Debugging a scraping pipeline is hard enough without cryptic HTTP status codes. If you're seeing errors instead of data, it's time to decode what the server is trying to tell you.
Here are the most common proxy errors and exactly how to resolve them.
1. HTTP 403 Forbidden
The server understands your request but refuses to authorize it.
- The Cause: Your IP has a bad reputation, your headers look like a bot, or you're trying to access a restricted region.
- The Fix: Switch to Elite residential (city + ISP) for hard 403s. A datacenter exit is a common cause — stay on residential.
2. HTTP 429 Too Many Requests
You've hit a rate limit.
- The Cause: You're sending too many requests from the same IP in a short window.
- The Fix: Rotate the IP on every request. If the job needs one identity, a sticky session holds a rotating-pool IP for 1–1440 minutes (default 30).
3. HTTP 407 Proxy Authentication Required
Your script isn't sending the correct credentials.
- The Cause: Wrong username/password or your server's IP isn't whitelisted.
- The Fix: Double-check your credentials in the Aethyn dashboard. Ensure you are using the correct format:
user:pass@proxy.aethyn.io:2099.
407 is a credential miss, not a block. Check username and whitelist — never log the password.
4. HTTP 502 / 504 Gateway Error
The proxy server is having trouble connecting to the target website.
- The Cause: The target site is down, or the residential peer has disconnected.
- The Fix: Implement retry logic. Residential exits can drop; a retry usually draws a new IP from the rotating pool.
[!IMPORTANT] Debug Tip: Always log the "Server" and "X-Cache" headers. They often contain clues about whether the block is coming from the proxy provider or the target website's CDN (like Cloudflare).
Troubleshooting Flowchart
- Is it 407? Check credentials.
- Is it 429? Slow down or increase rotation.
- Is it 403? Switch to Elite residential.
- Is it 5xx? Retry the request.
Stop Guessing, Start Scraping
Aethyn's dashboard provides detailed error analytics so you can spot and fix issues before they impact your data delivery.
Guides, integrations & docs
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