handshake (Protocol/Auth).
12.34.56.78:8080 (Direct connection)resi.proxy.com:8000 (Managed gateway)/var/run/proxy.sock (Local file socket)Identifying the correct format is the first step in building a robust, anonymous scraping infrastructure in 2025.