Q: Proxy/VPN detection database or just ASN filtering — what's the difference and which do I need?

Q: Proxy/VPN detection database or just ASN filtering — what's the difference and which do I need?

A: They overlap, but one is a scalpel and one is a sledgehammer.

ASN filtering blocks entire networks by their Autonomous System Number — the ID that owns a block of IPs. Blocking AWS, Google Cloud, OVH, and DigitalOcean ASNs kills most datacenter bot traffic in one move. It's free, simple, and brutal. The downside: it can't tell a residential VPN from a regular home user, because both sit on consumer ISP ASNs.

A proxy/VPN detection database adds the layer ASN can't reach — it flags residential proxies, commercial VPN exit nodes, and Tor by tracking the actual IPs, not just who owns them. More precise, but it's a paid subscription and it ages: residential proxy pools rotate constantly, so the database is only as good as its update cadence.

When to use which:
— Tight budget, datacenter is your main problem: ASN filtering covers 80%.
— Residential-proxy fraud (the expensive kind): you need the detection database, ASN alone is blind to it.

Short version: ASN filtering blocks datacenters for free; a proxy database catches residential VPNs and proxies ASN can't see. Start with ASN, add the database when residential fraud appears.

Still stuck? Drop your case in the comments.