Sticky session

A sticky session is a proxy connection that deliberately keeps the same IP address for a set period, so every request you make in that window leaves from one address. It is the opposite setting to a rotating proxy, and most pool-based providers let you choose a duration — a few minutes, ten minutes, half an hour.

Why it matters when you buy proxies

Anything that remembers you needs a stable address. Logins, shopping carts, multi-step forms and two-factor prompts all hang off a session cookie, and the site is watching whether the network under that cookie stays put. An address that changes mid-session is one of the clearest signals of a stolen session there is — so rotation at the wrong moment can trigger exactly the check you were trying to avoid.

The practical question when comparing providers is how long a session can stay stuck and whether it can be broken early by the pool. On a dedicated device there is no timer at all: the IP is yours until you choose to rotate it, so the session is as sticky as you want it to be.

A concrete example

You log into an account, upload a file, answer an email verification, and post. That is four requests spread over twenty minutes. With a ten-minute sticky window the address changes partway through and the platform may force a re-verification. With a dedicated IP it does not change at all.