> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.statproxies.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Slow Performance

> Optimize your Stat Proxies configuration for better speed and throughput.

If your proxy requests are slower than expected, work through this guide to find and fix the most common performance bottlenecks.

## Check your baseline

First, test raw proxy latency:

```bash theme={null}
curl -x http://myuser:mypass@192.168.1.1:3128 -w "DNS: %{time_namelookup}s\nConnect: %{time_connect}s\nTLS: %{time_appconnect}s\nTotal: %{time_total}s\n" -o /dev/null -s https://httpbin.org/ip
```

Stat Proxies are located in Ashburn, VA. Expected latency to most US targets is under 100ms.

## Common causes and fixes

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="High DNS resolution time">
    **Symptom:** `time_namelookup` is above 200ms.

    **Fix:**

    * Use a fast DNS resolver (Google: `8.8.8.8`, Cloudflare: `1.1.1.1`)
    * Cache DNS lookups in your application
    * Resolve target hostnames once and reuse the IP
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Not reusing connections">
    **Symptom:** Each request takes 200ms+ even for the same target.

    **Fix:**

    * Use persistent connections (HTTP keep-alive)
    * In Python, use `requests.Session()` instead of standalone `requests.get()`
    * In Node.js, use an HTTP agent with `keepAlive: true`
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Too many concurrent connections per proxy">
    **Symptom:** Requests queue up and become slow under load.

    **Fix:**

    * Distribute concurrent requests across multiple proxy IPs
    * Limit concurrency per proxy to 5–10 simultaneous connections
    * Use connection pooling in your HTTP client
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Target server is slow">
    **Symptom:** The same proxy is fast to `httpbin.org` but slow to your target.

    **Fix:**

    * This is likely the target's response time, not your proxy
    * Test by comparing `curl` to the target both with and without the proxy
    * If the target is throttling, add delays between requests
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Geographic distance">
    **Symptom:** Consistent 200ms+ latency.

    **Fix:**

    * Our proxies are in Ashburn, VA — closest to US East Coast targets
    * Latency to West Coast or international targets will naturally be higher
    * For latency-sensitive workloads targeting US infrastructure, this location is optimal
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Performance best practices

1. **Reuse connections** — Use sessions/connection pooling instead of creating new connections per request
2. **Distribute load** — Spread requests across your proxy pool rather than hammering a single IP
3. **Set timeouts** — Use 10–30 second timeouts to avoid hanging on slow targets
4. **Limit concurrency** — 5–10 concurrent connections per proxy IP is a safe default
5. **Compress responses** — Send `Accept-Encoding: gzip` to reduce transfer sizes

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Connection Errors" icon="circle-exclamation" href="/articles/connection-errors">
    Diagnose connectivity failures
  </Card>

  <Card title="Blocked Requests" icon="shield" href="/articles/blocked-requests">
    Handle blocks and improve success rates
  </Card>
</CardGroup>