Proxy Rotation Strategies: Random vs Round-Robin vs Least Connections - Which One to Choose?

When working with a pool of proxies — scraping marketplaces, farming accounts, or running ads through an anti-detect browser — it is important not only to have quality IP addresses but also to rotate them correctly. An incorrect rotation strategy leads to bans, overload of individual proxies, and unstable performance. In this article, we will discuss three main strategies — random, round-robin, and least connections — and show which one is suitable for specific tasks.

What is proxy rotation and why is it needed

Proxy rotation is the automatic switching between IP addresses from your pool when making requests. Instead of using the same proxy for all operations, the system distributes the load among several servers. This is critically important for tasks where anonymity and protection from bans are essential.

Imagine you are scraping prices from Wildberries. If you send all requests from one IP, the marketplace will quickly notice suspicious activity and block the address. Rotation solves this problem — each request comes from a new IP, simulating the behavior of different users from various locations.

The main reasons to use rotation are:

• Protection from bans: websites do not see mass activity from one IP
• Load distribution: proxies are not overloaded, work speed is more stable
• Imitation of real users: requests appear natural
• Bypassing limits: many platforms limit the number of requests from one IP per minute

However, the rotation strategy matters. If you simply switch proxies randomly, you can end up with uneven load — some servers will be overloaded while others remain idle. Let's discuss three main strategies and their applications.

Random rotation: when to use

Random rotation is the simplest strategy. The system randomly selects a proxy from the pool for each request. No logic, no load tracking — just random.

How random rotation works

You have a pool of 10 proxies. For each new request, the system generates a random number from 1 to 10 and selects the corresponding proxy. Theoretically, with a large number of requests, the load will distribute evenly, but in practice, there can be imbalances — one proxy might receive 3 requests in a row, while another might not be used at all.

Pros of random rotation

• Ease of implementation: does not require tracking the state of proxies
• Unpredictability: harder for anti-fraud systems to identify a pattern
• Low overhead: no need to store counters or statistics
• Suitable for small volumes: if you have 10-20 proxies and 100-200 requests per hour

Cons of random rotation

• Uneven load: some proxies get overloaded, others remain idle
• Risk of reuse: one proxy may receive several requests in a row
• Poor predictability: difficult to plan load and optimize the pool
• Not suitable for high loads: with thousands of requests, imbalances become critical

When to use random

Random rotation is ideal for tasks where unpredictability is important and the volume of requests is low:

• Scraping small volumes of data (up to 500-1000 requests per hour)
• Working with anti-fraud systems that look for patterns in rotation
• Testing the proxy pool before setting up a more complex strategy
• Tasks where maximum anonymity is more important than speed

For these purposes, residential proxies are excellent — they have real IPs of home users, making rotation even more natural.

Round-robin: even load distribution

Round-robin is a strategy where proxies are selected strictly in order. The system goes through the list from the first to the last, then returns to the beginning and repeats the cycle. This guarantees absolutely even load distribution.

How round-robin works

You have a pool of 5 proxies. The first request goes through proxy #1, the second through #2, the third through #3, the fourth through #4, the fifth through #5, the sixth again through #1, and so on. Each proxy receives exactly the same number of requests — if you sent 100 requests, each proxy processed exactly 20.

Pros of round-robin

• Perfect distribution: each proxy receives the same load
• Predictability: easy to calculate how many requests each proxy will handle
• Ease of implementation: only a counter for the current position in the list is needed
• Optimal resource usage: no proxy remains idle
• Suitable for large volumes: stable operation with thousands of requests

Cons of round-robin

• Predictable pattern: anti-fraud systems may notice the cyclical change of IPs
• Does not consider the state of proxies: if one proxy is slow, it will still get its share
• Problems with failure: if a proxy goes down, logic for skipping or replacing is needed
• Not suitable for heterogeneous pools: if proxies have different speeds, fast ones will remain idle

When to use round-robin

Round-robin is the optimal choice for tasks where stability and even load are important:

• Mass scraping of marketplaces (Wildberries, Ozon, Yandex.Market) — thousands of requests per hour
• Monitoring competitor prices — regular checks every N minutes
• Working with APIs where stable response speed is important
• Tasks where all proxies are of approximately the same speed and quality
• Scenarios with predictable load — you know how many requests need to be sent

For scraping and monitoring, data center proxies are excellent — they are fast, stable, and show maximum performance when using round-robin.

