> Full docs index: https://docs.steel.dev/llms.txt # Proxies & Proxy Rotation for Browser Automation URL: https://docs.steel.dev/overview/stealth/proxies ## Overview Steel offers two powerful ways to use proxies: our built-in **Managed Residential Proxies** or connecting to your own proxy provider with our **Bring Your Own Proxy (BYOP)** feature. If your workflow needs a stable network identity instead of automatic rotation, use [Dedicated IPs](/overview/sessions-api/dedicated-ips). Dedicated IPs lease a specific Steel-managed IP into your workspace so sessions can reuse the same egress IP, especially when paired with [Profiles](/overview/profiles-api/overview) for persistent cookies and browser state. ### Which Proxy Approach Should you choose? Use this table to pick the right option for your project. | Feature | Steel-Managed Proxies | Default Behavior (No proxies) | Bring Your Own Proxies (BYOP) | |-------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Best For | Quickly accessing high-quality residential IPs from specific countries without setup. | General web access, testing, or sites that don't block datacenter IPs. | Full control over your proxy infrastructure, using specialized providers. | | IP Type | High-quality residential IPs | Datacenter | Any (Datacenter, Residential, Mobile) | | Control | Managed by Steel (automatic rotation) | Static datacenter IP assigned by Steel | Full control over IPs and rotation logic | | Cost | $10/GB on Launch, $6/GB on Scale, custom on Enterprise | No proxy bandwidth charge | No Steel proxy bandwidth charge; your provider bills separately | | Availability| Launch (verification required), Scale, Enterprise | All plans | All plans | Browser session usage is billed separately. See [Pricing/Limits](/overview/pricinglimits) for billing details and Launch verification requirements. ### Steel-Managed Proxies ⭐ **_This is the best option for most use-cases._** Steel maintains a high-quality pool of residential IP addresses that make your browser sessions appear to come from real user connections. Our residential proxy network includes: * **Hundreds of millions of IP addresses** sourced from legitimate residential connections * **United States locations by default** with options for global geographic targeting * **Continuous quality monitoring** through our internal testing and validation systems * **Automatic IP rotation** to ensure fresh addresses for each session These proxies are ideal for accessing sites that block datacenter IPs or when you need to appear as a genuine residential user. ### Default Behavior (No Proxies) When you create a Steel session without enabling proxies, your requests originate from the datacenter/machine’s IP addresses where Steel's browser infrastructure is hosted. This option is available on all plans with no proxy bandwidth charge. This approach works well for: * Interacting with websites that aren’t blocking default these datacenter IPs * General web scraping that doesn't require specific geographic locations * Internal applications or APIs that don't have geo-restrictions * Testing and development where IP location isn't critical ### Bring Your Own Proxies (BYOP) If you have existing proxy infrastructure or specific proxy requirements, you can route Steel sessions through your own proxy servers. This approach gives you: * **Complete control** over your proxy infrastructure and IP sources * **No Steel proxy bandwidth charge** — you pay your own proxy provider * **Flexibility** to use specialized proxy providers or custom configurations * **Compatibility** with both Steel Cloud and the open-source Steel browser By default, proxies are disabled (`useProxy: false` is the implicit setting). This means your traffic originates from Steel's own datacenter IPs. ### Using Steel-Managed Residential Proxies To enable it, simply set `useProxy: true` when creating a session. By default, your traffic will be routed through a new US-based IP address each session: ```typescript // Typescript SDK const session = await client.sessions.create({ useProxy: true }); ``` ```python # Python SDK session = client.sessions.create( use_proxy=True ) ``` ### Geographic Targeting You can easily target countries, states (US only), or cities: **Quality vs. Specificity** The more specific your targeting, the smaller the IP pool. For the best performance and highest quality IPs, use the broadest targeting that meets your needs (for example, prefer country-level over city-level). Generally, we’ve seen US and GB proxies have the highest quality. ```typescript // Target specific state const session = await client.sessions.create({ useProxy: { geolocation: { country: "US", state: "NY" }, }, }); // Target specific city const session = await client.sessions.create({ useProxy: { geolocation: { city: "LOS_ANGELES" }, }, }); ``` ```python # Target specific state session = client.sessions.create( use_proxy={ "geolocation": { "country": "US", "state": "NY" } } ) # Target specific city session = client.sessions.create( use_proxy={ "geolocation": { "city": "LOS_ANGELES" } } ) ``` **Available targeting options:** * **Countries**: We support over 200 countries via their two-letter Alpha-2 codes * **States**: Supported for the US only * **Cities**: Available for major global cities ### Bring Your Own Proxies (BYOP) If you already have a proxy provider or need highly specialized configurations, you can route Steel sessions through your own proxy server. This gives you complete control and avoids any additional proxy fees from Steel. ```typescript // Typescript SDK const session = await client.sessions.create({ useProxy: { server: "http://username:password@proxy.example.com:8080", }, }); ``` ```python # Python SDK session = client.sessions.create( use_proxy={ "server": "http://username:password@proxy.example.com:8080" } ) ``` **Supported proxy formats:** * `http://username:password@hostname:port` * `https://username:password@hostname:port` * `socks5://username:password@hostname:port` Your proxy credentials are handled securely and never logged or stored by Steel beyond the duration of your session. #### Proxy Connection Errors You may occasionally encounter proxy connection errors like `ERR_TUNNEL_CONNECTION_FAILED`, `ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED`, or `ERR_CONN_REFUSED`. This error indicates a connectivity issue between Steel's infrastructure and the proxy server. **This is normal behavior** and can happen for several reasons: * Temporary proxy server unavailability * Network connectivity issues between Steel and the proxy * The target website blocking the specific proxy IP **When this happens:** 1. **Retry your request.