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ASN

Networking

Definition

An Autonomous System Number (ASN) is a unique identifier assigned to a network operated by a single organization, playing a key role in how websites classify and trust incoming traffic.

What is an ASN?

An Autonomous System Number (ASN) is a unique identifier assigned to a network or group of IP prefixes operated by a single organization. ASNs identify the entity responsible for a block of IP addresses and play a key role in how websites classify and trust incoming traffic.

ASN Lookups and Traffic Classification

Every IP address on the internet belongs to an ASN operated by an ISP, hosting provider, corporation, or educational institution. When a website receives a request, it can look up the ASN associated with the source IP to determine whether the traffic comes from a residential ISP, a cloud hosting provider, or a known proxy service. ASN lookups use BGP routing data and WHOIS databases. Traffic from residential ASNs is generally trusted more than traffic from hosting or VPN ASNs.

When your request exits gate.hexproxies.com:8080 through an ISP proxy, the target sees an IP belonging to ASN 7922 (Comcast) or ASN 701 (Verizon), for example. The same target seeing traffic from ASN 14061 (DigitalOcean) immediately raises a datacenter flag. The ASN behind the exit IP is the first trust signal targets check.

ASN Awareness in Proxy Selection

ASN classification is one of the first checks in sophisticated anti-bot systems. Datacenter proxies are easily identified because their IPs belong to hosting company ASNs. Residential and ISP proxies carry ASNs belonging to legitimate internet providers, passing this initial trust check. Hex Proxies ISP and residential products use IPs registered under genuine ISP ASNs for maximum trust.

Related Terms

Subnet

A subnet is a logically segmented portion of a larger network, identified by a common network prefix. In proxy contexts, subnet diversity directly impacts detection resistance.

IP Reputation

IP reputation is a score or classification assigned to an IP address based on its historical behavior and associations, used by websites to determine trust level.

CIDR Notation

CIDR (Classless Inter-Domain Routing) notation is a compact method for specifying IP address ranges using a base IP address followed by a slash and prefix length.

ISP Proxy

An ISP proxy combines datacenter-grade speed with residential trust by hosting IPs on fast servers while registering them under a legitimate Internet Service Provider.

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Related Resources

What Are ISP Proxies? The Complete Explainer

A comprehensive, vendor-neutral explainer covering ISP proxy infrastructure, carrier relationships, ASN assignment, request flow, and the exact scenarios where ISP proxies outperform residential or datacenter alternatives.

Residential Proxies

High-quality residential proxies with rotating IPs from 100+ countries. Perfect for web scraping, data collection, and market research.

ISP Proxies

Ultra-fast ISP proxies with static IPs and unlimited bandwidth. Optimized for sneaker sites, social media, and high-speed tasks.

Rotating Proxies

Automatic IP rotation with every request or on a timed interval. Built for large-scale scraping and data collection.

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