Least connections: for high-load tasks

Least connections is a smart strategy that tracks active connections on each proxy and directs a new request to the least loaded server. This is dynamic load balancing in real-time.

How least connections works

The system constantly monitors how many active connections (requests) each proxy is handling at the moment. When a new request comes in, it selects the proxy with the minimum number of active connections. If proxy #1 is handling 3 requests, proxy #2 is handling 7 requests, and proxy #3 is handling 1 request, the new request will go through proxy #3.

Pros of least connections

• Optimal performance: fast proxies handle more requests
• Adaptability: automatically adjusts to the speed of each proxy
• Works with heterogeneous pools: can mix proxies of different speeds
• Resilience to overloads: if a proxy starts slowing down, it automatically receives less load
• Ideal for parallel tasks: when dozens of requests are executed simultaneously

Cons of least connections

• Complex implementation: needs to track the state of each proxy in real-time
• Overhead: requires additional memory and computations
• Not suitable for sequential tasks: if requests are sent one by one, the advantage is lost
• Requires monitoring: needs to correctly track opening/closing connections

When to use least connections

Least connections is the choice for high-load tasks with parallel processing:

• Mass scraping with 20+ parallel threads
• Working with a pool of proxies of varying speeds (e.g., a mix of residential and data center proxies)
• Tasks where maximum processing speed is critical
• Scenarios with unpredictable server response times (APIs with variable load)
• High-load bots for social networks or marketplaces

For such tasks, mobile proxies are often used in conjunction with data centers — mobile for critical requests (authorization, actions in accounts), data centers for mass scraping.

Comparison table of strategies

Let's summarize all three strategies in one table for quick comparison:

Which strategy to choose for your task

The choice of rotation strategy depends on the specific task, the volume of requests, and the type of proxy. Let's discuss popular scenarios.

Scraping marketplaces (Wildberries, Ozon, Avito)

Volume: 1000-10000 requests per hour
Recommendation: Round-robin
Why: Even load distribution, predictable speed, stable operation. All proxies receive the same load, which is important when paying by traffic.

Setup: A pool of 10-20 residential or data center proxies, rotation for each request. If the marketplace aggressively bans, add a delay of 1-3 seconds between requests from one IP.

Multi-accounting on social networks (Instagram, TikTok, VK)

Volume: 10-50 accounts, 100-500 actions per day
Recommendation: Random
Why: Unpredictability is important. Anti-fraud systems on social networks analyze patterns, and cyclical rotation may reveal automation. Random simulates the behavior of real users.

Setup: Each account gets a separate mobile or residential proxy. Rotation only when switching accounts; within one session, the IP does not change. Use anti-detect browsers (Dolphin Anty, AdsPower) to manage fingerprints.

Account farming for arbitrage (Facebook Ads, TikTok Ads)

Volume: 20-100 accounts, warming up for 7-14 days
Recommendation: Random with fixed IP per account
Why: Each account must have a stable "geography." Rotation between accounts is random, but within one account, the IP does not change for weeks.

Setup: Binding "1 account = 1 mobile proxy." Random is only used for selecting proxies when creating a new account. No rotation within the session.

Mass scraping with high load (search engines, aggregators)

Volume: 10000+ requests per hour, 20+ parallel threads
Recommendation: Least connections
Why: Maximum processing speed. Fast proxies will handle more requests, while slow ones will not slow down the entire system.

Setup: A pool of 50-100 data center proxies. Monitoring active connections through a proxy manager or load balancer (HAProxy, Nginx). Automatic exclusion of downed proxies.

Monitoring competitor prices (regular checks)

Volume: 100-500 requests every 30-60 minutes
Recommendation: Round-robin
Why: Predictable load, easy to plan traffic consumption. Even distribution ensures that no proxy will be overloaded.

Setup: A pool of 5-10 residential proxies. Rotation for each request. Logging results to track IP bans.

How to set up rotation in popular tools

Most tools for working with proxies support the configuration of rotation strategies. Let's see how this is done in popular solutions.

