# Glossary of city proxy terms

> Glossary for US city proxies: residential IP, city targeting, ASN, CBSA metro area, DMA, ZCTA, NANPA overlay, sticky session, geolocation database and more.

- URL: https://metroproxies.com/glossary/
- Last updated: 2026-10-18
- Publisher: MetroProxies (https://metroproxies.com)

**Quick answer**

The terms used on MetroProxies city pages and docs, from proxy vocabulary (residential IP, sticky session, ASN) to the US statistical areas behind the local data (CBSA, ZCTA, NANPA overlays). **MetroProxies** is a US residential proxy provider with city-level targeting, from $0.50/GB (October 2026); no KYC, crypto payments.

## Which proxy terms are used on this site?

**Residential IP** — An IP address assigned by an internet provider to a home connection. Websites see it as an ordinary household visitor.

**Exit IP** — The address your request leaves the proxy network from; the one the target website sees.

**Gateway** — The single host you connect to (`gw.metroproxies.com`), which forwards each request to an exit IP matching your username segments.

**City targeting** — Asking the gateway for an exit IP in a named city with the `city-` segment. Availability depends on the devices online there.

**Rotating session** — Each new connection gets an exit IP from the pool, usually a different one.

**Sticky session** — The same exit IP for a set time, chosen with `session-` and `ttl-` segments; here up to 30 minutes, set per session with the ttl parameter; the IP can change earlier.

**ASN (autonomous system number)** — The number under which a network, such as an internet provider, announces its IP ranges. AS7922 is Comcast; AS20115 is Charter (Spectrum).

**Sub-user** — A separate set of proxy credentials under your account, with its own traffic cap, for one project or client.

**SOCKS5** — A proxy protocol that carries any TCP traffic. Browsers do not send a username to SOCKS5 proxies, so use HTTP in browsers.

## Which place and data terms are used?

**Incorporated place** — A city, town or village with its own government, as counted by the Census Bureau. Our city pages cover incorporated places (and Urban Honolulu) with 150,000+ residents.

**Vintage 2024 estimates** — The Census Bureau's population estimates for July 1, 2024, compared with an April 1, 2020 base.

**CBSA (core-based statistical area)** — A metro or micro area defined by the federal government around a core city, made of whole counties; the "metro area" on our pages.

**DMA (designated market area)** — A TV and advertising market; many ad campaigns are bought by DMA, which can cross state lines.

**ZCTA (ZIP Code Tabulation Area)** — The Census Bureau's map version of a ZIP code. P.O. box and single-building ZIPs have no ZCTA.

**Area code overlay** — Two or more area codes serving the same territory, such as 312, 773 and 872 in Chicago. NANPA lists them as an overlay complex.

**Geolocation database** — A commercial or free dataset that estimates where an IP address is. Different databases can disagree, especially at city and ZIP level.

**Fixed wireless** — Home internet delivered by radio, such as 5G home internet; shown separately from wired providers on our city pages.

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MetroProxies: MetroProxies is a US residential proxy provider with city-level targeting, paid in crypto with no ID upload. Home IPs are requested by city, state, ZIP code or ISP network, with a page of local data for each of 181 US cities.