A beginner-friendly guide for Linux. No programming knowledge needed - just follow each step in order. Written for a fresh server (or a normal desktop) with nothing installed.

. Every tool gets its own install step below. Do the steps 

 and do not skip any. The four most common mistakes are:

 - only text and numbers. It works on a server with no screen.

. It already contains the whole program and a saved example (

) so you can try it before going online. 

 is a window where you type commands instead of clicking buttons. Every command in this guide is typed here, then you press 

If you are on a server (a droplet/VPS), you are already inside a terminal after you connect. Skip to the check below.

It prints the folder you are currently in. If it prints a path like 

Step 2: Install the Basic Tools (unzip and curl)

 installer. Neither is installed by default on a fresh Linux system, so install them now.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y unzip curl

Each should print version information. If either says 

, run the install command again and read the error message.

Step 3: Get the Project (extract into a folder named 

. If you just double-click "Extract Here," the files (

, ...) get dumped loose into the current folder, and later 

# 1. Go to where the uploaded zip lives (usually your home folder)
cd ~

# 2. Create the destination folder
mkdir -p youtube

# 3. Extract the zip's contents INTO that folder (-d means destination)
unzip -o youtube.zip -d youtube

# 4. Enter the folder
cd youtube

# 5. Confirm the files are here
ls

Already extracted the files loose somewhere?

mkdir -p ~/youtube
mv api.py constants.py fetch_sample.py main.py pyproject.toml \
   youtube_parse.py uv.lock sample.json index.html TUTORIAL.md \
   models data ~/youtube/
cd ~/youtube

Errors about files that are "not found" are fine if those files are already in place.

 the zip is not in your home folder. Find it with 

 into the folder it printed before running 

From now on, every command is run while inside 

 problem (and means you never install Python by hand)

 is a fast tool that installs the Python libraries this project needs - including 

, so you do not install Python - and you should not try to.

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

 (installed in Step 2) to download the installer and run it. It puts 

 so it can find the new program. (Or run 

, add the folder to your PATH, then reload it:

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
uv --version

Step 5: Install yt-dlp (into the project's own 

Should print a date-like version such as 

. The apt version is often months out of date and stops working with YouTube. The project's copy in 

 YouTube changes often. If fetching suddenly stops working, update yt-dlp first:

 go back to Step 4. If it fails with network/download errors, check your internet connection and run 

libatomic.so.1: cannot open shared object file

First run - read the saved example (no internet used)

Using cached /home/<you>/youtube/sample.json (55119 bytes)

============================================================
VIDEO: Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Official Video) (4K Remaster)
============================================================
  url        : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
  video id   : dQw4w9WgXcQ
  channel    : Rick Astley  (4,550,000 subs)
  likes      : 19,490,351   views: 1,828,540,610
  uploaded   : 20091025   duration: 213s
  desc       : The official video for “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley. ...
  tags       : rick astley, Never Gonna Give You Up, nggyu, ...

  SUBTITLES (6 tracks)
    en       manual   89 lines  English
    de-DE    manual   75 lines  German (Germany)
    ja       manual   83 lines  Japanese
    pt-BR    manual   69 lines  Portuguese (Brazil)
    es-419   manual   69 lines  Spanish (Latin America)
    en       auto     52 lines  English (Original)

  TOP COMMENTS (20)
     1. @grustache4569  (105,000 likes)
        I Rick rolled my entire French class because we had to study a city ...
     2. @candycake9531  (292,000 likes)
        Is everyone going to ignore the fact that Rick Astley looks like ...
  ...

============================================================
Saved full result to /home/<you>/youtube/data/dQw4w9WgXcQ.json
Done.

 subtitles were uploaded by the video's owner (one per language). 

 is YouTube's automatic speech-to-text, in the language spoken in the video. YouTube's machine translations into ~150 other languages are skipped on purpose.

