# How do I set up a US proxy?

> How do I set up a US proxy? Buy a plan in crypto, add -state- or -zip- to the username, test with curl. 7 steps, no KYC, from $1.50.

- URL: https://fiftystateproxy.com/how-to-set-up-a-us-proxy/
- Last updated: 2026-10-29
- Publisher: FiftyStateProxy (https://fiftystateproxy.com)

From buying a plan to your first request through a US IP: username syntax, curl and Python examples, browser settings and fixes for common errors.

**Quick answer — How do I set up a US proxy?**

To set up a US proxy, buy a plan, copy your login, add the location to the username and point your tool at the gateway. With **FiftyStateProxy**, a $1.50 plan for 1 GB is enough to start, as of October 2026. The gateway is `gw.fiftystateproxy.com`: port 7777 speaks HTTP and port 7778 speaks SOCKS5. No KYC — no ID, no selfie, no documents. Pay in crypto.

## What do I need before I start?

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Plan | Any residential plan works; the 1 GB test plan is $1.50 (October 2026) |
| Payment | Crypto only: BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC, from a $25 top-up |
| Gateway host | `gw.fiftystateproxy.com` |
| HTTP/HTTPS port | 7777 |
| SOCKS5 port | 7778 |
| Username format | `USERNAME-country-{cc}-state-{state}-city-{city}-zip-{zip}-asn-{asn}-session-{id}-ttl-{minutes}` |
| Login options | Username and password on every plan, or an IP allowlist (up to 10 IPs). Sub-users with their own credentials and traffic cap. API keys you can revoke at any time |
| Test URL | `https://api.ipify.org?format=json` returns your exit IP |
| KYC | No KYC — no ID, no selfie, no documents. Pay in crypto. |

## How do I go from buying a plan to the first request?

Seven steps, from a fresh account to a request that leaves from a US IP.

1. **Top up your balance** — Open the page on how much a US proxy costs and choose a residential plan. Send at least $25 in one of BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC. The guide on how to buy proxies with Bitcoin walks through each coin.
2. **Buy the plan from your balance** — Confirm the plan once the top-up is credited. Credentials appear in your dashboard as soon as you buy a plan from your confirmed crypto balance.
3. **Copy your login** — Copy the username and password from the dashboard. A server with a fixed IP can use the IP allowlist instead.
4. **Add the location** — Append segments to the username, such as -country-us-state-fl for Florida or -country-us-zip-78704 for South Congress in Austin.
5. **Test with curl** — Through the gateway, request https://api.ipify.org?format=json once. The reply shows the US IP your traffic leaves from.
6. **Configure your tool** — Enter the host, the port, the username and the password in your script, scraper or browser.
7. **Watch your usage** — The dashboard shows the traffic you have used. Prepaid residential and rotating-mobile traffic never expires: unused GB stay on your account until you use them.

## How do I build the proxy username?

You build the username by adding segments to your base login, in the order of the pattern `USERNAME-country-{cc}-state-{state}-city-{city}-zip-{zip}-asn-{asn}-session-{id}-ttl-{minutes}`. Only `country` is required. Values are lower case, with underscores in place of spaces.

**Setting up a US proxy takes four values: a host, a port, a username that carries the location, and a password.**

| Segment | What it sets | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `country-{cc}` | Country, ISO code | `country-us` |
| `state-{state}` | US state or D.C., two letters | `state-wa` |
| `city-{city}` | City name | `city-las_vegas` |
| `zip-{zip}` | Five-digit ZIP code | `zip-98101` (downtown Seattle) |
| `asn-{asn}` | Network number, without "AS" | `asn-7018` (AT&T) |
| `session-{id}` | Sticky-session name, 1–32 letters or digits | `session-job42` |
| `ttl-{minutes}` | Sticky-session length in minutes | `ttl-15` |

The guide to [what ZIP code proxy targeting is](https://fiftystateproxy.com/what-is-zip-code-proxy-targeting/ "ZIP, state, city and ASN proxy targeting explained") explains each filter and when to widen it.

## How do I test a US proxy with curl?

Test with curl first, because it prints errors in plain text. The HTTP test uses port 7777. The SOCKS5 test uses port 7778 with `--socks5-hostname`, which also sends DNS lookups through the proxy. Run each test twice: without a `session` segment, the IP changes.

*curl: HTTP, SOCKS5 and a ZIP code*

```bash
# 1. HTTP gateway: a US residential IP
curl -x http://gw.fiftystateproxy.com:7777 \
  -U "USERNAME-country-us:PASSWORD" \
  "https://api.ipify.org?format=json"

# 2. SOCKS5 gateway: an IP in Washington State, DNS resolved by the proxy
curl --socks5-hostname gw.fiftystateproxy.com:7778 \
  -U "USERNAME-country-us-state-wa:PASSWORD" \
  "https://api.ipify.org?format=json"

# 3. ZIP code 78704 (Austin), same IP for up to 10 minutes
curl -x http://gw.fiftystateproxy.com:7777 \
  -U "USERNAME-country-us-zip-78704-session-test1-ttl-10:PASSWORD" \
  "https://api.ipify.org?format=json"
```

## How do I use a US proxy in Python requests?

Pass the proxy URL to `requests` through the `proxies` argument, for both `http` and `https` targets. If the password holds symbols such as `@` or `:`, encode it with `urllib.parse.quote` first.

