Cross-border knowledge sharing: What is a dynamic IP? What is the difference between it and a static IP?

For us cross-border people, it is very important to clearly understand the basic knowledge such as IP addresses and proxy IPs, and learn to use IP addresses correctly to ensure the security and stability of the store. In particular, understanding the difference between dynamic IP and static IP, and how to use this knowledge to prevent account association is a compulsory course for every e-commerce seller, so that we can truly understand what anti-association is and better choose the right anti-association tool. Today we will explain in detail the definition and difference between dynamic IP and static IP, and provide practical strategies for cross-border e-commerce anti-association.

What is a dynamic IP

A dynamic IP address is a proxy server that changes its IP address dynamically. Every time a device connects to the Internet, it gets a new address from a pool of available addresses, which means that the dynamic IP address changes. This address may be reassigned to another user or device shortly after you disconnect. In short, a dynamic IP is a temporary Internet address that can change.

How Dynamic IP Works

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have a system called DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) that is responsible for automatically assigning IP addresses to devices connected to the network. Each time your device connects to the network, DHCP assigns your device an IP address that is not currently in use. When your device disconnects, or after a certain amount of time has passed, the IP address returns to the address pool and may be assigned to the next device that connects.

Advantages of Dynamic IP

Protecting privacy: It is very important for cross-border e-commerce sellers to protect their online identity. Dynamic IP addresses help sellers hide their real IP addresses by constantly changing, thereby reducing the risk of privacy leaks.

Preventing bans: E-commerce platforms may take restrictive measures on accounts due to abnormalities or frequent access from the same IP address. Using dynamic IP can reduce the risk of bans caused by repeated use of IP addresses, especially when managing multiple accounts. Dynamic IP can effectively help sellers avoid such problems.

Bypass restrictions: Many online services and websites restrict access to IP addresses from certain regions. Dynamic IP addresses allow sellers to bypass geographic restrictions, even in those cases where there are restrictions on specific regions.

Improve speed: Dynamic IP addresses can select the best IP path according to the user's geographical location and needs, thereby improving data transmission speed and website loading speed, providing customers with a better shopping experience.

What is a static IP

In contrast, a static IP address is a fixed network address that is permanently assigned to a network device. Since it is a fixed network address, once it is assigned to a network device, it will remain unchanged for a long time and will not change as the device is disconnected or over time.

How Static IP Works

Static IP addresses need to be manually assigned and configured to a specific network device by an Internet Service Provider. Once set, this IP address becomes the device's long-term network address unless the user requests a change. The assignment of static IP addresses is not automatic and usually requires a configuration process, which may involve adjusting network settings and will most likely require additional fees to use.

Advantages of Static IP

Better stability: For cross-border e-commerce companies that operate their own websites and servers, stability is crucial. Static IP addresses provide this stability, ensuring that users can always access the merchant's website and services through the same address.

Easy to manage: Another advantage of static IP addresses is that they are easy to access and manage remotely. Cross-border e-commerce can use static IP addresses to remotely access computers and network devices located in different geographical locations for maintenance, updates, or troubleshooting.

Running a dedicated server: For cross-border e-commerce businesses that need to run their own mail, FTP or web servers, a static IP is a must, which ensures that customers can have uninterrupted access to the merchant's online resources.

The difference between dynamic IP and static IP

In order to help you better understand the difference between the two, we can compare them from the following characteristics:

How to choose IP type for cross-border e-commerce

In the field of cross-border e-commerce, in order to prevent cross-border e-commerce stores from being associated, sellers often need to purchase a large number of IPs, and should choose the appropriate IP type in different occasions. So should cross-border e-commerce choose dynamic IP or static IP in different occasions? Here are some suggestions for you:

Dynamic IP

The characteristic of dynamic IP address is its volatility, and you may get a brand new IP address every time you connect to the Internet. This volatility makes dynamic IP an ideal choice for managing multiple accounts, especially during the registration and login process, because it can simulate different users to log in, thus reducing the risk of being detected by the platform as the same user operating multiple accounts.

• Account registration: When creating new store accounts, cross-border e-commerce companies should use dynamic IP addresses to simulate the behavior of different users in different regions and reduce the risk of account association.
• Multi-account management: For example, an e-commerce operation team is responsible for managing multiple independent stores. They can use dynamic IP to ensure that each store account operates independently, reducing the risk of account suspension due to association.
• Data capture: When cross-border e-commerce uses dynamic IP for market analysis and price monitoring, it can avoid having the IP blocked by the target website due to frequent requests.

Static IP

A static IP address is a fixed IP address, which is generally suitable for long-term stable network environments. For example, a store operation should use a unique static IP, such as a single merchant account that operates for a long time. However, if you use a static IP to register multiple accounts, once one of the accounts is marked or banned, other accounts using the same IP are also easily affected.

• Store operation: For a single merchant account that operates over a long period of time, a static IP provides a fixed network access point, which helps improve the store’s reputation and search engine rankings.
• Customer service: If an e-commerce company needs to provide online customer service, a static IP address can ensure stable access to the customer service platform and improve user experience.
• Remote work: For e-commerce companies with international teams, static IP can be used to set up VPN to ensure that employees can remotely access company resources safely and stably.

In order to maximize the effect, cross-border e-commerce often needs to use a combination of dynamic IP and static IP. Use dynamic IP to protect privacy and avoid account association when registering accounts and managing multiple accounts; use static IP to ensure stability and professionalism when operating the main store stably. Properly balancing the use of the two types of IP can help cross-border e-commerce effectively maintain multiple stores while strengthening the operational efficiency and security of the main business.

Cross-border e-commerce account anti-association strategy

Account association is one of the problems that cross-border e-commerce companies want to avoid the most. Account association is common on e-commerce and social media platforms such as Amazon, eBay, and Facebook. Once the platform algorithm detects that multiple accounts are associated with each other, the account may be restricted or banned.

However, it should be noted that although using dynamic IP can reduce the risk of accounts being associated to a certain extent, it is not foolproof. Cross-border e-commerce platforms may also identify users through browser fingerprinting tracking technology, which can identify and track specific user behavior patterns by analyzing multiple factors such as user device information, operating system, browser version, etc. In addition to browser fingerprinting, there are other technical vulnerabilities that may lead to account association risks, one of which is WebRTC, which may also accidentally leak the user's real IP address. In our previous blog posts, we discussed in detail how WebRTC leaks IP addresses.

To address these challenges, cross-border e-commerce can use AdsPower Fingerprint Browser to manage multiple accounts. It can create an independent browser environment for each account, ensuring that each environment has a unique browser fingerprint and reducing the risk of account association. Settings can also be configured to disable or manage WebRTC to protect accounts from being associated with the platform.

Summarize

In this article, we discussed the difference between dynamic and static IPs, and what these two types of IPs mean for cross-border e-commerce. In general, for cross-border e-commerce, if the platform allows you to have multiple accounts, using dynamic IPs and fingerprint browsers to manage these accounts may be a safer option. Choosing the right IP type and combining it with the AdsPower fingerprint browser can significantly improve the operational security and efficiency of e-commerce stores.