SOP 003: Configure Proxies

Fresh

Field	Value
SOP ID	SOP-003
Version	1.0
Status	Active
Source	Steel Proxies Docs

Overview

Proxies make browser sessions appear to originate from different locations and IP addresses. Steel offers managed residential proxies and BYOP (Bring Your Own Proxy).

Prerequisites

• Steel account (Developer plan+ for managed proxies)
• steel-sdk installed

Decision Flow

Proxy Options Comparison

Feature	No Proxy (Default)	Steel-Managed	BYOP
Best For	General access, testing	Sites blocking datacenter IPs	Full infrastructure control
IP Type	Datacenter	Residential	Any
Cost	Free	Billed per GB	No Steel charge
Availability	All plans	Developer+	All plans

Procedure

Option A: Steel-Managed Residential Proxies

// Basic - US residential IP
const session = await client.sessions.create({
  useProxy: true
});

// Target specific country
const session = await client.sessions.create({
  useProxy: {
    geolocation: { country: "GB" }
  }
});

// Target US state
const session = await client.sessions.create({
  useProxy: {
    geolocation: { country: "US", state: "NY" }
  }
});

// Target specific city
const session = await client.sessions.create({
  useProxy: {
    geolocation: { city: "LOS_ANGELES" }
  }
});

Start Broad

Country-level targeting has the largest IP pool and highest quality. Only use city-level when strictly required.

Option B: Bring Your Own Proxy (BYOP)

const session = await client.sessions.create({
  useProxy: {
    server: "http://username:password@proxy.example.com:8080"
  }
});

Supported formats:

• http://username:password@hostname:port
• https://username:password@hostname:port
• socks5://username:password@hostname:port

Best Practices

1. Test without proxies first - Save costs if datacenter IPs work
2. Start with broad targeting - Country > State > City
3. Build retry logic - Proxy errors like ERR_TUNNEL_CONNECTION_FAILED are normal
4. Monitor success rates with narrow targeting
5. Try different regions if consistently blocked

Verification Checklist

• [ ] Session creates with proxy enabled
• [ ] Target site accessible through proxy
• [ ] IP address differs from datacenter IP
• [ ] Geographic targeting matches expected location
• [ ] No persistent ERR_TUNNEL_CONNECTION_FAILED errors

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
ERR_TUNNEL_CONNECTION_FAILED	Retry - these are transient. Steel auto-rotates on retry
ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED	Check BYOP proxy server is online and accessible
Persistent blocking	Change geographic region or try BYOP
High failure rate with city targeting	Switch to country-level targeting
Site on compliance blocklist	Use BYOP or contact Steel support

See Also

• SOP 001: Create & Manage Sessions
• SOP 004: CAPTCHA Solving
• Quick Reference: Commands