Rotating and sticky sessions · evidence reviewed 2026-08-29

Choose rotation or a bounded sticky session across four networks

One backconnect gateway can front a shared pool. Opening a new proxy connection requests another pool selection; adding a session label requests temporary continuity. Neither behavior creates a static or dedicated IP.

Compare session limitsSee both configurations

Three labels, one routing decision

Define the connection behavior before choosing the label

Backconnect describes the shared gateway. Rotating and sticky describe the instruction applied after the network origin has been selected.

Backconnect
Gateway architecture
The client keeps one gateway address while the service selects exits from a pool behind it. It is not a fifth product.
Rotating
New-connection policy
Without a named session, each new proxy connection may select an exit. “May” matters: different or fresh is not guaranteed.
Sticky
Temporary affinity request
A session label requests reuse for a bounded duration. It does not reserve a permanent, exclusive, or dedicated address.

Current session matrix

Four network origins, two session instructions

All four products rotate on a new proxy connection. Current catalogue facts determine the network origin, entry order, and maximum requested sticky window.

Premium residential origin

Residential Proxies

Premium Residential is a shared, rotating and bandwidth-billed ISP-origin pool, not a static ISP allocation, with more granular targeting than Flex.

Session ceiling

Sticky max 120 min

On a new connection
Connection-based rotation; a fresh IP is not guaranteed.
With a session label
Requested sticky sessions up to 120 minutes; continuity can end early. Not static or dedicated.

Smallest current order

5 GB · $13.75 total · $2.75/GB · 186 days

Buy Residential Proxies · $13.75Review Residential Proxies pricing

Choose

An authorized workflow needs an ISP-origin route, granular location control, and a requested sticky window up to the current product maximum.

Boundary

Shared pool; a new connection can select the same or a previously observed exit, and an upstream change can end a sticky route early.

Residential Flex origin

Residential Flex

Residential Flex is the budget shared, rotating and bandwidth-billed residential pool for country-or-continent targeting; Premium Residential offers more granular controls.

Session ceiling

Sticky max 30 min

On a new connection
Connection-based rotation; a fresh IP is not guaranteed.
With a session label
Requested sticky sessions up to 30 minutes; continuity can end early. Not static or dedicated.

Smallest current order

25 GB · $13.75 total · $0.55/GB · 31 days

Buy Residential Flex · $13.75Review Residential Flex pricing

Choose

Country-or-continent residential sampling is enough and a shorter requested sticky ceiling fits the workflow.

Boundary

No state, city, ZIP, coordinate, or ASN control; its sticky ceiling is lower than the other three products.

Mobile origin

Mobile Proxies

Mobile is a shared, rotating and bandwidth-billed carrier-network pool, not a dedicated device, SIM, modem, or exclusive IP, with no carrier or radio-generation selector.

Session ceiling

Sticky max 120 min

On a new connection
Connection-based rotation; a fresh IP is not guaranteed.
With a session label
Requested sticky sessions up to 120 minutes; continuity can end early. Not static or dedicated.

Smallest current order

5 GB · $17.75 total · $3.55/GB · 31 days

Buy Mobile Proxies · $17.75Review Mobile Proxies pricing

Choose

The authorized test specifically needs a carrier-network route with rotation or temporary continuity.

Boundary

It does not supply a dedicated handset, SIM, subscriber, modem, radio condition, or permanent carrier IP.

Datacenter origin

Datacenter Proxies

Datacenter is a shared, rotating and bandwidth-billed hosting-network pool, not a dedicated or static allocation.

Session ceiling

Sticky max 120 min

On a new connection
Connection-based rotation; a fresh IP is not guaranteed.
With a session label
Requested sticky sessions up to 120 minutes; continuity can end early. Not static or dedicated.

Smallest current order

10 GB · $12.50 total · $1.25/GB · 31 days

Buy Datacenter Proxies · $12.50Review Datacenter Proxies pricing

Choose

A shared hosting-network origin is acceptable for a connection-rotating or temporarily sticky workload.

Boundary

It is not a dedicated or static allocation, even when a session label temporarily retains an exit.

Checkout carries the selected product, exact entry quantity, and this source page. No product is a static or dedicated IP allocation, and no fresh exit is promised.

Same gateway, different username

Compare a rotating connection with a ten-minute sticky request

Both cURL examples use the canonical HTTP proxy gateway, keep the password in an environment variable, set finite timeouts, and call a Databay-owned diagnostic. The sticky label is alphanumeric so no delimiter escaping is required.