Anti-detect browsers (Dolphin Anty, AdsPower, Multilogin)

In anti-detect browsers, rotation is usually not needed — each profile (account) is assigned a separate proxy that does not change. However, if you manage a large number of profiles, you can set up automatic proxy assignment from the pool.

Dolphin Anty: Settings → Proxies → Import proxy list → choose "Assign randomly" (random) or "In order" (round-robin). Each new profile will be assigned a proxy according to the selected strategy.

AdsPower: Bulk profile creation → upload proxy list → choose distribution mode (Random / Sequential). Sequential works like round-robin.

Recommendation: For multi-accounting, use random when creating profiles, but within the profile, the proxy should remain fixed.

Scrapers and scraping tools (ready-made solutions)

Many marketplace and social media scrapers have built-in support for proxy rotation. This is usually configured through a proxy list and the selection of a strategy.

Typical setup: Upload a text file with proxies (format IP:PORT:USER:PASS, each proxy on a new line) → choose rotation strategy (Random / Round-robin / Per request) → start scraping.

Per request usually means round-robin — the proxy changes for each request in order.

Proxy managers and load balancers (HAProxy, Nginx)

For advanced users — setting up a load balancer that will distribute requests among proxies according to the chosen strategy.

HAProxy (least connections): In the backend configuration, specify balance leastconn. HAProxy will track active connections and direct new requests to the least loaded proxy.

Nginx (round-robin): By default, Nginx uses round-robin for upstream servers. Just list the proxies in the upstream block, and rotation will be automatic.

These solutions are suitable for high-load systems where maximum performance and control are needed.

Common mistakes in setting up rotation

Even a correctly chosen strategy may not work due to configuration errors. Let's discuss common issues.

Mistake 1: Rotation within a session (for multi-accounting)

Problem: You set up proxy rotation every 5 minutes for an Instagram account. The result — a ban for suspicious activity (login from Moscow, then 5 minutes later from St. Petersburg, another 5 from Kazan).

Solution: For working with accounts, the proxy should remain fixed for the entire session (or better — for weeks and months). Rotation only between accounts, not within one.

Mistake 2: Using round-robin for protection against anti-fraud

Problem: You are scraping a site with aggressive protection, using round-robin. Anti-fraud notices that requests are coming cyclically from the same IPs (1-2-3-4-5-1-2-3...) and bans the entire pool.

Solution: For sites with smart protection, use random or add random delays between requests to break the pattern.

Mistake 3: Too small a pool of proxies

Problem: You have 3 proxies and 1000 requests per hour. Even with perfect rotation, each proxy will receive ~333 requests per hour, which looks suspicious.

Solution: Calculate the optimal size of the pool. For most tasks, 20-50 requests per hour from one IP is safe. If you need 1000 requests — take at least 20-50 proxies.

Mistake 4: Ignoring downed proxies

Problem: One of the proxies has stopped working, but round-robin continues to send requests to it. Every N-th request fails with an error.

Solution: Set up monitoring of proxy status. Upon error, automatically exclude the proxy from the pool for 5-10 minutes, then check again. Most proxy managers support health checks.

Mistake 5: Using least connections for sequential tasks

Problem: You are sending requests one by one (without parallelism), but have set up least connections. The result — all requests go through one proxy, because it always has 0 active connections at the moment of selection.

Solution: Least connections makes sense only with parallel processing (10+ simultaneous requests). For sequential tasks, use round-robin or random.

Conclusion

The choice of proxy rotation strategy is not an abstract theory, but a concrete solution that directly affects the speed of operation, stability, and protection from bans. Random is suitable for tasks where unpredictability is important and volumes are small — multi-accounting on social networks, account farming, working with anti-fraud systems. Round-robin is the optimal choice for mass scraping and monitoring, where even load and predictability are needed. Least connections is for high-load systems with parallel processing, where maximum speed is critical.

The main rule is that there is no universal strategy. Analyze your task: the volume of requests, the type of target site, anonymity requirements, and the presence of parallelism. Experiment with settings, log results, and track bans. Proper rotation combined with quality proxies provides stable operation without bans.

If you have not yet decided on the type of proxy for your task, we recommend starting with residential proxies — they are versatile, have a high level of trust, and are suitable for most scenarios. For high-load scraping, consider data centers, and for working with mobile applications and social networks — mobile proxies.