Using proxy servers for checks

The Professional plan and above include proxy servers.

What is a Proxy server?

A Proxy server is a server application that acts as an intermediary between the serving site and the requesting client. When the client sends a web request, the request goes to the proxy server first. The proxy server then makes the web request on the client’s behalf, collects the response from the web server, and forwards the web page data to the client so the client can see the page in its own browser.

Why use Proxy servers for Distill cloud checks?

Distill cloud checks your monitors using a pool of datacenter IPs. All Distill subscribers share this pool of IPs. Most of these IPs originate from the US region.

You may need to use Proxy servers for Distill cloud checks in the following cases:

1. When a website blocks requests from datacenter IPs.
2. When you need to access a website from a particular region.

How to use the Proxy server to monitor webpage changes?

To use proxies that Distill provides, follow these steps:

1. Click Edit Options on your monitor to go to the Options page.
2. Click Open webpage selector.
3. Click on Proxy - Shared Pool. You will see a dropdown with the list of proxies you can choose from. Select the desired Proxy and click Save.

How to manage proxies and add new proxy?

Flexi and Enterprise plans include the ability to add custom proxies.

You can access the Proxy page by clicking on Manage Proxies as shown in the image above. Or, you can navigate to the Proxy server list from the Proxy page by following these steps:

1. Open your Watchlist from the Web app and click on the hamburger button ☰ as shown below.
2. Click on Proxies.

3. This will open the Proxy page. Click on Add New Proxy to add your own Proxy server for checks.

4. A pop-up opens where you need to add a name to your proxy and proceed to add a proxy that authenticates using username and password.

Use this format: username:password@address:port

For example: alpha:bravo@my-proxy-host:9000

5. Click Save.

Proxy plan and pricing details

The Professional plan and above include proxy servers. You can check the available proxies for your plan at https://monitor.distill.io/#/w/0/proxies/. Flexi and Enterprise plans include the ability to add custom proxies.

You can also see the pricing details for the proxies on the proxy page. Distill accounts for the cost of using a proxy as checks in your account. If a proxy’s cost is N, then 1 check using that proxy counts as N checks. For example, using the “Residential - US” proxy will consume 7 checks for each single monitor check.

How to handle EPROXY error?

The EPROXY error occurs when the proxy server cannot connect to the remote server you’re monitoring. This happens when the remote server blocks the default proxy server’s IP or location. When you encounter this error, try using a different proxy server for your webpage monitor.