A proxy, also known as a proxy is also known as the proxy server, is a software that acts as a mediator between client and server on the internet. Without the use of a proxy, clients will send a request directly to a server, and it would serve direct to users who requested the resource. While this procedure is easy to comprehend and implement with proxy servers, it could offer benefits in terms of improved performance, privacy, security, and more. In addition to providing a layer of protection, a proxy acts as a gatekeeper to the internet between servers and clients.

It is generally accepted that the bundle of server hardware that is installed with proxy software is generally known as a proxy server. In this article, we'll focus on proxy servers, which are generally classified as software and also within the context of web servers. This article will give a detailed breakdown of the two primary types of proxies: the forward proxy as well as a reverse proxy. Each type has a different usage scenario, which is often misunderstood due to the similar namesake convention.

This article will give you an idea of the different types of proxy and what their subtypes, as well as their significance in standard setups. By reading this post, you'll be able to understand how to recognize the situations in which an effective proxy could be useful and select the best option between forward and reverse proxy depending on the circumstance.

Understanding Forward Proxies

A forward proxy, also known as an open proxy, also known as an open acts as an intermediary between clients who are trying to send a request via the internet to a source server. In this scenario, every attempt to send requests made by the user will be routed direct to the forward proxy. A forward proxy in the client's stead, will examine the request. The first step is to decide if the client's permitted access to requests made by this specific forward proxy. It will then reject any request, or send it to the server that originally received it. The client does not have connection to any internet. It has access to only the web pages that the forward proxy allows the client access.

The most frequent reasons for forward proxy is to improve privacy or security when using the internet. Forward proxy utilizes the internet as the client, and in the process, it uses an alternative IP address to the client's original IP address.

Based on how it has been configured depending on the way it's configured forward proxy can provide different features depending on how it is configured, which allows you to:

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  Beware of ads that track you.
  
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
  
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  You will be able to identify any restrictions based on your geographical location.
  
  

Forward proxies are also utilized in systems that offer central security as well as permission-based access, like at an office. Internet traffic can go through an open forward proxy. an administrator is able to restrict access to certain clients to the internet that is protected by a standard firewall. As opposed to having firewalls in place on the client layer, which can include multiple devices with various configurations and users, there is the option to set up a firewall at the forward proxy layer.

Take note the forward proxy setting must be manually set up to be used, however reverse proxies will be ignored by the client. Depending on whether the IP address of the user is sent to the server where it came from by the forward proxy, privacy and security may be granted or hidden.

There are a variety of options to consider for forward proxy:

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  Apache is an well-known open-source web server that provides forward proxy functions.
  
  
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  Nginx: Another well-known open-source server used for web hosting with forward proxy capabilities.
  
  
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  Squid: An open-source forward proxy which uses the HTTP protocol. It's not the entire web server. Check out our guide on how to install Squid proxy to connect privately on Ubuntu 20.04.
  
  
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  Dante is a forward-looking proxy, which uses the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP to make it better suitable for peer-to-peer communication. You may also want to examine how you can set up Dante proxy to allow connection to private networks in Ubuntu 20.04
  
  

Understanding Reverse Proxies

Reverse proxy functions as the web server that handles the incoming requests of customers on behalf of. The web server could be a single, or multiple servers. It could also be an application server such as Gunicorn. In any of these situations an application request is made from a user via the internet. Most of the time requests are sent directly to the server along with the information that the client is requesting. However, a reverse proxy acts as an intermediary, and separates your server from interaction with the internet's open.

From the viewpoint of the individual client's viewpoint the procedure of using reverse proxy is similar to communicating with Web server in direct contact. It's the same thing and the client is unable to tell the difference. The client makes a request for a resource, which is followed by receiving it without the need for any additional configuration needed for the end user.

Reverse proxies offer functions like:

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  A centralized layer of security to guard the server.
  
  
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  The direction of traffic coming in is based upon rules that you can define.
  
  
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  New caching functionality has been added.
  
  

While central security is a benefit of both forward and reverse proxy, reverse proxies do this feature to only the server layer but not to the client layer. instead of being focused on the maintenance of firewalls at the web server layer which could contain multiple servers and various configurations, most of firewall security is targeted at the reverse proxy layer. Furthermore, the elimination of the responsibility of communicating with firewalls and interacting with clients who are far from web servers enables them to focus on meeting the requirements of their clients.

In the case of multiple servers running through reverse proxy reverse proxy also is responsible for directing which requests go to which servers. There could be multiple web servers providing identical content, but providing different types of services or a mixture of the two. These servers may be using the HTTP protocol that is the standard web server, however they could contain other protocols used by application servers, such as FastCGI. It is also possible to set up a reverse proxy to direct users to a particular server based on the requested resource or to adhere to specific guidelines on the volume of traffic.

Reverse proxies may also take advantage of their position over web servers, as they have the capability to store information. The large static files can be configured with caching policy to avoid hitting web servers on every request. Certain applications allow users to serve static files directly without having to contact servers on the internet in any manner. Furthermore the reverse proxy is able to help compress these assets.

The well-known Nginx web server also functions as a popular reverse proxy service. Although there is an equivalent feature available within the Apache web server, it has a reverse proxy features as an added option that is accessible for Apache however Nginx was designed originally for and is specifically designed for reverse proxy functions.

Differentiating Forward Proxy and Reverse Proxy Use Cases

Since "forward" in addition to "reverse" are associated with directionality, and false comparisons with "incoming" and "outgoing" traffic The labels can be confusing since both types of proxies process requests and responses. In addition, the most effective method to distinguish between both reverse and forward proxies is to look at the requirements of the app you're creating.

Reverse proxy is helpful when building a solution to serve websites on the internet. They act as your web servers when you use the internet.

Forward proxy are helpful when displayed in front of customers to facilitate your personal use, or even in a corporate setting. They are a representation of your customer's traffic when they interact on the internet.

The use of case-based differentiation instead of focusing solely on standard naming conventions could help in avoiding confusion.

Conclusion

The article clarified the meaning of aproxy is and the two primary types: the forward proxy and reverse proxy. Practical applications as well as a review of the attributes that are beneficial were used to determine forward proxies as well as reverse proxies. If you're interested to learn more about implementation of proxies then you should check out our tutorial on how you can configure Nginx as a reverse proxy and web server proxy on Apache on an Ubuntu 20.04 server.

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