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A common source of confusion is the relationship between sticky sessions and TCP connections. They are independent concepts that operate at different layers.

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TCP Connection (Transport Layer)

A TCP connection is the underlying network link between your client and the Massive proxy server. It carries the actual bytes of your HTTP/HTTPS/SOCKS5 requests.
  • Idle timeout: Open TCP connections automatically close after 30 seconds of inactivity
  • Scope: A single request (or a series of keep-alive requests on the same socket)
  • Lifetime: Typically seconds to minutes, depending on activity
When a TCP connection closes, it does not mean your sticky session has expired or that a new IP has been assigned.

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Sticky Session (Application Layer)

A sticky session is a logical mapping between your session ID and a specific proxy node (IP address). It is tracked server-side and persists independently of TCP connections.
  • Default TTL: 15 minutes (customizable up to 240 minutes via sessionttl)
  • TTL is static: Set at creation time, not extended by subsequent requests
  • Scope: All requests sharing the same session ID, regardless of how many TCP connections they use
  • Lifetime: Minutes to hours, controlled by sessionttl parameter.

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How They Work Together

Within a single sticky session, many TCP connections can open and close — your IP stays the same throughout.
1

0:00 — First request

TCP connection opens → Request with session-abc → Assigned to IP 1.2.3.4 → TCP connection closes.
2

0:45 — Second request (45 seconds later)

New TCP connection opens → Same session-abc → Still routed to IP 1.2.3.4 → TCP connection closes.
3

3:00 — Third request (3 minutes later)

New TCP connection opens → Same session-abc → Still IP 1.2.3.4. Session is alive until TTL expires.
4

15:00 — Session TTL expires

The 15-minute sticky session ends. The IP 1.2.3.4 is no longer reserved for session-abc.
5

15:01 — Next request

New TCP connection opens → Same session-abc → New session created → New IP 5.6.7.8.
TCP connections closed 3 times in this example, but the IP never changed until the session TTL expired.

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Key Takeaway

The 30-second idle timeout applies to the TCP connection, not the session TTL. If your TCP connection closes due to inactivity, simply open a new connection with the same session ID — you will get the same IP as long as the session TTL has not expired.
For more details on session modes and configuration, see the sticky sessions documentation.