Use rotating proxies for requests that can work independently. Use a sticky session when a sequence needs to request the same exit across new connections. Rotation is tied to connection handling, while sticky sessions are best-effort continuity: no PrivateByte tier guarantees a permanent IP.
Connections matter. Reusing one live connection can keep one exit even on a rotating tier.
A session requests continuity. Reconnecting or a residential network change can still move the exit.
Test cost and behaviour together. Fresh connections counted more bytes in our tiny-response datacenter test, but those historical counts are not universal.
A proxy does not decide whether a website sees a new visitor by IP alone. Cookies, accounts and request behaviour still matter. Rotating and sticky modes control the exit selection you request; they do not replace the website's own session handling.
Compare rotating connections and sticky sessions
| Question | Rotating connection mode | Sticky session mode |
|---|---|---|
| When is an exit selected? | When a new connection opens | A session identifier requests continuity across connections |
| What happens on one reused connection? | Requests use that connection's exit | Requests use that connection's exit |
| Typical fit | Independent public-page requests | A login, form or other sequence needing continuity |
| Main limit | A fresh connection is not a permanent or dedicated IP | Availability can interrupt continuity before the requested duration |
| PrivateByte example | Datacenter Rotating | Standard timed sessions |
The public tier page, checked 14 November 2026, lists Datacenter Rotating at $0.75/GB with no sessions and Standard at $2.50/GB with timed sessions. Essential starts at $1.50/GB with best-effort sessions; use a supported timed-session tier when you need to request a duration.
What rotating means for a real client
A rotating proxy selects an exit for a new connection. If a client pools and reuses a connection, several HTTP requests can leave through the same exit. Opening a fresh connection requests another selection; it should not be treated as a promise that an address can never repeat.
In a small cURL check on 6 November 2026, four separate requests through each of Datacenter Rotating, Standard and Essential produced four distinct exits per tier. The sample illustrates the observed behaviour; four requests cannot establish pool size or a long-run uniqueness rate.
Check your library's pooling behaviour and observe exits in a small controlled test. If your task needs independent rotations, confirm that new connections are actually opening. If it needs continuity, do not rely on one connection remaining open indefinitely.
What sticky means for a multi-step flow
A sticky session uses a session identifier to request a consistent exit across requests and connections. In a separate 6 November check, three requests with one Standard session identifier used the same exit.
A requested duration is an upper bound you ask for, not guaranteed uptime for that address. A residential connection can disappear during the flow, causing the session to move. Your application should check whether it is still signed in and recover from interrupted state.
The sticky-session documentation explains the syntax and supported timed-session tiers. Choose a duration that covers the intended sequence, and start a separate session for a separate task. If an unchanged dedicated address is essential, request a product that explicitly provides one.
Choosing a mode for the workflow
Use rotation when each request can stand alone and a changed exit does not break the task. A public-page collection job may fit this pattern, subject to the target's rules and your own acceptance test.
Use a sticky session when a login, cart or multi-page form benefits from the same exit across new connections. Keep the required cookies and application state too. Holding an IP does not preserve those automatically, and it does not make a strict website accept the traffic.
Why connection reuse can affect cost
In the dated datacenter bandwidth run, a tiny HTTPS response counted as 4,399 bytes on a fresh connection and about 191 bytes on one reused connection. Reusing the connection avoided repeating setup for each response. These measurements came from the datacenter tier only.
The difference was about 4,208 bytes per request: roughly 4.21 decimal GB across a million requests. At the checked $0.75/GB datacenter retail rate, that historical traffic difference would be about $3.16. It is an illustration, not a promised saving on another target or under current metering rules.
Large responses change the calculation. In the companion test, a 1 MiB response counted only about 1% above its body size. Read the full byte measurement and the current billing guidance before budgeting a job.
Common questions
Does every HTTP request get a new IP? Not if the client reuses a connection. Rotation depends on when the client opens new connections, and a new selection is not a guarantee against an address ever repeating.
Can Datacenter Rotating use a sticky session? No. PrivateByte lists it as rotating only, without sessions. Reusing one live connection is possible, but it is not a timed session across reconnects.
How long does a sticky session keep its IP? You request a supported duration as described in the sticky-session documentation. The exit can change earlier if availability changes, so no duration guarantees an unchanged address.
Will changing IP hide automation? No. A website can consider headers, cookies, accounts and request patterns as well as IP origin. Rotation does not guarantee access.
Is sticky always cheaper? No. The tier's rate, response sizes, retries and connection handling determine usage and spend. Our small datacenter test compared fresh and reused connections, not the billed cost of every sticky and rotating tier.