Python proxy with requests, httpx and aiohttp

By Mechelle Henderson · Published: 7 September 2026 · 6 min read

requests

The classic client. Put the credentials in the proxy URL and pass a proxies dict — use a Session so the proxy applies to every call:

import requests

PROXY = "http://YOUR_USERNAME:[email protected]:41080"

session = requests.Session()
session.proxies = {"http": PROXY, "https": PROXY}

r = session.get("https://ip.sb")
print(r.text.strip())   # a Roam residential exit IP

Both keys use the same http:// URL on purpose: the scheme names the proxy's protocol, not the target's, so this still proxies your HTTPS requests correctly.

httpx (sync and async)

Modern httpx uses the singular proxy= argument on the client. If you've seen proxies= in an older tutorial, it's gone — that plural form was removed:

import httpx

PROXY = "http://YOUR_USERNAME:[email protected]:41080"

# Synchronous
with httpx.Client(proxy=PROXY) as client:
    print(client.get("https://ip.sb").text.strip())

# Asynchronous — same argument
import asyncio

async def main():
    async with httpx.AsyncClient(proxy=PROXY) as client:
        r = await client.get("https://ip.sb")
        print(r.text.strip())

asyncio.run(main())

For SOCKS5 instead of HTTP, install httpx[socks] and use a socks5:// URL. Over HTTP nothing extra is needed.

aiohttp

aiohttp is the odd one out: it does not reliably read credentials from the proxy URL. Pass the proxy as a bare URL and the credentials separately as proxy_auth:

import aiohttp, asyncio

GATEWAY = "http://gw.roamproxy.com:41080"
AUTH = aiohttp.BasicAuth("YOUR_USERNAME", "YOUR_PASSWORD")

async def main():
    async with aiohttp.ClientSession() as session:
        async with session.get("https://ip.sb", proxy=GATEWAY, proxy_auth=AUTH) as resp:
            print((await resp.text()).strip())

asyncio.run(main())

Rotating IPs

With a rotating residential proxy there's no proxy list to manage. Keep the one gateway and change the sticky-session token in the username — each distinct session is a different residential exit IP:

import itertools, requests

BASE_USER, PASSWORD = "YOUR_USERNAME", "YOUR_PASSWORD"
counter = itertools.count()

def proxy_for_new_ip():
    user = f"{BASE_USER}_session_{next(counter)}"
    url = f"http://{user}:{PASSWORD}@gw.roamproxy.com:41080"
    return {"http": url, "https": url}

for _ in range(3):
    r = requests.get("https://ip.sb", proxies=proxy_for_new_ip())
    print(r.text.strip())   # a different IP each time

Reuse the same token when several requests need to share an IP (a login, a paginated flow); generate a new one for a fresh IP. See what are rotating proxies for how the session string works, and how to avoid getting blocked for pacing.

When a plain HTTP client isn't enough

These libraries send a scripted request with a Python TLS fingerprint. A clean residential IP fixes reputation blocks, but a site fingerprinting your TLS handshake will still flag the request. When that happens, give your requests a browser-accurate fingerprint with curl_cffi, or, if the page genuinely needs JavaScript, drive a real browser through the same proxy with Playwright or Puppeteer. To match the fix to the specific defense, see how to get past Cloudflare.

FAQ

How do I set a proxy in Python requests?

Pass a proxies dict with the credentials in the URL: proxies = {"http": "http://user:[email protected]:41080", "https": "http://user:[email protected]:41080"}, then requests.get(url, proxies=proxies). The same http:// URL is used for both keys — it names the proxy's own protocol, not the target's, so it correctly proxies HTTPS targets too.

Is it proxy or proxies in httpx?

Current httpx uses the singular proxy= argument on the client: httpx.Client(proxy="http://user:[email protected]:41080"). The old plural proxies= dict was deprecated and removed, so tutorials using proxies= are out of date. httpx.AsyncClient takes the same proxy= argument.

How do I authenticate a proxy in aiohttp?

aiohttp does not reliably read credentials from the proxy URL. Pass the proxy as a plain URL and the credentials separately: session.get(url, proxy="http://gw.roamproxy.com:41080", proxy_auth=aiohttp.BasicAuth("user", "pass")). aiohttp also supports only HTTP proxies natively — for SOCKS you need the aiohttp-socks package.

How do I rotate IPs across Python requests?

With a rotating residential proxy you keep one gateway and vary the sticky-session token in the username. Build a fresh username like USERNAME_session_5 per request or per client, and each distinct session maps to a different residential exit IP — no proxy list to maintain.

Every one of these clients wants a plain host:port proxy plus credentials — exactly what Roam gives you. Rotating residential at $2/GB and static residential at $4/IP per month, over HTTP and SOCKS5, with sticky sessions for per-request rotation. Create an account and get 300MB of free trial traffic to point your first script at a residential exit.