It's also known as a proxy or proxy server. It is a software program for servers that serves as an intermediary between a the server and the client on the internet. With no intermediaries, the user can make a request for every resource straight to the server and the server would serve any requested resources directly to client. Although this is a simple process to comprehend and implement with proxy servers, it could provide benefits in terms of more performance as well as privacy, security and many more. As a pass-through layer the proxy serves as a protector of the internet between servers and clients.




Generally speaking, the bundled system of hardware for servers as well as software used to set up proxy installations is commonly referred to in the context of proxy servers. In this article, we will examine proxies commonly referred to as software, as well as ones that work to complement web servers. We will provide a description of the two major types of proxies, a forward proxy and reverse proxy. reverse proxy. Each kind of proxy has its own specific application scenario, which is often misunderstood due the naming conventions that are similar.




This article will give you the basics of what proxy servers and subtypes of them are, as well as how they can be used in typical configurations. Through this article, you will be able to determine the scenarios where an effective proxy is beneficial, and choose the best option between forward and reverse proxy options for each scenario.



Understanding Forward Proxies



Also, a forward proxy also known as the open proxy is a representative of the client who is trying to transmit a request via the internet to an origin server. In this case, all request to send it from the client will instead be made by the forward-proxy. In this scenario an agent acting on behalf of the forward proxy in the instead of the user will review the request. The first step is to determine what authorization the user has to make requests to this particular forward proxy. The forward proxy will then deny this request as well as send it back to the server originally. The client is not able to have direct connection to the internet. It is only able to access what forward proxy grants its access.




One of the most frequent uses for forward proxies is greater privacy or anonymity on the internet. A forward proxy is able to access the internet in instead of a client and in that process it can use an alternative IP address to the original IP address of the client.




Depending on how they were established in the past forward proxy servers may perform a variety of tasks and allow you to:




Avoid ad tracking.


Circumvent surveillance.


You can determine limitations based on your geographic location.




Forward proxies can also be used in security systems that require centralized and have permission-based access like at work. When all internet traffic goes through an open forward proxy layer, an administrator is able to allow access only to specific individuals to access the web. This is filtered by an common firewall. Instead of putting firewalls in place for the client layer that could be comprised of a variety of devices that are different in user and environmental settings the firewall could be placed in the front proxy layer.




Be aware that forward proxy servers must be manually set up to function, but reverse proxies are ignored to the user. Based on whether or not the address IP of a client is sent to the source server via an forward proxy. Privacy and anonymity may be granted or ignored.




There are several possibilities to look into for forward proxies:




Apache is an well-known open-source web server that provides forward-looking proxy features.


Nginx: Another popular open-source server used for web hosting with forward proxy capabilities.


Squid is an open-source forward proxy that uses an HTTP protocol. This does not include an entire web server service. We've got a guide on how to set up Squid proxy for private connection to Ubuntu 20.04.


Dante Forward Proxy that utilizes the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP, making it more appropriate for scenarios like peer-to peer traffic. It is also possible to explore how you can create a Dante proxy to connect privately in Ubuntu 20.04



Understanding Reverse Proxies



Reverse proxy is an agent of a web server, handling incoming requests by clients on its behalf. This web server may comprise one server or a number of servers. It could also serve in the role of an application server such as Gunicorn. In any of these scenarios, it is possible to get a request from a customer through the internet in general. The majority of the time it will be routed straight to the web server hosting the information the user needs. A reverse proxy is a intermediary, which separates Web server from direct communication with the internet.




From a user's perspective, which is a user's viewpoint, interfacing with reverse proxy isn't any different than connecting to your webserver directly. It's the same thing, however clients can't discern the distinction. The client requests an item and receives it with no additional configurations that need to be completed by the customer.




Reverse proxy proxy servers can offer features, like:




A centralized layer of security that protects the server.


Controlling traffic coming inbound according to rules you can create.


A new feature to cache has been added.




While central security is an advantage of both reverse and forward proxy solutions, reverse proxies provide this service to this layer of the internet server, and not to that layer of the internet server, which is called client. instead of maintaining firewalls at the layer of web servers that may contain multiple servers with various configurations, a majority of firewall security can be targeted at the reverse proxy layer. Furthermore, removing the obligation to interface with firewalls and also interacting with clients' requests through web servers lets them focus solely on serving the needs of their customers.




If multiple servers are running through reverse proxy the reverse proxy handles the method of routing requests to which server. A number of web servers could be providing the same content but each serving different types of content, or a combination of both. These servers could use the HTTP protocol similar to a traditional web server, however, they might also use applications server protocols like FastCGI. You may also set up a reverse proxy to direct clients to specific servers depending on the service requested, or to observe certain guidelines for traffic load.




Reverse proxies can also make use of their position before web servers, by offering caching functionality. Large static files may be managed by using caching rules that prevent the web server from being hit with every request and some solutions even offer the option of providing static files without contacting the servers in any manner. Additionally, the reverse proxy could manage the compression of these assets.




The well-known Nginx web server is a well-known reverse proxy option. Although Apache is also a reverse proxy solution, the Apache web server is also equipped with a reverse proxy feature, it is an additional option. Apache as opposed to Nginx was designed initially for and was designed specifically for reverse proxy functions.



Distinguishing Forward Proxy from reverse Proxy Use Situations



Because "forward" along with "reverse" are associated with the notion of directionality and false comparisons between "incoming" as well as "outgoing" traffic. These labels are confusing because both types of proxies handle the flow of requests as well as responses. A better approach to differentiate between reverse and forward proxy services is to consider the needs of the app you're creating.




A reverse proxy is useful in designing an application that is able to serve web-based applications via the internet. They are your web servers in all interactions on the web.




A forward proxy is helpful when used in front of client traffic to your personal use, or for work. They represent your client traffic every time you connect to the internet.




Differentiating by case of use as opposed to focusing only on similar naming conventions can help you in avoidance of confusion.



Conclusion



This article explains what a proxy is with the two primary types being the forward proxy and reverse proxy. Examples of practical applications as well as an examination of important characteristics were used to establish forward proxies and reverse proxy. If you're interested in learning more about how to implement proxy servers, check out our tutorial on how to configure Nginx as an internet server and reverse proxy on Apache using one Ubuntu 20.04 server.



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