# Rotation

In the realm of proxy sessions, we offer two distinct types of rotation: 'Sticky' and 'Randomize'. Each type serves a different purpose, catering to the varying needs of our users.

### Sticky

This option allows you to maintain a consistent proxy for the duration of your session. With sticky sessions, you can configure a 'lifetime' parameter, which determines how long the same proxy will be used before it switches to a new one. This is particularly useful for tasks that require a sustained connection to the same IP address, such as maintaining a consistent session while accessing web resources that have session-based authentication or tracking.

1. The `_session-` key instructs our routing system to either create or resolve a unique session for the connection. The value assigned to this key must be a random alphanumeric string, precisely **8 characters** in length. This ensures the uniqueness and integrity of the session.
2. The `_lifetime-` key directs the router regarding the duration for which the session remains valid. The minimum duration is set at **1 second**, and the maximum extends to **7 days**. It is crucial to note the format here: only one unit of time can be specified. This parameter plays a pivotal role in defining the operational span of a sticky session, balancing between session stability and security needs.<br>

Examples:

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="cURL" %}

```
curl -v -x http://username123:password321_country-br_session-sgn34f3e_lifetime-10m@geo.iproyal.com:12321 -L http://example.com
```

{% endtab %}

{% tab title="PHP" %}

```php
<?php
$username = 'username123';
$password = 'password321_country-br_session-sgn34f3e_lifetime-10m';
$proxy = 'geo.iproyal.com:12321';
$url = 'http://example.com';

$ch = curl_init();
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $url);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_PROXY, $proxy);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_PROXYUSERPWD, "$username:$password");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);

$response = curl_exec($ch);

if (curl_errno($ch)) {
    echo 'Error:' . curl_error($ch);
} else {
    echo $response;
}

curl_close($ch);
?>
```

{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Python" %}

```python
import requests
from requests.auth import HTTPProxyAuth

username = 'username123'
password = 'password321_country-br_session-sgn34f3e_lifetime-10m'
proxy = 'geo.iproyal.com:12321'
url = 'http://example.com'

proxies = {
    'http': f'http://{proxy}',
    'https': f'http://{proxy}',
}

auth = HTTPProxyAuth(username, password)

response = requests.get(url, proxies=proxies, auth=auth)

print(response.text)
```

{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Node.js" %}

```javascript
const http = require('http');

const username = 'username123';
const password = 'password321_country-br_session-sgn34f3e_lifetime-10m';
const proxyHost = 'geo.iproyal.com';
const proxyPort = 12321;
const targetUrl = 'http://example.com';

const targetUrlObj = new URL(targetUrl);
const targetHost = targetUrlObj.host;
const targetPath = targetUrlObj.pathname;

const auth = 'Basic ' + Buffer.from(`${username}:${password}`).toString('base64');

const options = {
  host: proxyHost,
  port: proxyPort,
  method: 'GET',
  path: targetUrl,
  headers: {
    'Host': targetHost,
    'Proxy-Authorization': auth
  }
};

const req = http.request(options, (res) => {
  let data = '';

  res.on('data', (chunk) => {
    data += chunk;
  });

  res.on('end', () => {
    console.log(data);
  });
});

req.on('error', (error) => {
  console.error('Error:', error.message);
});

req.end();
```

{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

### Randomize

Randomize sessions provide a new proxy with each request. This means that every time you make a request, it comes from a different IP address. This approach is ideal for tasks that require a high level of anonymity and reduced traceability, such as web scraping or accessing content without revealing a consistent identity.&#x20;

**To use this type of rotation, you don't need to add anything to the proxy string.**

**Note**: To reduce IP rotation and improve performance of your proxies, add the  `_forcerandom-1` tag to your proxy string. This will increase the pool of selected locations.&#x20;


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.iproyal.com/proxies/residential/proxy/rotation.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.