The comments are in YouTube's "Top comments" order

 - the same order you see on the website - not sorted by number of likes. A pinned comment is marked 

Copy the video's link from your browser's address bar, then:

uv run python main.py --url "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw" --fetch

) and live links work too. It takes about 5 seconds and prints its progress:

Fetching metadata and top comments for https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw ...
  got 20 comments
  subtitle en (manual): 440 bytes
  subtitle de (manual): 338 bytes
Backed up previous sample.json to sample.json.bak
Saved 16272 bytes to /home/<you>/youtube/sample.json

...followed by the same summary as Step 6.

, the program stops and tells you there is no downloaded copy of that video. That is on purpose - it will not show you the wrong video's data. Just add 

 Every run saves the complete result - full description, every subtitle (as text and as a 

 subtitle file's contents), and all comments - to 

. Open it with any text editor, or view it with:

Proxyrack

Company

How to Scrape a Youtube Video (likes count, descriptions, subtitles and top comments)

 are intermediary servers that route internet requests through IP addresses hosted on data center infrastructure. Instead of connecting directly to a website from your own IP address, your application sends its requests through a proxy server, which forwards them to the destination.

Businesses, developers, and data teams use datacenter proxies for tasks such as web scraping, search engine monitoring, price tracking, website testing, and automated data collection.

Their main advantages are cost efficiency, scalable infrastructure, and the potential for fast, consistent connections. However, datacenter IP addresses can be easier for some websites to identify and restrict than residential IP addresses.

Datacenter proxies are often a good choice when you need to process many requests efficiently and your target websites accept traffic from data center networks.

Whether they're right for your project depends on the destination website, the number of requests you need to make, the required IP locations, and whether your workflow needs rotating or stable IP addresses.

A datacenter proxy acts as an intermediary between your application and the website or service you're accessing.

Consider a company that monitors product prices across several online stores. Rather than sending every request directly from its own network, the company can configure its data collection software to connect through a datacenter proxy.

The process typically follows four steps:

The destination generally sees the proxy's outgoing IP address as the source of the connection, rather than your original public IP address. However, this does not make every aspect of the request anonymous. Websites may use cookies, account information, browser characteristics, request patterns, and other signals to identify traffic.

The exact behavior also depends on the proxy protocol and configuration.

A datacenter proxy server is the server infrastructure that receives and forwards proxy requests. It may operate one IP address or provide access to a larger pool of IP addresses, depending on the provider's architecture.

Some services assign a consistent IP address to a connection, while others distribute requests across a rotating pool. These differences affect how you should configure your proxy for a particular task.

For example, an automated monitoring application may benefit from rotating IPs when collecting data across many permitted requests, while a workflow that relies on a consistent source IP may benefit from a static proxy.

Do Datacenter Proxies Hide Your IP Address?

Datacenter proxies can mask your original IP address from the destination website by routing requests through a different IP address.

However, IP masking is not the same as complete anonymity or encryption. A proxy does not automatically encrypt all traffic, prevent tracking, or guarantee that a website will accept a request.

For encrypted connections, HTTPS protects data in transit between the application and the destination, subject to the connection configuration. The proxy itself does not replace good account security, appropriate privacy practices, or compliance with the destination's policies.

Datacenter proxies can be categorized in several ways. The most important distinction for many users is whether IP addresses rotate or remain consistent. Providers may also distinguish between shared and dedicated access.

 distribute requests across a pool of IP addresses according to the provider's rotation rules.

Depending on the service, the IP address may change with each request, connection, or session, or after a configured interval. Rotation behavior is not identical across providers, so check the available session and port settings before choosing a plan.

Rotating datacenter proxies are useful for:

For example, an e-commerce analytics team might collect publicly available product information from several permitted sources. A rotating proxy setup can distribute connections across multiple IP addresses instead of relying on one address for every request.

Rotation does not guarantee access or prevent blocking. Websites may identify and restrict traffic based on IP reputation, request frequency, browser signals, authentication, and other factors.

 provide a consistent IP address rather than automatically changing the outgoing IP for every request.

This can be useful when an application expects a stable network endpoint or when a service uses IP allowlisting as part of its access controls.

Static datacenter proxies are useful for:

For example, a development team might test a web application from a consistent US-based IP address to make its testing process more repeatable.

A static IP does not guarantee a persistent login session. Session continuity may also depend on cookies, authentication tokens, account settings, and the destination application's own behavior.

