diff --git a/common/ratelimit.go b/common/ratelimit.go
index 8731d18f61..bd647a21cc 100644
--- a/common/ratelimit.go
+++ b/common/ratelimit.go
@@ -46,14 +46,23 @@ type RateBucketParams struct {
 	LastRequestTime time.Time
 }
 
-func GetClientAddress(ctx context.Context, header string) (string, error) {
-	if header != "" {
+// GetClientAddress returns the client address from the context. If the header is not empty, it will
+// take the ip address located at the `numProxies“ position from the end of the header. If the ip address cannot be
+// found in the header, it will use the connection ip if `alloweDirectionConnection` is true. Otherwise, it will return
+// an error.
+func GetClientAddress(ctx context.Context, header string, numProxies int, allowDirectConnectionFallback bool) (string, error) {
+
+	if header != "" && numProxies > 0 {
 		md, ok := metadata.FromIncomingContext(ctx)
-		if !ok || len(md.Get(header)) == 0 {
-			return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to get ip from header")
+		if ok && len(md.Get(header)) > 0 {
+			parts := splitHeader(md.Get(header))
+			if len(parts) >= numProxies {
+				return parts[len(parts)-numProxies], nil
+			}
 		}
-		return md.Get(header)[len(md.Get(header))-1], nil
-	} else {
+	}
+
+	if header == "" || allowDirectConnectionFallback {
 		p, ok := peer.FromContext(ctx)
 		if !ok {
 			return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to get peer from request")
@@ -65,32 +74,19 @@ func GetClientAddress(ctx context.Context, header string) (string, error) {
 		}
 		return host, nil
 	}
+
+	return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to get ip")
 }
 
-func GetClientAddressCloudfare(ctx context.Context, header string) (string, error) {
-	if header != "" {
-		md, ok := metadata.FromIncomingContext(ctx)
-		if !ok || len(md.Get(header)) == 0 {
-			return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to get ip from header")
+func splitHeader(header []string) []string {
+	var result []string
+	for _, h := range header {
+		for _, p := range strings.Split(h, ",") {
+			trimmed := strings.TrimSpace(p)
+			if trimmed != "" {
+				result = append(result, trimmed)
+			}
 		}
-		addr := md.Get(header)[len(md.Get(header))-1]
-		// split the address
-		parts := strings.Split(addr, ",")
-		if len(parts) == 2 {
-			return parts[0], nil
-		}
-		return addr, nil
-
-	} else {
-		p, ok := peer.FromContext(ctx)
-		if !ok {
-			return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to get peer from request")
-		}
-		addr := p.Addr.String()
-		host, _, err := net.SplitHostPort(addr)
-		if err != nil {
-			return "", err
-		}
-		return host, nil
 	}
+	return result
 }
diff --git a/common/ratelimit_test.go b/common/ratelimit_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e3d6f97cbd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/ratelimit_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+package common_test
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"net"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/Layr-Labs/eigenda/common"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/metadata"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/peer"
+)
+
+func TestGetClientAddress(t *testing.T) {
+
+	// Make test context
+	// Four proxies. The last proxy's IP address will be in the connection, not in the header
+	md := metadata.Pairs("x-forwarded-for", "dummyheader, clientip", "x-forwarded-for", "proxy1, proxy2", "x-forwarded-for", "proxy3")
+
+	ctx := peer.NewContext(context.Background(), &peer.Peer{
+		Addr: &net.TCPAddr{
+			IP:   net.ParseIP("0.0.0.0"),
+			Port: 1234,
+		},
+	})
+
+	ctx = metadata.NewIncomingContext(ctx, md)
+	md, ok := metadata.FromIncomingContext(ctx)
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatal("failed to get metadata from context")
+	}
+	assert.Equal(t, []string{"dummyheader, clientip", "proxy1, proxy2", "proxy3"}, md.Get("x-forwarded-for"))
+
+	ip, err := common.GetClientAddress(ctx, "x-forwarded-for", 4, false)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, "clientip", ip)
+
+	ip, err = common.GetClientAddress(ctx, "x-forwarded-for", 7, false)
+	assert.Error(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, "", ip)
+
+	ip, err = common.GetClientAddress(ctx, "x-forwarded-for", 7, true)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, "0.0.0.0", ip)
+
+	ip, err = common.GetClientAddress(ctx, "", 0, true)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, "0.0.0.0", ip)
+
+	ip, err = common.GetClientAddress(ctx, "", 0, false)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, "0.0.0.0", ip)
+
+}
diff --git a/disperser/apiserver/server.go b/disperser/apiserver/server.go
index b0349cfaee..3394952529 100644
--- a/disperser/apiserver/server.go
+++ b/disperser/apiserver/server.go
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ func (s *DispersalServer) DisperseBlob(ctx context.Context, req *pb.DisperseBlob
 
 	blob := getBlobFromRequest(req)
 
-	origin, err := common.GetClientAddressCloudfare(ctx, s.rateConfig.ClientIPHeader)
+	origin, err := common.GetClientAddress(ctx, s.rateConfig.ClientIPHeader, 1, true)
 	if err != nil {
 		for _, param := range securityParams {
 			quorumId := string(uint8(param.GetQuorumId()))
diff --git a/node/grpc/server.go b/node/grpc/server.go
index ddbd78f7ff..6894bd1530 100644
--- a/node/grpc/server.go
+++ b/node/grpc/server.go
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ func (s *Server) RetrieveChunks(ctx context.Context, in *pb.RetrieveChunksReques
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	retrieverID, err := common.GetClientAddress(ctx, s.config.ClientIPHeader)
+	retrieverID, err := common.GetClientAddress(ctx, s.config.ClientIPHeader, 1, false)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}