Quick answer
Which terms matter in an African residential proxy project?
The AfricaProxies African proxy glossary defines the location, traffic and session terms used in regional business checks. Residential traffic starts at $0.50/GB as of 15 October 2026, with no KYC and crypto funding. Distinguish proxy connections from browser cookies, country settings from verified exits, and public telecom-market names from actual supplied inventory.
Terms tied to the current service
| Residential rate | From $0.50/GB |
|---|---|
| Targeting | Country and city targeting on every plan; in the United States also state and ZIP code; ASN targeting at no extra cost. City availability varies. |
| Rotation | Rotating mode: each new connection gets an IP from the pool, usually a different one. To get a new IP on every request, send one request per connection (turn off keep-alive). Sticky mode keeps one IP for the session time you set. |
| Sticky session | Sticky sessions keep the same IP for the time you set (ttl, in minutes), up to 30 minutes. The IP can change earlier, for example if the residential device goes offline. |
| Billing | Usage counts all data sent and received through the proxy (upload and download, headers included). 1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes. Connection attempts that fail before reaching the target are not counted. |
| Purchase policy | No KYC: no ID, no selfie, no documents to sign up, top up or buy. |
What do these African proxy terms mean?
- Residential proxy
A proxy route using a residential exit supplied through a partner network. It describes the address category. It does not establish an individual's identity, permanent address, target permission or a guaranteed result on an African marketplace.
- Exit IP
The address seen by a target when a request reaches it through the proxy. Record it with the timestamp during a test. An observed exit and the gateway address entered in your client are different addresses.
- Country targeting
A requested exit country for a connection. Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Ghana are separate market selections. The setting should be checked against the actual exit and does not automatically set a page's delivery address, currency or language.
- City targeting
A requested city within an exit country. Country and city targeting on every plan; in the United States also state and ZIP code; ASN targeting at no extra cost. City availability varies. A Lagos or Nairobi setting is not a permanent IP allocation; availability and database classification need to be checked for the test.
- ASN
An autonomous system number identifying a network's routing system. It can help describe the network behind an address. A public ISP or ASN listed in a country resource is market context unless confirmed as available supply.
- ISP
An internet service provider serving local users. Its presence in an African market does not prove that AfricaProxies offers its addresses. An ISP name and a mobile carrier name can also refer to different access products.
- Rotating mode
A mode in which new connections obtain an address from the pool according to the rotation policy. Rotating mode: each new connection gets an IP from the pool, usually a different one. To get a new IP on every request, send one request per connection (turn off keep-alive). Sticky mode keeps one IP for the session time you set. Reused HTTPS connections can retain a route, so one application request is not always one new proxy connection.
- Keep-alive
Connection reuse by a client rather than opening a fresh connection for each request. It affects how rotation is observed. A Python session or browser can reuse a connection even when the project makes several page requests.
- Sticky session
A requested session that aims to retain one exit for the configured time. Sticky sessions keep the same IP for the time you set (ttl, in minutes), up to 30 minutes. The IP can change earlier, for example if the residential device goes offline. This helps continuity in an authorised QA run but does not replace the browser's own cookie or login session.
- TTL
The session time setting, expressed in minutes in the documented proxy format. It sets a requested ceiling; it cannot keep an offline residential device connected. Use the current service limit when configuring a test.
- HTTP CONNECT
The proxy method commonly used to establish a tunnel for HTTPS traffic. Several encrypted requests may use that open tunnel. This explains why changing application requests does not necessarily change the exit IP.
- SOCKS5
A proxy protocol supported by suitable clients. DNS handling depends on the client and configuration; a hostname-aware client can pass the target hostname through the proxy. Do not assume every browser or device handles it identically.
- Geolocation database
A dataset estimating where an IP address is located. Databases can disagree about the city or change classifications. Name the source in a location-sensitive African QA report instead of treating its result as a physical-address proof.
- Market locale
The country, language and formatting settings used for a market observation. An English Kenyan page and a French West African page can have different content choices; an exit IP alone does not set all locale fields.
- Delivery region
The destination used by a marketplace to calculate availability, fees or offers. It should remain consistent within a price comparison. A Nigerian exit is not a substitute for explicitly recording the selected Nigerian delivery destination.
- NGN, ZAR, KES and GHS
Currency codes for the Nigerian naira, South African rand, Kenyan shilling and Ghanaian cedi. Keep the currency code beside a price. If you convert prices for comparison, record the exchange-rate source and observation time.
- GB
The traffic billing unit. Usage counts all data sent and received through the proxy (upload and download, headers included). 1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes. Connection attempts that fail before reaching the target are not counted. A saved HTML file is only part of what a client can transfer; images, headers and other requested resources can affect measured use.
- Top-up
A crypto payment credited to the account's prepaid balance. The minimum is $25. A top-up is different from a plan purchase and must use the exact coin and network shown on the payment page.
- USDT TRC-20
USDT transferred on the Tron network, one of the supported payment choices. The token and network must both match checkout instructions. A payment network label is not evidence that the payment is permitted for every resident or business.
- No KYC
No KYC: no ID, no selfie, no documents to sign up, top up or buy. It describes which purchase documents the service requests. It does not remove account records, lawful disclosure, sanctions restrictions or the target site's access rules.
- Balance credit
An amount credited back to the prepaid account under the applicable plan return rule. It is different from sending crypto to a wallet or reversing a blockchain transaction. Read the refund policy for product-specific conditions.
- Country resource
An article documenting a market's cities, networks, business uses and sourced context. It is an editorial resource. Current supply, available city exits and individual carrier selection remain separate service questions.
- Authorised control request
A small request to an endpoint you own or are permitted to test, used to diagnose a route. A successful result verifies that observation only; it does not establish all countries, all targets or overall service uptime.
Glossary questions for African business teams
Is a country parameter the same as a delivery address?
No. The parameter requests an exit country; the delivery address is a market setting applied by the target. Keep both in a marketplace comparison. Otherwise two observations can use the right country exits but still describe offers for different delivery destinations.
Does an ISP mentioned in a resource mean it is selectable?
No. It describes the local market unless confirmed as service supply. ASN targeting is a feature under the current targeting claim, but a feature is different from a particular network being available in the pool at the time of your test.
Is a sticky session a permanent residential address?
No. Sticky sessions keep the same IP for the time you set (ttl, in minutes), up to 30 minutes. The IP can change earlier, for example if the residential device goes offline. It is a continuity setting with a limit and possible early change. A permanent address requirement belongs to a different product decision and should not be inferred from a sticky residential session.
Can two location tools show different African cities?
Yes. IP geolocation is a database classification rather than direct proof of a device's physical address. Record the source, date and country result. If a city mismatch invalidates your application test, stop and ask support to assess the selected route.
Why can recorded file size differ from billed traffic?
The saved file can omit transferred headers, uploads or other resources requested by the client. Usage counts all data sent and received through the proxy (upload and download, headers included). 1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes. Connection attempts that fail before reaching the target are not counted. Use the plan's measured usage for budget and credit-rule decisions rather than estimating from a single locally saved file.
What is the difference between top-up and package price?
A top-up funds the account balance; a package purchase consumes part of that balance. The minimum top-up is $25, while residential rates start at $0.50/GB as of October 2026. Read the full package total and balance policy before sending crypto.