Shared datacenter proxies are used by multiple customers, according to the provider's allocation model.

Sharing can make proxy access more cost-effective, but other users' activity may affect an IP address's reputation. Actual performance and reliability depend on how the provider manages its network and allocates resources.

Shared proxies can be suitable for general data collection, testing, and other workflows where exclusive IP ownership is not necessary.

Dedicated datacenter proxies are assigned exclusively to one customer for the relevant service period.

They can provide more control over who uses an IP address, which may be valuable for specialized workflows. However, dedicated access generally costs more, and exclusivity does not guarantee that an IP will never be flagged, restricted, or blocked.

 Static versus rotating describes IP behavior. Shared versus dedicated describes access allocation. They are different characteristics, not interchangeable terms. A proxy can be static and shared, for example.

What Are the Benefits of Datacenter Proxies?

Datacenter proxies are popular because they offer a practical combination of infrastructure, flexibility, and cost efficiency.

Datacenter proxies use server-hosted infrastructure and can offer fast connections with low latency. This can be advantageous for applications that send many requests or need to process data efficiently.

Actual speed depends on network routing, server load, connection limits, the destination website, and the provider's infrastructure. A datacenter proxy is not automatically faster in every situation.

Datacenter proxies are often more affordable than residential proxies. For large projects, the difference can matter when many requests need to be processed.

If your target websites accept datacenter traffic, they can be a practical option for collecting public product data, monitoring search results, or running automated checks.

The most cost-effective choice is the one that meets your success-rate and performance requirements without paying for capabilities you do not need.

Datacenter proxy services can support workloads that require many connections, depending on the provider's IP pool, plan limits, and network capacity.

This makes them useful for businesses that need to scale data collection or testing as their requirements grow.

Before scaling, evaluate concurrency, available IPs, geographic coverage, request limits, and the destination website's acceptable-use requirements.

Depending on the service, you may be able to choose between rotating connections and sticky sessions.

A rotating setup is useful when different requests need to use different IP addresses. A sticky session keeps the same IP associated with a connection for a specified period, where supported.

These options let you align proxy behavior with your application's requirements rather than relying on one configuration for every workflow.

Some datacenter proxy services allow you to select IPs from particular countries, cities, or other supported locations.

This can help with localized website testing, regional content checks, and search result research. Available locations and targeting precision vary by provider and product.

Geographic targeting indicates the location associated with the proxy IP. It does not guarantee that a website will return localized content, since sites may use other signals such as account settings, cookies, or browser preferences.

Datacenter proxies can be configured in many scripts, browsers, scraping tools, and applications that support proxy connections.

They are useful for scheduled checks, repeatable data collection, and testing workflows that would otherwise send requests directly from a single network.

Compatibility depends on the software, supported protocols, authentication method, and proxy service configuration.

The right proxy depends on what you're trying to accomplish and how the target website handles automated traffic.

1. Web Scraping and Public Data Collection

Web scraping involves retrieving information from websites and processing it for analysis or other permitted purposes.

Datacenter proxies can support large-scale data collection when the target website accepts datacenter IP traffic. Typical projects include collecting public product information, catalog details, business listings, or other publicly accessible web content.

 A retail analytics team wants to monitor publicly listed prices and product availability across a group of online stores. A scraper can request the relevant pages through a datacenter proxy service and process the returned information.

For more complex scraping projects, the proxy is only one part of the system. The application may also need parsing logic, retries, rate control, response validation, and monitoring for changes to page structure.

Some websites actively restrict automated traffic. If datacenter IPs have low success rates for a particular target, a residential proxy or a scraping API may be more appropriate.

2. SEO Monitoring and Search Result Research

SEO teams monitor search engine results pages (SERPs) to understand rankings, competitors, and how results vary across locations.

Datacenter proxies can help support repeatable search checks and location-dependent research, provided the relevant search engine permits the activity.

Search engines may restrict automated queries. For frequent or large-scale SERP collection, use appropriate request limits and evaluate whether a specialized search API is a better fit.

