Guides, Tutorials & Insights
Learn about residential proxies, web scraping, data collection strategies, and industry best practices from the Shifter team.
Alternative Data for Investment Research: The Compliance Layer Nobody Documents
Web data can give investors an edge, and a compliance problem. What funds ask of alternative data, why it matters, and how to build datasets that pass review.
Sofia Marin · October 14, 2026 How to Buy ISP Proxies Without Wasting Money on the Wrong Provider
ISP proxies are sold per IP, so mistakes cost money every month. What to decide before you buy, what to check during a trial, and the traps to avoid.
James Meadow · October 13, 2026 Free Web Proxy Explained: How Can You Browse the Web Without Installing Anything?
How a free web proxy works inside your browser tab, what websites see, what loads well and what does not, and how to choose one without installing anything.
Chris Collins · October 13, 2026 Localisation QA at Scale: Catching What Only Breaks in One Market
Localised sites break in ways no one in head office ever sees. How to test every market as a local visitor would, and the checks that catch the bugs.
Daniel Okafor · October 13, 2026 Introducing Sub-Accounts and the Shifter Reseller Program
Track Residential Proxies traffic per customer with sub-accounts in the proxy username, read it in the panel and over the API, and resell Shifter bandwidth on your own platform.
James Meadow · October 13, 2026 Introducing the Shifter Browser Extension for Chrome and Firefox
Today we're launching the Shifter browser extension. Route Chrome or Firefox through your Residential Proxies or ISP Proxies plan, pick a location and keep a sticky IP, with no proxy setup.
James Meadow · October 13, 2026 When Should You Rotate Proxy IPs? A Decision Framework for Sessions, Cost and Success Rates
Rotate per request, hold a sticky session, or keep a fixed ISP IP? A simple framework for choosing, based on how your requests belong together.
Chris Collins · October 12, 2026 The Best ISP Proxy Setup for Long Sessions and Persistent Logins
How to set up ISP proxies for hours-long sessions and logins that stay logged in: one IP per account, a persistent profile and an exit check first.
Matt Brown · October 12, 2026 Do CAPTCHAs Stop Bots or Just Slow Them Down? Measuring Deterrence Against Solve Rate
What two decades of research says about CAPTCHAs: how long they cost humans, how often bots and AI agents solve them, and why they now work as a cost.
Elena Petrova · October 11, 2026