Schedule 14A Proxy

You can check it with the ping command from the command line in Windows. It is enough to enter it, with a space - the data of the proxy server (including the number of the port used) and press Enter. The reply message will tell you whether or not you have received a reply from the remote server. If not, the proxy is unavailable, respectively.

It means a private proxy server used by several users. For example, one of them has bought a paid proxy and lets his friend use it for a fee. That is, he "shared" his proxy (shared means "common").

And it depends on what purpose the proxy is used for. But you should definitely give preference to paid proxies. They are more reliable, always available, and with that comes a guarantee of privacy. Unfortunately, personal data is often stolen from free proxies.

If Selenium is returning a blank page when you query it, there could be several reasons for this issue. Here are some common causes and solutions:

1. Timing Issues

Selenium might be trying to interact with the page before it has fully loaded. Ensure that you use explicit waits (WebDriverWait) to wait for the elements to be present, visible, or interactive before interacting with them.

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By
from selenium.webdriver.support.ui import WebDriverWait
from selenium.webdriver.support import expected_conditions as EC

driver = webdriver.Chrome()
driver.get("https://example.com")

# Wait for the page title to be present
WebDriverWait(driver, 10).until(EC.presence_of_element_located((By.TAG_NAME, 'title')))

# Continue with your script...

2. Incorrect Locator or Query

Double-check your locators and queries to ensure that you are selecting the correct elements. Incorrect locators might lead to the selection of non-existent or hidden elements.

3. Browser Window Size

In headless mode or when the browser window is too small, elements might not be visible. Ensure that your script maximizes the browser window or sets an appropriate window size.

driver.maximize_window()

4. JavaScript Errors

Check the browser console for any JavaScript errors that might be affecting the page. Use console.log statements in JavaScript to debug if needed.

console.log("Debug message from JavaScript");

5. Network Issues

Network issues might prevent the page from loading completely. Ensure that your network connection is stable.

6. Browser Extensions

Certain browser extensions might interfere with Selenium. Disable extensions or use a clean browser profile for testing.

7. Headless Mode Issues

If you are running Selenium in headless mode, try running the script in non-headless mode to see if the issue persists. Some websites may behave differently in headless mode.

8. Check for Captchas or Security Measures

Some websites use captchas or additional security measures that could interfere with automated scripts. Ensure that your script is not encountering captchas.

9. Web Page Structure Changes

Web pages are dynamic, and changes in the structure of the page might affect your script. Inspect the HTML source code of the page to ensure that your locators are still valid.

10. Logging

Add logging statements to your script to output information at different stages. This can help in identifying where the issue might be occurring.

11. Browser Version Compatibility

Ensure that your Selenium WebDriver version is compatible with the browser version you are using. Update your WebDriver if necessary.

An "open" proxy means one that is publicly available. It can be used by many network users at the same time. But because of this its bandwidth is also quite low, because the server simultaneously handles all requests through a single port.