Selenium is a powerful tool for automating web browsers. But when it comes to scraping dynamic content or accessing geo-restricted pages, your IP address can quickly become a limiting factor. That’s where residential proxies come in — they help you rotate real IPs from real devices, making your automation efforts more robust and less likely to get blocked.

In this guide, we'll cover:

- ✅ What residential proxies are

- 🧠 Why they're useful with Selenium

- ⚙️ How to configure Selenium with a residential proxy (step-by-step)

- 🛡 Tips to avoid detection

What Are Residential Proxies?

Residential proxies route your traffic through IP addresses assigned to real devices by Internet Service Providers (ISPs). This makes your requests appear as if they’re coming from an ordinary user, not a data center or bot.

This is especially useful for:

- Scraping retail websites with aggressive bot protection

- Automating geo-specific tasks (e.g., checking prices in different countries)

- Avoiding IP bans on platforms like Google, Instagram, or LinkedIn

Want to try it yourself? Check out Vital’s Residential Proxy plans – they’re affordable, fast, and cover 180+ countries.

Why Selenium + Residential Proxies?

Selenium opens a real browser window, which makes it great for scraping JavaScript-heavy sites. But that also makes your IP a major fingerprint.

Using a rotating pool of residential IPs with Selenium gives you the power of real browser automation with the stealth of residential traffic. That’s a combo hard to beat.

How to Use a Residential Proxy in Selenium (Python Example)

Here’s how to plug a proxy into your Selenium workflow using Chrome:

Step 1: Choose a Proxy

Let’s say your residential proxy is:

1proxy_host = 'us.resi.vitalproxies.com'
2proxy_port = '5000'
3proxy_user = 'your_username'
4proxy_pass = 'your_password'

You can get a free trial or buy proxies from Vital if you need credentials.

Step 2: Configure Chrome with Proxy Auth

You’ll need to add a proxy extension to handle authentication. Here’s how:

1from selenium import webdriver
2import zipfile
3
4proxy_host = 'us.resi.vitalproxies.com'
5proxy_port = '5000'
6proxy_user = 'your_username'
7proxy_pass = 'your_password'
8
9# Create a proxy extension dynamically
10manifest_json = """
11{
12    "version": "1.0.0",
13    "manifest_version": 2,
14    "name": "Proxy",
15    "permissions": [
16        "proxy",
17        "tabs",
18        "unlimitedStorage",
19        "storage",
20        "<all_urls>",
21        "webRequest",
22        "webRequestBlocking"
23    ],
24    "background": {
25        "scripts": ["background.js"]
26    }
27}
28"""
29
30background_js = f"""
31var config = {{
32        mode: "fixed_servers",
33        rules: {{
34          singleProxy: {{
35            scheme: "http",
36            host: "{proxy_host}",
37            port: parseInt({proxy_port})
38          }},
39          bypassList: ["localhost"]
40        }}
41      }};
42chrome.proxy.settings.set({{value: config, scope: "regular"}}, function() {{}});
43
44chrome.webRequest.onAuthRequired.addListener(
45    function(details) {{
46        return {{
47            authCredentials: {{
48                username: "{proxy_user}",
49                password: "{proxy_pass}"
50            }}
51        }};
52    }},
53    {{urls: ["<all_urls>"]}},
54    ['blocking']
55);
56"""
57
58# Save extension
59pluginfile = 'proxy_auth_plugin.zip'
60with zipfile.ZipFile(pluginfile, 'w') as zp:
61    zp.writestr("manifest.json", manifest_json)
62    zp.writestr("background.js", background_js)
63
64# Set up Chrome options
65options = webdriver.ChromeOptions()
66options.add_extension(pluginfile)
67
68driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=options)
69driver.get('https://httpbin.org/ip')
70

You should now see the IP returned from your residential proxy!

Tips to Avoid Getting Blocked

Even with residential IPs, you can still get detected if you don't behave like a real user. Here are some extra tips:

- ⏳ Add realistic delays: Don’t spam requests.

- 🔁 Rotate user agents: Each session should have a different browser signature.

- 🧼 Clear cookies/session storage: Avoid reuse.

- 📍 Use geotargeted proxies: If you're accessing region-specific content, use IPs from that region.

You can configure all these and more by choosing the right setup at Vital Proxies.

Final Thoughts

Residential proxies + Selenium = a powerful combination. You get stealth, stability, and flexibility — all essential for serious web automation.

Just remember: with great power comes great responsibility. Always respect the terms of service of the websites you interact with.

Want to give it a spin?
👉 Get started with residential proxies on Vital

Happy scraping!

How to Use Residential Proxies with Selenium