*Python (requests): HTTP and SOCKS5*

```python
# pip install requests
import requests

user = "USERNAME-country-us-state-ny-city-new_york"
password = "PASSWORD"
proxy = f"http://{user}:{password}@gw.fiftystateproxy.com:7777"

r = requests.get(
    "https://api.ipify.org?format=json",
    proxies={"http": proxy, "https": proxy},
    timeout=30,
)
print(r.status_code, r.json())

# SOCKS5 instead: pip install "requests[socks]"
# socks5h:// also sends DNS lookups through the proxy
socks = f"socks5h://{user}:{password}@gw.fiftystateproxy.com:7778"
r = requests.get("https://api.ipify.org?format=json",
                 proxies={"http": socks, "https": socks}, timeout=30)
print(r.json())
```

## How do I use a US proxy in a browser?

Browsers handle proxy passwords on HTTP proxies, so use port 7777 there. Keep the proxy in a separate browser profile, so your everyday browsing stays on your own connection.

- **Firefox:** Settings → General → Network Settings → Settings… → Manual proxy configuration. Enter `gw.fiftystateproxy.com` as HTTP Proxy with port 7777, tick "Also use this proxy for HTTPS" and save. Firefox asks for the username and password on the first page load.
- **Chrome:** start it with the `--proxy-server` flag and its own profile, as below. Chrome then prompts for the login.
- **Automated browsers:** Playwright takes the server, username and password in one setting.

*Chrome with a dedicated proxy profile*

```bash
# Chrome with its own profile, all traffic through the HTTP gateway
# Windows: run chrome.exe with the same two flags
google-chrome --user-data-dir="$HOME/chrome-us-proxy" \
  --proxy-server="http://gw.fiftystateproxy.com:7777"
# When Chrome asks for the proxy login, enter:
#   Username: USERNAME-country-us-state-ca
#   Password: PASSWORD
```

*Playwright (Python): Chromium through a Los Angeles IP*

```python
# pip install playwright && playwright install chromium
from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright

with sync_playwright() as p:
    browser = p.chromium.launch(proxy={
        "server": "http://gw.fiftystateproxy.com:7777",
        "username": "USERNAME-country-us-state-ca-city-los_angeles",
        "password": "PASSWORD",
    })
    page = browser.new_page()
    page.goto("https://api.ipify.org?format=json")
    print(page.inner_text("body"))
    browser.close()
```

## Rotating or sticky: which session should I set?

Leave out `session` to rotate, and add it to hold one IP. Each new connection gets an IP from the pool, usually a different one; to get a new IP on every request, send one request per connection (turn off keep-alive). With `-session-{id}-ttl-{minutes}`, the IP holds for up to 30 minutes, set per session with the ttl parameter; the IP can change earlier. Change the session name to get a different sticky IP, and build retries into long jobs.

## Which plan should I buy to start?

Start with the 1 GB plan at $1.50 for tests, then move to 10 GB or more for real work. **At $0.75/GB, 10 GB costs half as much per GB as the 1 GB test plan at $1.50/GB.** Unused traffic stays on the account, so the GB you do not use this month remain for the next job.

## Why does my US proxy return a 407 error or time out?

A 407 error means the gateway rejected the login. A timeout usually means the filter is too narrow or the target is slow.

- **407 Proxy Authentication Required:** check each segment for typos and the colon between username and password. Copy the password again from the dashboard.
- **Timeouts:** move a ZIP or ASN filter up to city or state level, and allow at least 30 seconds before your client gives up.
- **Wrong location in a lookup tool:** IP databases disagree, so compare two or three and test the real target.
- **Connection refused:** check the port: 7777 for HTTP, 7778 for SOCKS5.

Before pointing the proxy at real targets, follow each site's robots.txt and terms.

## What can I do with a working US proxy?

A working US proxy is ready for location-dependent jobs on public pages. The guide to [the best US proxies for web scraping](https://fiftystateproxy.com/best-us-proxies-for-web-scraping/ "Best US proxies for public web data collection") covers volume collection. The ranking of [the best US proxies for local SEO](https://fiftystateproxy.com/best-us-proxies-for-local-seo/ "Best US proxies for local SEO rank tracking") covers ZIP-level rank checks. Each state has its own page under [US residential proxies by state](https://fiftystateproxy.com/us-residential-proxies/ "US residential proxies in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.").

## Setting up a US proxy: frequently asked questions

### Should I connect on port 7777 or 7778?

Use 7777 for browsers, Python requests and most scrapers, which speak HTTP proxy. Use 7778 when a tool needs SOCKS5. The same username and targeting work on both ports.

### Can I use one login for several projects?

Yes. For separate projects, create sub-users: plans from 10 GB up give each one its own login and traffic cap.

### How do I set up a dedicated mobile port instead?

A dedicated 4G/5G port has its own host, port and login in the dashboard. Use them the same way in curl, Python or a browser, and change the IP with the port's rotation link.

### Do I need to install software to use a US proxy?

No. Any tool with HTTP or SOCKS5 proxy settings works, from curl to a headless browser. FiftyStateProxy runs from a web dashboard, with no app to install.

### Do I need an email address to set up FiftyStateProxy?

No. Account-number login; email is optional. Save your account number, because FiftyStateProxy cannot recover it without an email on file.

### Is there a free trial?

No free trial — test with the 1 GB plan, paid from the minimum top-up; the part added only to reach the minimum is refundable on request within 30 days, in USDT or USDC, if unspent.

**Get your first US IP** Start with 1 GB for $1.50; every targeting level is included. No KYC — no ID, no selfie, no documents. Pay in crypto. [Buy a US residential plan](https://fiftystateproxy.com/pricing/ "How much do US proxies cost?") · [Learn about ZIP targeting](https://fiftystateproxy.com/what-is-zip-code-proxy-targeting/ "What is ZIP code proxy targeting?")

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FiftyStateProxy: FiftyStateProxy is a US proxy provider: residential IPs in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. with state, city, ZIP code and ASN targeting, plus dedicated T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon 4G/5G mobile ports. No KYC — no ID, no selfie, no documents. Pay in crypto.