Why authorized IP management matters
After your initial setup, managing your authorized IPs becomes important to maintain consistent access to your proxies. Since IP-based authentication depends on your current public or egress IP, any changes to your environment can affect connectivity.
Keeping your allowlist updated ensures that your proxies remain accessible and reduces unexpected connection issues.
When you need to update authorized IPs
You may need to update your authorized IPs when your source IP changes or when working across different environments, such as:
- ISP or network changes
- Switching devices or machines
- Launching a new server or cloud instance
- Moving between office and home networks
- Using environments with rotating or unstable egress IPs
In these cases, updating your authorized IP ensures uninterrupted access.
How to add a new IP
- Log in to your InstantProxies dashboard
- Navigate to the My Proxies section
- Click Authorized IPs
- Enter the new public or egress IP address
- Click Save to apply the changes
The new IP will be added to your allowlist and can be used immediately.
How to replace or remove an old IP
If an IP is no longer in use, it should be removed to avoid confusion:
- Go to the Authorized IPs section in your dashboard
- Locate the IP you want to remove or replace
- Delete or update the entry as needed
- Save your changes
Keeping your list up to date helps prevent access issues and unnecessary entries.
How to verify which IP should remain active
To determine which IP should stay authorized:
- Identify the environment currently sending proxy requests
- Check the public or egress IP from that environment
- Compare it with your authorized IP list
Only keep IPs that are actively being used for proxy connections.
Best practices for teams
When multiple users or environments are involved, proper IP management becomes more important:
- Keep track of which IP belongs to which device, server, or environment
- Avoid overlapping or unclear entries across different machines
- Regularly review and remove unused or outdated IPs
Clear organization helps prevent conflicts and simplifies troubleshooting.
Risks of poor IP management
Improper IP management can lead to inconsistent access and difficult-to-diagnose issues:
- Testing from a machine that is not authorized
- Keeping outdated or unused IP entries
- Experiencing different behavior across environments
Maintaining a clean and accurate allowlist reduces these risks.
Common symptoms of IP mismatch
If your IP is not correctly authorized, you may encounter:
- Connection failures or denied requests
- Inconsistent access between environments
- Proxies working in one setup but not another
These issues often indicate that the wrong IP is being used or authorized.
When to consider username/password authentication
If your environment frequently changes or uses dynamic IPs, username and password authentication may be a more reliable option.
This method avoids the need to update authorized IPs and allows access from multiple environments without modifying your allowlist.
Next step
Once your authorized IPs are properly managed, you can proceed with testing and validation. Continue to Verify Your Connection to confirm that your proxies are working correctly, or review Understanding Current Limits to ensure your setup aligns with your service configuration. If you need to revisit initial setup, refer back to Authorizing Your IP Address.