The ASN (Autonomous System Number) object represents a network or group of networks operated by a single organization in the Ping Proxies system. ASNs are globally unique identifiers assigned to organizations that control blocks of IP addresses, such as internet service providers, hosting companies, and large enterprises.

Key Attributes

AttributeTypeDescription
asn_idintegerThe unique identifier for the ASN (e.g., 7018 for AT&T)
asn_namestringThe name of the organization that owns the ASN
asn_typestringCategory of the ASN (e.g., isp, hosting, business, cdn, education, gov)
asn_rirstringRegional Internet Registry that assigned the ASN (arin, ripe, apnic, lacnic, afrinic)
asn_ip_address_countintegerThe number of IP addresses allocated to this ASN
country_idstringThe primary country where the ASN is registered

Object Relationships

The ASN object connects with several other objects in the Ping Proxies API:

  • Proxies: ASNs are assigned to specific proxies, determining their network identity
  • IP Addresses: Each IP address belongs to an ASN
  • Subnets: Groups of IP addresses within an ASN
  • Services: Proxy services may be filtered or targeted by ASN
  • Countries: ASNs are typically associated with specific countries
EndpointDescription
GET /public/user/asn/retrieve/{asn_id}Retrieve a specific ASN by ID
GET /public/user/asn/searchSearch ASNs using various filters
GET /public/user/proxy/search?asn_id={asn_id}Find proxies associated with a specific ASN

Usage Notes

  • ASNs provide important context about the quality, type, and reputation of proxies
  • For residential proxies, you can target specific ASNs in the /residential/list endpoint
  • The asn_ip_address_count gives an indication of the size and potential diversity of IPs within an ASN

ASN Type Categories

ASNs are categorized into several types, each with distinct characteristics:

ASN TypeDescriptionExamples
ispConsumer internet service providersAT&T (7018), Comcast (7922)
hostingCloud and hosting providersAWS (16509), Cloudflare (13335)
businessEnterprise/corporate networksApple (714), Microsoft (8075)
cdnContent delivery networksAkamai (20940), Fastly (54113)
educationUniversities and research institutionsMIT (3), Stanford (32)
govGovernment institutionsUS Department of Defense (721)

When selecting proxies for specific use cases, the ASN type often matters more than the specific ASN itself, as it indicates the general traffic pattern and reputation of the network.