A-Parser Proxy Setup: Proxy Checkers, Threads and Parser Settings for SEO Tasks

In A-Parser, proxies are loaded into a proxy checker: you create a checker, put your list into its proxy.txt (or give it source links), let it test the entries, and then select that checker in the thread settings preset your task uses. Every parser has Use proxy switched on by default, so once a working checker is attached to the task, requests go through your proxies automatically.

Overview articles about A-Parser list its parsers and stop there. This guide follows the path a proxy takes inside the program: checker, thread preset, task, parser. You will see which checker options matter for paid proxies, how threads relate to the size of your pool, what the ban and retry settings do, and how to set things up differently for a rotating gateway and for a list of static IPs.

What A-Parser Does and Why It Needs Proxies

A-Parser is a multithreaded scraper for Windows and Linux that you control through a web interface. It ships with more than a hundred built-in parsers: search engine results, keyword suggestions, site and link checks, plus custom parsers you can build yourself. For SEO work it typically collects SERP snapshots, ranks of your pages, autocomplete ideas and index checks.

All of these tasks send many requests to a few hosts in a short time. Search engines and many websites limit how often one address may ask, and answer heavy users with errors or challenges. Proxies split that load across many IPs, which is the practical reason the program revolves around them. Our article on SEO proxies explains the background in more detail.

How Proxies Travel Through A-Parser

Settings live on four levels, and knowing the order saves a lot of guessing:

1. Proxy checker — loads the list, tests it, keeps only live entries.
2. Thread settings preset — decides how many threads a task runs and which checkers it may draw proxies from.
3. Task — uses one thread preset and one or more parsers.
4. Parser settings — can switch proxies off, change ban time and retries, or point a single parser at a different checker.

When the two disagree, the setting made inside a parser beats the one made for the whole task. So if your proxies look ignored, the first place to inspect is an override hiding in a single parser.

Step 1. Prepare the Proxy List

A-Parser reads one proxy per line. Supported layouts:

203.0.113.21:8080
198.51.100.40:1080
seo-user:k8Lq2v@203.0.113.22:8080

• ip:port suits providers that recognise you by address. Add the public IP of the machine hosting A-Parser to the allowlist, which may be a VPS rather than your own computer.
• login:password@ip:port carries a separate pair of credentials on every line. Tick the authorization option (Use proxy authorization) so A-Parser passes them on.
• Many providers give one account for the whole pool. Then the bare ip:port lines stay as they are, the same option is ticked, and the username and secret go once into the two credential boxes underneath it.

Protocol does not need a prefix: with the default Proxies type set to HTTP, SOCKS5, the checker tries HTTP first and falls back to SOCKS5. If your provider gives both, either works; our comparison of SOCKS5 and HTTP explains the difference.

Step 2. Create a Proxy Checker

In the web interface, go to the section with proxy checkers and press Add checker; cloning a checker you already have works too. The bundled default checker is locked and serves only as a starting template, so a separate checker per provider or per pool keeps things tidy.

Every custom checker gets its own folder named after it under files/proxy/. Four text files there do the work:

Step 3. Checker Options Worth Changing

Most fields can stay as they are. These are the ones that tend to need attention with a paid pool:

• Proxies type. Leaving both protocols on is harmless, but if the provider sells only SOCKS5 or only HTTP, narrowing it speeds up testing.
• Check threads (15 out of the box). Plenty for a few hundred lines; a list of thousands tests faster with more.
• Check timeout (5 by default). Residential exits and servers on another continent often answer slower, so a bigger value saves good proxies from being thrown out.
• Check interval and Load interval (both 30). If the list barely changes, stretch them; constant rechecks only burn traffic.
• Loading type. The default Replace swaps the old list for the fresh one, which is what you want with a provider export.
• Check anonymous. Off by default and only meaningful together with your External IP; it filters out transparent proxies that leak your address.
• No check proxies. Marks everything as alive without testing. Handy for a gateway you trust, risky for a long list.
• Exclude from All. Hides the pool from tasks that take proxies from every checker, so only tasks that name it explicitly can use it.

Two notes on testing. Checks go through a check URL hosted by the developer, so a proxy that passes the check has proven only basic connectivity, not access to a particular search engine. And with a rotating gateway every check lands on a different exit, so one failed check says little about the gateway as a whole.

Step 4. Thread Settings Preset

Go to Settings → Thread settings, pick a preset or create a new one, and look at these fields:

• Threads count — parallel requests for the task. The bundled presets use 20 and 100.
• Proxy Checkers — which checkers feed the task; the default is All.
• Max threads per proxy — caps how many threads share one proxy at a time; 0 means no cap.
• Max connections per host — limits simultaneous connections to one site, a polite brake for small targets.
• Global proxy ban — tasks with this option share one list of banned proxies per parser.
• Reuse proxy between retries — lets one proxy serve all retries of a request instead of switching.
• Proxy strategy — keep the proxy that just succeeded for the next request, or take a random one each time.

Save the preset and choose it in the Task Editor.

Step 5. Parser-Level Settings

Each parser has a common block of options you can override in the task:

• Use proxy — on by default; turn it off only for parsers that do not need it (for example, local text processing).
• Proxy ban time — how many seconds a proxy rests after the target rejects it; the default differs between parsers.
• Request retries — default 10; a query still failing after that is skipped.
• Request delay — default 0; a range such as 5,15 adds a random pause in seconds.
• Request timeout — default 60 seconds.
• Proxy Checker — a per-parser choice that overrides the task.

How Many Threads a Pool Can Carry

There is no universal number, but the logic is consistent: the stricter the target, the fewer parallel requests each IP should send.

Raise threads in steps and watch the share of failed queries in the task log. If retries climb, more threads will only burn proxies faster; lower the count or add IPs. Read more about planning in our SERP data collection overview.

Rotating Gateway or a List of Static IPs

• Rotating residential gateway. One line in proxy.txt (or a handful of ports) gives a new exit per connection. It suits search results at volume. Keep Proxy ban time short, because banning the gateway line bans all of its exits at once. Residential proxies with rotation are the usual choice here.
• List of static IPs. Every line is a separate address, and the checker, bans and Max threads per proxy work as designed. This fits rank tracking at a calm pace and checks that need a stable country. See our static proxies for this setup.

Troubleshooting

The task reports zero working proxies. Three usual causes: the checker is switched off, the thread preset does not include it, or the whole list failed testing. Look at the live counter of the checker first, then at the preset.

All proxies fail with credentials. Check that Use proxy authorization is on and the list follows login:password@ip:port. For IP-authorised proxies, whitelist the public IP of the machine running A-Parser.

Proxies pass the check but the search engine returns errors. The check only proves connectivity. Lower the threads, add Request delay, or move to residential exits.

The gateway disappears from rotation. It was banned after a few rejections. Shorten Proxy ban time or enable Reuse proxy between retries for that parser.

Speed drops after an hour. The pool is too small for the thread count. Reduce threads first, then add IPs.