Shared gateway

gw.databay.co:8888

Password boundary

DATABAY_PROXY_PASS

Controlled destination

https://databay.com/what-is-my-ip/json
No session labelBaseline username
USERNAME-zone-residential

Open a new proxy connection for another pool selection. Reusing one connection can retain the same exit, and a fresh or different IP is not guaranteed.

: "${DATABAY_PROXY_PASS:?Load DATABAY_PROXY_PASS from your secret store}"
# cURL URL-decodes --proxy-user once; %25 preserves literal % in routing values.
DATABAY_PROXY_USER='USERNAME-zone-residential'

curl --disable --silent --show-error --fail-with-body \
  --proxy 'http://gw.databay.co:8888' \
  --proxy-basic \
  --proxy-user "${DATABAY_PROXY_USER}:${DATABAY_PROXY_PASS}" \
  --connect-timeout 10 \
  --max-time 30 \
  'https://databay.com/what-is-my-ip/json'
Named sticky requestAdded username suffix
USERNAME-zone-residential-sessionId-workflow01-sessionLength-10

Reuse this exact session label to request ten minutes of continuity. The upstream route can still disappear before the requested window ends.

: "${DATABAY_PROXY_PASS:?Load DATABAY_PROXY_PASS from your secret store}"
# cURL URL-decodes --proxy-user once; %25 preserves literal % in routing values.
DATABAY_PROXY_USER='USERNAME-zone-residential-sessionId-workflow01-sessionLength-10'

curl --disable --silent --show-error --fail-with-body \
  --proxy 'http://gw.databay.co:8888' \
  --proxy-basic \
  --proxy-user "${DATABAY_PROXY_USER}:${DATABAY_PROXY_PASS}" \
  --connect-timeout 10 \
  --max-time 30 \
  'https://databay.com/what-is-my-ip/json'

Run one connection at a time first. Record the observed exit and UTC time; then test connection reuse, an intentional reconnect, and early sticky loss before adding concurrency.

Verification record · 2026-08-29

Measure connections and continuity, not marketing labels

A loopback gateway lab verifies the architecture of one gateway selecting among multiple exits and session affinity. It is not a Databay inventory or success benchmark. Live product facts define rotation on new connections and the current sticky ceilings.

  1. 01

    Record the client lifecycle

    Log when the client opens, reuses, and closes its proxy connection. A request count alone cannot establish rotation behavior.

  2. 02

    Observe the full sequence

    Retain repeated exits and failures. Do not discard them to manufacture a cleaner rotation result.

  3. 03

    Check sticky continuity

    Reuse the exact session label at meaningful checkpoints and record any change before the requested window ends.

  4. 04

    Stop on policy signals

    End the run on explicit denial, challenge, quota, or access-control responses instead of changing sessions to continue.

Databay session documentationBackconnect gateway labStatic versus rotating guide

Session questions

Resolve these before checkout

Are rotating, backconnect, and sticky proxies three separate products?

No. Backconnect describes the stable gateway in front of a pool. Rotating describes pool selection when a new proxy connection is opened. Sticky describes a temporary continuity request made with a session label. The selected residential, Flex, datacenter, or mobile network remains the product.

Does every request receive a new IP?

No. Databay rotation is tied to a new proxy connection, and even a new connection is not guaranteed a fresh or different exit. A client that reuses its connection can keep the same exit across multiple requests.

Is a sticky session a static or dedicated proxy?

No. A sticky session is a bounded routing request inside a shared pool. It does not reserve a permanent address, and continuity can end early when the upstream route disappears.

How long can a sticky session be requested?

The current product facts set the exact maximum. Premium Residential, Datacenter, and Mobile currently accept requested windows up to 120 minutes; Residential Flex accepts up to 30 minutes. The page withholds the product matrix if those facts are not current.

Why can two rotating checks show the same exit?

Connection reuse can retain an exit, and a new connection can select an address observed earlier. Record the connection lifecycle and complete exit sequence instead of treating one repeat as proof that rotation failed.

Should retries rotate around a destination refusal?

No. Define a bounded retry policy for normal transport failures. Stop on explicit denial, challenge, quota, or access-control responses and follow the destination rules rather than switching sessions to evade them.

Choose the network before the session label

Compare the four shared origins and current entry paths before selecting rotating or sticky behavior.

Compare all proxy products

  • Residential Proxies

    Select origin, then session behavior

  • Residential Flex

    Select origin, then session behavior

  • Mobile Proxies

    Select origin, then session behavior

  • Datacenter Proxies

    Select origin, then session behavior