3. Price Monitoring and Competitor Analysis

Businesses use price monitoring to understand market changes, compare product availability, and support pricing decisions.

Datacenter proxies can help automate checks across online stores when those stores allow the relevant requests.

For example, a retailer could collect publicly listed prices from selected product pages on a schedule and compare them against its own catalog.

The quality of the resulting data still depends on the collection logic, product matching, update frequency, and whether the source pages provide accurate and accessible information.

E-commerce teams may need to track product listings, stock status, and catalog changes across multiple websites.

Datacenter proxies can support automated checks when the target sites accept this type of traffic.

A monitoring system might periodically retrieve a product page, extract the availability status, and flag changes for further review.

For restricted websites, proxy selection should be based on actual compatibility and permitted access, not an assumption that rotating IPs will bypass every restriction.

5. Ad Verification and Website Localization

Businesses may need to check whether landing pages render correctly or whether location-specific content behaves as expected.

A proxy connection from a supported location can help test how a website responds to a request originating from that network.

This can be useful for validating localized landing pages, testing redirects, and checking website behavior across supported geographic endpoints.

Ad verification requirements vary by platform and task. Some projects may require residential IP addresses or specialized verification tools rather than datacenter proxies.

What Are Datacenter Proxies? Types, Benefits & Uses

Online gaming is about more than fast reflexes. Your connection, location, IP address, and access to game servers can all influence your experience.

Whether you're playing multiplayer games, managing a gaming community, testing a game in different regions, or hosting a private server, a proxy can be a useful networking tool.

But what exactly are proxy games, how do gaming proxies work, and when should you use one?

A gaming proxy routes supported network traffic through an intermediary server before it reaches its destination. Depending on the proxy type, location, and configuration, this can help you use a different IP address, test regional connectivity, or manage separate connections for gaming-related activities.

However, a proxy isn't a universal solution for lag, connection problems, or account restrictions. Choosing the right setup depends on what you're trying to accomplish and whether your game supports proxy connections.

In this guide, we'll explain how gaming proxies work, their main benefits and limitations, how to choose the right type, and how to get started.

 generally refers to using proxy servers for online gaming or accessing games through proxy-enabled connections.

A gaming proxy acts as an intermediary between your device and a supported online destination. Instead of connecting directly, your traffic passes through a proxy server, which forwards it to the destination.

Your device → Proxy server → Game server or supported destination

The destination sees the proxy's IP address for connections routed through it rather than your original public IP address.

Depending on the provider and configuration, a gaming proxy may offer different IP locations, session options, and connection protocols.

Gaming proxies can be useful for several purposes:

It's important to understand that a proxy doesn't automatically route every application through itself. Some games require direct connections or specific network protocols, so compatibility should always be checked before choosing a provider.

Gaming proxies work by forwarding supported traffic through another server. The exact process depends on the game, proxy protocol, and configuration.

First, select a proxy based on your requirements. These may include IP location, connection stability, supported protocols, and whether you need a consistent IP address or rotating IPs.

For example, a developer testing a game service in the United States may choose a US-based proxy to check how that service responds to connections from that region.

Next, configure the game client, operating system, or compatible proxy-routing application to use the proxy.

The method depends on the software. Some applications support proxy settings directly, while others require a separate routing tool or network-level configuration.

A system's standard proxy setting does not necessarily route game traffic, especially when the game uses UDP or opens separate network connections.

When the configured application sends a request, the proxy receives it and forwards it to the destination.

The destination sees the proxy IP for that connection. Your device still initiates the connection, and the proxy becomes an additional point in the communication path.

4. The response returns through the connection

The proxy relays the response to your application. Your actual experience depends on factors such as routing, server load, network conditions, and the game's architecture.

For real-time multiplayer games, latency, jitter, and packet loss matter. A proxy can introduce additional network overhead, so testing is essential before relying on one for gameplay.

Gaming proxies aren't necessary for every player. They are most useful when you have a specific networking, privacy, or testing requirement.

Your public IP address can be visible to game servers and other services you connect to. In some multiplayer environments, other players may also learn your IP address through particular connection architectures.

