Troubleshoot URL Access

Diagnose and fix proxy access issues when a target website blocks or fails to respond to requests through MrScraper's Residential Proxy.

When a target website doesn't load through your proxy integration, it can be hard to tell whether the issue lies in the proxy configuration, or the target site itself. This guide walks you through a structured process to isolate the cause and resolve it.

Why requests to a target website fail

Even with residential proxy IPs, a request can still fail if:

The website restricts automated access through its terms of service or access controls.
The content depends on JavaScript and the request is made without browser rendering.
The content is region-specific and the selected proxy country doesn't match.
Rate limiting rejects IPs that send too many requests in a short period.
The website is slow or unavailable and the request times out.

Understanding these causes helps you pick the right fix. The fastest way to start is to use Proxy Scraper to test whether the issue is on your side or the proxy side.

Test with Proxy Scraper

Proxy Scraper is a standalone scraping tool built into MrScraper. It sends requests through the same residential proxy network. This isolates the proxy path from your code path.

Go to app.mrscraper.com, sign in, and select Proxy from the left navigation menu. Then select the Proxy Scraper tab.

Enter a simple, reliable URL in the Target URL field. For example, https://www.google.com. Keep all advanced settings at their defaults. Click Run.

If Proxy Scraper returns an HTTP 200 response with page content, the proxy connection is working. Proceed to the next step.

If it returns an error, see When the connectivity test fails below.

Now enter the real target URL. Click Run with the same default settings.

Interpret the results

Use the table below to determine your next action based on the Proxy Scraper results:

google.com result	Target URL result	What it means	Next action
✅ Success	✅ Success	The proxy path works. The issue is in your own script or integration.	You can check your proxy configuration or continue using our Proxy Scraper to access your website target.
✅ Success	❌ Failure	The proxy path works, but the target website is not returning the page.	Go to When the target website fails.
❌ Failure	❌ Failure	The proxy path itself has an issue.	Go to When the connectivity test fails.
❌ Failure	✅ Success	Unlikely, but possible if google.com is blocked in the selected proxy country. Try a different proxy country.	Change the proxy country and retest.

Check your configuration

If Proxy Scraper succeeds but your own code or tool fails, the issue is in how your integration sends requests. Check the following:

Proxy credentials

Verify your username and password are correct and match the format described in the Authentication guide.
Check for typos, extra spaces, or missing segments (e.g., -country-, -sessid-).

Request format

Ensure you're using the correct proxy endpoint: proxy.mrscraper.com:10000.
Verify the proxy protocol. MrScraper supports HTTP. Make sure your client is configured to use the HTTP protocol.
Check that the target URL includes the protocol (http://).

HTTP headers

Some websites reject requests that lack a User-Agent header. Make sure your client sends one.
Include standard headers like Accept, Accept-Language, and Accept-Encoding.

Network and firewall

Confirm your network allows outbound connections to proxy.mrscraper.com on port 10000.
If you're behind a corporate firewall or VPN, check whether proxy traffic is being intercepted or blocked.

When the target website fails

If Proxy Scraper can reach google.com but fails on your target URL, try the following steps in order:

Try a different proxy country

Some websites only serve traffic from specific regions. Change the proxy country in Proxy Scraper to one that matches the target website's expected audience (e.g., us for a US-based website).

Enable Browser rendering

Toggle Browser rendering to On in the Proxy Scraper request options. This renders the page in a headless browser, executing JavaScript before extracting content. This is required for:

Single-page applications (SPAs)
Websites that load content dynamically via JavaScript

Adjust timeout and retries

Increase the Timeout beyond the default 90 seconds, and set Max retries to 5 or higher. Some websites are slow to respond or require multiple attempts.

Verify the block manually in a browser

Before assuming the proxy IPs are at fault, browse the target website through the same proxy in a real browser, arriving from a Google search and navigating to the page like a human would. If the page loads that way, the IPs are fine and the website is detecting your scraper, not your proxy. See Verify a Block Manually.

Contact support

If none of the above steps resolve the issue, the target website may require custom handling. Contact us with the following details:

The target URL that fails
The Proxy Scraper result (screenshot or response)
The proxy country you tested with
The settings you've tried (Super, Browser rendering, timeout)

When the connectivity test fails

If Proxy Scraper cannot reach even a simple URL like google.com, check the following:

Possible cause	What to check
Account or subscription issue	Verify your account is active and has remaining proxy bandwidth in the Analytics tab.
Service outage	Check if MrScraper is experiencing an outage. Try again in a few minutes.
Proxy country unavailable	Some proxy countries may have limited availability. Try a different country code from the supported countries list.
Browser or network issue	Try accessing app.mrscraper.com in an incognito/private window to rule out browser cache or extension interference.

If the issue persists, contact support at support@mrscraper.com.

Troubleshoot URL Access

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