Sticky session
A sticky session holds one exit address for a set window so a login survives. 29 of the 42 providers Proxy Compare tracks offer them, read 5 Oct 2026, and only 0 publish a maximum duration. The ceilings vary enormously, which makes the number matter more than the feature.
Why it costs you money
The maximum duration is the number to check before buying, and providers differ widely on it. If your flow takes longer than the cap, the address changes mid-way and the work is lost, so a cheaper provider with a shorter cap can end up costing more in retries.
See it in the data
Related terms
- Rotating proxyA connection that hands you a different address on each request, or on a timer. The default for scraping at volume.
- ISP proxyA hosted address registered to a consumer internet provider. Residential-looking identity at datacenter speed, and it stays yours.
- BackconnectOne gateway address that fans out to the whole pool behind it, so your code never handles an address list.
- Session durationHow long a provider will keep giving you the same address before it rotates, measured in minutes or requests.
- Exit nodeThe address a target website actually sees. Everything before it in the chain is invisible to the site you are fetching.
- Every term we define
Questions
How is a sticky session different from a static address?
A sticky session holds a pool address for a window; a static address stays yours between sessions. 29 of the 42 providers offer sticky sessions and 25 sell static addresses, read 5 Oct 2026.
Can I choose which address I get?
Almost never. You are choosing that it stays the same, not which one it is, and if it drops part way through the window most providers hand you a new one without warning.
How long can one last?
0 of the 42 providers publish a maximum, the longest at an unstated hours, read 5 Oct 2026. Where none is published the ceiling still exists and you discover it by hitting it.