Can ShieldLabs detect residential proxies?

Yes. Residential proxies route traffic through real consumer ISP connections that pass standard blocklist checks, so ShieldLabs identifies them at the network level instead of by IP reputation. ShieldLabs checks device, OS, and network consistency; looks for connection anomalies inconsistent with normal consumer traffic; and checks for cross-layer mismatches between claimed and observed parameters. ShieldLabs returns proxy use as a distinct signal in the API response, so you can score it separately from a clean connection.

What is the difference between VPN detection and proxy detection?

A VPN routes traffic through an encrypted tunnel that assigns a new IP address; a proxy forwards requests through an intermediary server without necessarily encrypting the full connection. A VPN uses an encrypted tunnel with a new egress IP, usually commercial infrastructure. A proxy is an intermediary relay (anonymous or web) that forwards requests, often without encryption. ShieldLabs detects both as separate signals, so you can apply different rules to each instead of treating all anonymized traffic the same.

Does ShieldLabs detect iCloud Private Relay?

Yes, and it treats Private Relay differently from a commercial VPN, because Relay preserves approximate location while masking only the exact IP. It is identified as its own signal type, not lumped with VPN or proxy, which lets you tell privacy-conscious Apple users apart from genuinely high-risk anonymized traffic. ShieldLabs flags Privacy Relay separately, so you don't penalize legitimate users for a built-in privacy feature.

How accurate is ShieldLabs VPN and proxy detection?

ShieldLabs detects anonymized connections with up to 99% accuracy by analyzing the connection in real time rather than relying on static IP databases. It evaluates cross-layer mismatches and connection characteristics live, on every visit. Contextual scoring adapts to each platform's traffic profile to keep false positives low. Because detection is signal-based, accuracy holds even as anonymization providers rotate IPs and launch new infrastructure.

How quickly can I integrate VPN and proxy detection?

Integration takes about 5 minutes: add one JavaScript snippet and analysis starts immediately. Start Free, add your domain in the dashboard, install the snippet on your site, and read results in the dashboard, API, or Webhooks. ShieldLabs returns the first risk score on the very first visit, with no model training or warm-up period.

VPN & Proxy Detection

Accurate VPN, Proxy, Relay and Tor Detection

Turn any anonymous IP into a complete identification with a detailed risk score, distinguishing privacy-conscious users from masked traffic linked to fraudulent activity

Detect anonymous connections in real time
Accurate visitor identification across sessions
Detailed risk score on every visitor
API and Webhooks for real-time integration
Cross-layer analysis beyond IP blocklists

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Why Anonymized Connections Are a Risk

Anonymized traffic creates blind spots across security, analytics, and revenue

Distorted metrics

CAC, LTV, and conversion rates calculated on data polluted by anonymous visitors

Abuse at scale

Free trials, bonuses, and referral programs exploited by repeat visitors rotating IPs

Invisible account takeover

Anonymized connections bypass IP-based security and access controls

Wasted acquisition spend

Marketing budget goes to visitors who cannot be identified or attributed

IP blocklists can't keep up

Anonymization infrastructure changes faster than static databases can be updated

What ShieldLabs Detects

Real-time detection of anonymizing and private connections, even under deep masking

VPN Detection

Detection of commercial VPN providers and rotating VPN infrastructure

Proxy Detection

Detection of anonymous proxies used to mask visitor IP address and location

Residential Proxy Detection

Detection of traffic routed through residential ISP connections that appear as regular consumer activity

Tor Detection

Detection of connections through the Tor network and exit nodes

Privacy Relay Detection

Detection of iCloud Private Relay connections, distinguishing privacy-conscious users from high-risk anonymized infrastructure

Datacenter & Hosting Detection

Detection of connections from cloud providers, data centers, and hosting infrastructure

IP Reputation

Matching against blocklists of IPs associated with abuse, spam, botnets, and fraud

Location Spoofing Detection

Detection of timezone and geolocation mismatches between claimed and actual visitor location data

ShieldLabs detects VPN, Proxy, Tor, Privacy Relay, datacenter and spoofed connections

Accurate Anonymity Detection

Fraudsters are getting smarter

Fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated, constantly finding new ways to present a false IP address through a Virtual Private Network or using other tactics such as combining residential proxies with anti-detect browsers.

Beyond IP Blocklists

VPN providers rotate IPs daily. Residential proxies use consumer ISP addresses that never appear in blocklists. New anonymization services launch faster than any database can be updated.

ShieldLabs VPN and Proxy Detection That Goes Deeper

ShieldLabs combines anonymized connection detection with highly accurate visitor identification and spoofing detection at the device, browser, operating system, and network levels, exposing patterns of any complexity. Every signal rolls up into an explainable 0-100 risk score your own rules can act on, with suspicious activity visualized in the advanced analytics dashboard.

How Teams Use VPN and Proxy Detection

Anonymity signals power decisions across fraud prevention, traffic analysis, and compliance.

Account Takeover & Payment Fraud

Flag anonymized connections at login, registration, and checkout to detect account takeover and payment fraud from masked IPs

Multi-Accounting & Fake Accounts

Identify visitors creating multiple accounts behind VPN and proxy rotation by linking sessions with persistent visitor IDs

Free Trial & Promo Abuse

Recognize returning visitors using anonymization to repeatedly exploit free trials, bonuses, and promotional campaigns

Traffic Quality & Analytics

Filter anonymous traffic from your data to get accurate conversion, CAC, and LTV metrics

Geo-Blocking & Compliance

Enforce geographic restrictions and licensing agreements by detecting VPN and proxy bypass

Coupon & Discount Abuse

Detect visitors reusing discount codes and first-time offers under multiple identities

Get Started in Less Than 5 Minutes

From signup to real-time detection in four steps.

Sign up

Set up your domain

Set up your domain in the dashboard

Install the snippet

Install the code snippet on your site

Collect data

Begin collecting visitor IDs, anonymity signals, risk scores, patterns, and detection data via the dashboard, API, or Webhooks

Unmask anonymized visitors before they become a problem

Integration takes 5 minutes. Free tier included.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about VPN and proxy detection.