Albania Proxies

Run a documented cold request, one immediate repeat, and one request after the chosen wait interval. Keep query strings and headers fixed unless the planned step changes exactly one cache key, and label rather than discard cache misses. The ALB worksheet needs a direct-control identifier, proxy configuration hash, observed country, exit IP, connection identifier, status or error class, safe content marker, and UTC timestamp. Store rejected outcomes instead of repeating until a preferred response appears. Use only an endpoint permitted for the Albania test, keep missing measurements explicit, and never rotate around a refusal or other mandatory stop.

Do not call every response difference geographic. A cookie, Accept-Language value, query parameter, edge node, deployment, or stale object may explain it; the log should show which key changed and whether the control changed too. In the maintained Europe list, Kosovo records 3,907 and Macedonia records 3,099, placing Albania between them by historical count. That ordering says nothing about which route is currently online or suitable for the buyer's endpoint. Keep ALB comparator rows labelled and diagnose the requested Albania route from its own evidence rather than a neighbouring count. Record why each comparator belongs in the authorized review before using it.

Buy for cache-oriented testing only after the pilot yields interpretable headers and repeatable content digests. If the destination hides cache evidence or changes independently, record the limitation instead of raising request volume. Before committing to Albania, run the smallest representative workload and normalize offers by minimum purchase, metering basis, valid outcomes, failed outcomes, and required session behavior. The ALB decision must use observed pilot evidence, not the annual address total as a performance proxy. Reject any Albania conclusion built from an unverified exit, hidden failures, or a changed rule, and repeat ALB verification after a material configuration change.