** These errors are usually transient. 2. If using **Steel-Managed proxies,** we automatically rotate to a new IP on retry. 3. If using **BYOP**, ensure your proxy server is online and accessible. If the error persists across multiple retries, it may point to a more systemic issue. #### **Website Blocking** To maintain a high-quality and compliant network, Steel and its partners may restrict access to certain websites. We do this to ensure the long-term health and reputation of our IP pool. Blocklists are typically maintained for: * Gambling and betting websites * Government and restricted institutional sites * Ticketing websites * Other categories flagged for compliance reasons **If you're experiencing unexpected or persistent blocking:** 1. **Change the geographic region.** A different IP block might solve the problem. 2. **Use BYOP.** If you need access to specific restricted content, using your own proxy provider gives you full control. 3. **Contact Support.** If you believe a legitimate site is being blocked, please let us know. If retries and changing regions consistently fail, it might indicate the domain is on a compliance blocklist. Escalating to our team helps us investigate. Most blocking issues can be resolved through configuration adjustments or by working with our team to whitelist specific domains. Follow these guidelines to get the most out of your proxies and build more resilient automations. 1. **Establish a Baseline Without Proxies** Before assuming you need a proxy for anti-bot measures, try accessing the target website without one. If Steel's default datacenter IPs work, you can save on costs. Use proxies as the next step if you encounter blocks. 2. **Start with Broad Targeting** For the best performance, always start with country-level targeting. The larger IP pool provides higher quality and better success rates. Only use state or city-level targeting when it is a strict requirement for your use case. 3. **Build Fallback Logic in Your Code** Proxy connections can sometimes fail (for example, `ERR_TUNNEL_CONNECTION_FAILED`). This is normal. Your code should anticipate this by including retry logic. For critical tasks, consider having a fallback plan, such as retrying the request without a proxy or with a different proxy configuration. 4. **Monitor Success Rates with Narrow Targeting** If you must use city-level targeting, closely monitor your job success rates. A high rate of failure could mean the local IP pool is too small or contains IPs that have been blocked or are of lower quality. 5. **Test Different Regions for Blocked Content** If you're consistently blocked when targeting a specific country, try your request again from a different region. The target website may have different rules or restrictions for different geographic locations. ### Need help building with proxies? Reach out to us on the **#help** channel on [Discord](https://discord.gg/steel-dev) under the ⭐ community section. ### FAQ ### How much do Steel proxies cost? Steel-managed residential proxies cost $10/GB on Launch and $6/GB on Scale, with custom Enterprise pricing. Default datacenter traffic and Bring Your Own Proxy have no Steel proxy bandwidth charge. With BYOP, you pay your own proxy provider. ### Why is my proxy bandwidth higher than the content I downloaded? Bandwidth is measured on the wire at the proxy, so it covers every byte the session moves in both directions: TLS handshakes, request and response headers, and every file the page loads, not just the response bodies your code reads. That overhead is normally a small percentage. The bigger difference is usually traffic the browser asked for but never used. If a download is still in flight when the session is released, or a page starts fetching a large asset before you navigate away, those bytes have already crossed the proxy and count even though nothing consumed them. Block what you don't need with [`optimizeBandwidth`](/overview/sessions-api/configuration#resource-control) or `blockAds`, and release sessions once you have what you came for. ### Do Steel sessions use a proxy by default? No — proxies are disabled by default (`useProxy: false` is the implicit setting), so traffic originates from Steel's own datacenter IPs at no proxy-bandwidth cost. Set `useProxy: true` to route through a Steel-managed residential IP (US-based by default). ### Can I use my own proxies with Steel? Yes — Bring Your Own Proxy (BYOP) lets you pass a `server` URL in `http://`, `https://`, or `socks5://` format on any plan. Your proxy credentials are handled securely and never logged or stored by Steel beyond the duration of your session. ### Can Steel proxies target a specific country or city? Yes — Steel-managed proxies support geographic targeting across 200+ countries (two-letter Alpha-2 codes), US states, and major global cities via the `geolocation` option. Steel recommends the broadest targeting that meets your needs, since narrower targeting means a smaller IP pool. ### Which Steel plans include managed residential proxies? Launch (after account verification), Scale, and Enterprise. See [Pricing/Limits](/overview/pricinglimits) for access requirements. The no-proxy default and BYOP are available on all plans.