How to use proxies with Python requests and Playwright

Focus on proxy format, credentials, timeouts and retries. Avoid endless retries on one exit or switching IPs on every request within a logged-in workflow.

1. Proxy formats

Common HTTP proxy format:

http://username:password@host:port

Common SOCKS5 proxy format:

socks5://username:password@host:port

Preserve all country, city and session parameters in the generated credentials.

2. HTTP proxies with requests

import requests

proxy = "http://username:[email protected]:55688"
proxies = {
    "http": proxy,
    "https": proxy,
}

resp = requests.get("https://example.com", proxies=proxies, timeout=20)
print(resp.status_code)

Set a timeout and handle connection failures, timeouts and destination responses such as 429 or 403.

3. Proxies with Playwright

from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright

with sync_playwright() as p:
    browser = p.chromium.launch(
        proxy={
            "server": "http://us.mooproxy.net:55688",
            "username": "your_username",
            "password": "your_password",
        }
    )
    page = browser.new_page()
    page.goto("https://example.com")
    print(page.title())
    browser.close()

4. When to keep a session

• Use sticky sessions for logins, registration, forms and carts.
• For public-page collection, rotate between task batches.
• Do not change countries on each request for the same account.
• When checks appear, reduce request frequency and review the browser environment before changing exits.

5. Reliability tips

• Set a reasonable timeout, such as 15–30 seconds.
• Limit retries to 2–3 attempts rather than looping indefinitely.
• Record error causes and distinguish proxy failures from destination rejections.
• Group concurrent tasks by country and account; keep sessions separate.