A proxy can provide an additional layer between your device and supported destinations by presenting its IP address instead of your own.

This can be useful when you want to avoid exposing your residential IP to a specific service.

 A proxy doesn't make you completely anonymous or guarantee protection against attacks. It also doesn't hide your IP from every service if some traffic bypasses the proxy.

Games, digital storefronts, and gaming websites may offer different content, features, or availability depending on the region.

A proxy with an appropriate IP location can help developers, publishers, and researchers test how supported web services respond to requests from different locations.

For example, a game publisher might use proxies to verify whether a promotional page displays the correct regional information.

However, changing your IP address doesn't guarantee access to region-restricted games or downloadable content. Platforms may also check account country, payment method, device location, or other signals. Always follow the relevant platform's regional-access rules.

Developers and QA teams often need to understand how their services behave when connections originate from different networks and regions.

Proxies can support certain connectivity and regional-access tests, particularly for web-based components, authentication endpoints, game portals, and other compatible services.

For example, a team launching a multiplayer game might test its account website from several regions to identify unexpected access restrictions.

For full multiplayer gameplay testing, however, a standard web proxy may not be sufficient. The test setup must support the protocols and connection paths used by the game itself.

Some users manage multiple permitted gaming accounts, development environments, or testing sessions.

Where the platform allows it, separate proxy connections can help distinguish network traffic associated with different accounts or workflows.

For example, a QA team could use different proxy endpoints when testing how an account-management service behaves across multiple environments.

An important distinction: using different IP addresses does not guarantee that platforms will treat accounts as unrelated. Services may use additional identification signals, and proxies should not be used to evade bans, anti-cheat systems, or other enforcement measures.

5. Support private-server and community projects

Gaming communities sometimes operate websites, launchers, private servers, or other services that need networking and access testing.

A proxy may be useful for checking how these services respond to connections from different regions or network environments.

However, a proxy is not automatically a game server. Hosting multiplayer sessions requires infrastructure and network configuration appropriate to the game, including any necessary ports, routing, and firewall rules.

The best proxy for gaming depends on what you need it to do.

A proxy that works well for regional website testing may not be suitable for a latency-sensitive multiplayer session. Similarly, a rotating proxy can be useful for testing many requests but inconvenient for a game that expects a stable connection.

The main options to consider are residential proxies, datacenter proxies, and static IP proxies.

Residential proxies use IP addresses associated with residential internet connections.

They can be useful for regional testing and accessing supported services that behave differently depending on the apparent source of a connection.

Some residential proxy products offer rotating IPs, while others provide more persistent sessions or dedicated assignments. Check the specific product's configuration before choosing one for a game.

Datacenter proxies use IP addresses hosted in data centers rather than residential internet connections.

They can be a practical choice for testing, automation, and other supported workflows where predictable infrastructure and cost are important.

Datacenter proxies may be identified as such by some gaming platforms. Their suitability depends on the destination, so don't assume they will work with every game or service.

A static or dedicated proxy IP can be useful when a supported application expects connections to come from a consistent address.

For example, a developer may want to repeat tests from the same IP without introducing changes caused by IP rotation.

Before selecting a product, confirm what the provider means by static, dedicated, or exclusive. These terms can describe different allocation and session arrangements.

Rotating proxies change the IP address according to the provider's rotation rules or your configuration.

They're useful for testing requests across multiple IP addresses or examining how a web service responds to different source addresses.

However, frequent IP changes may interrupt applications that expect persistent connections or associate a session with one IP address.

For most long-running gameplay sessions, a rotating proxy should not be your default choice without confirming that the game supports the configuration.

Residential vs. datacenter vs. static proxies

 Static or dedicated describes IP allocation or behavior, whereas residential and datacenter describe the IP's origin. These aren't mutually exclusive categories. A residential proxy can also provide a persistent or exclusive IP, depending on the service.

A proxy can sometimes change the route your traffic takes, but it does not automatically reduce ping.

Ping measures the time it takes for data to travel to a destination and for the response to return. It is usually measured in milliseconds.

When you add a proxy, your traffic travels through an additional server. This can increase latency, although a different route may occasionally perform better than your original route.