Rayobyte vs Geonode for Selenium: Handling Authentication and Sessions

The shared problem

Chrome's --proxy-server flag doesn't take a username and password, which is Selenium's main proxy headache with any provider. Both Rayobyte and Geonode support the standard fixes:

1. IP whitelisting: register your server IP and connect without credentials.
2. Selenium Wire: a local proxy that injects credentials.
3. An auth extension that answers the proxy prompt.

See Rayobyte with Selenium, Geonode with Selenium and Selenium proxies.

Whitelisting on both

Both providers support IP whitelisting. It's the most reliable method for Selenium, but on rotating products you'll need each provider's docs for how to set targeting and sessions without credentials in the username.

opts = webdriver.ChromeOptions()
opts.add_argument(f"--proxy-server=http://{HOST}:{PORT}")
driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=opts)

Sessions

Treat each driver as one session. To change IP, quit the driver and start another with a new session or let the gateway rotate. Geonode's sessions can last up to 24 hours; Rayobyte's up to 120 minutes. Selenium jobs are usually short, so this rarely matters.

Product fit

Which to choose

For Selenium, the deciding factors are the same as for any browser workload: per-GB price (Geonode cheaper at modest volume), targeting precision (Rayobyte adds ZIP and device OS), and session length (Geonode longer). If Selenium's proxy handling frustrates you, consider Playwright, which takes credentials natively on both. See Rayobyte vs Geonode for Playwright.

With Webshare too: Selenium across all three.

A real-world example

A legacy test suite of 600 Selenium tests runs nightly from fixed CI servers. The team allowlists the CI IPs on both Rayobyte and Geonode and points tests at static ISP IPs for consistent results. A handful of location tests use residential with Selenium Wire for credentials. The team plans to migrate the location tests to Playwright, which takes credentials directly on both providers.

Pros and cons for Selenium

Rayobyte

• Unmetered static ISP and datacenter IPs for steady test fleets.
• 29 datacenter countries.

Geonode

• Cheaper ISP IPs per test environment.
• Cheaper residential for occasional location tests.

Both: IP allowlisting is the cleanest Selenium setup.

Rayobyte, Geonode and Webshare are three options among many. Our best proxies in 2026 guide explains how to match a proxy type to each task, and cheap proxies that work shows where budget providers fit. For browser automation in depth, see our Puppeteer proxies guide.

Key takeaways

• Selenium's credential problem is the same on both; whitelisting is the cleanest fix.
• Treat each driver as one session.
• Choose on per-GB price, targeting and session length.
• Playwright avoids the credential workaround on both.

FAQ

Do both support IP whitelisting for Selenium?

Yes.

Does Selenium Wire work with both?

Yes; give it a standard proxy URL with credentials.

Can I use Firefox instead of Chrome?

Yes, with proxy preferences and whitelisting or an extension on either provider.