It is an proxy is often referred to as a proxy server software program which acts to act as an intermediary a server and a client via the internet. Without a proxy, a user would be able to make a request for a source directly through a server and the server would deliver the requested resource directly to the user. Although this is a simple process to understand and implement, however the addition of proxy servers could provide advantages in the form of enhanced performance, privacy, security, and so on. As a further layer of pass-through proxy servers serve as a guardian for the internet between clients and servers.

In general the case of server hardware with proxy software is also often called proxy servers. The article we will examine proxies that are typically thought to be software, specifically with regard to web servers. We will also discuss of the two principal kinds of proxies: the forward proxy and a reverse proxy. Each has its own specific usage case, but they're often misunderstood because of a similar name convention.

This article will give you some understanding about what proxies and subtypes of them are, as well as how they are useful in common setups. In this article, you'll learn what scenarios where you could benefit from a proxy and then select the most appropriate option between reverse and forward proxy, in each scenario.

Understanding Forward Proxies

Forward proxy sometimes known as an open proxy is an agent used by the user trying to make a request through the internet to a source server. If this is the case, any requests made by the client are instead directed through the forward proxy. In this case this forward proxy, acting instead of the user will examine the request. It is the first thing to determine if the client is allowed to submit requests via this specific forward proxy. It will then reject any request, or send it to the original server. The client is not able to establish a directly connected to the web. it can only access what the forward proxy allows the client access.

The most common reason to use forward proxy is for increased privacy or anonymity on the internet. Forward proxy utilizes web services as clients and in this process it is using an alternative IP address in addition to your client's IP address.

Based on the way it was installed in the past, forward proxy servers can provide a variety of features that allow you to:

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  Avoid ad tracking.
  
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
  
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  Find restrictions based on your geolocation.
  
  

Forward proxies can also be used in systems for centralized security as well as permission-based access, such as in a workplace. If all internet traffic goes by an open forward proxy system, admins may restrict access to only certain clients to the internet via an common firewall. Instead of maintaining firewalls for the client layer, which could involve many machines with varying settings and users, a firewall can be added to an forward proxy layer.

Keep in mind the forward proxy configurations need to be set up manually prior to their use for use in reverse proxies, whereas forward proxy settings can't be observed by the user. Depending on the kind of IP address a user is relayed to the server where it originated by the forward proxy privacy and anonymity can be granted or unnoticed.

There are a myriad of options to look into for forward-looking proxy services:

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  Apache The Apache is a popular open-source web server that provides forward proxy features.
  
  
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  Nginx is another well-known open-source server for web hosting with the ability to forward-proxy.
  
  
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  Squid: An open-source forward proxy that uses the HTTP protocol. It's not a complete Web Server System. We recommend you to read our guide on how you can create Squid proxy for private connections using Ubuntu 20.04.
  
  
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  Dante forward proxy that runs the SOCKS protocol, instead of HTTP this makes it better suitable for situations such as peer-to-peer traffic. It is also possible to research how to set up a Dante proxy that allows private connections to Ubuntu 20.04
  
  

Understanding Reverse Proxies

Reverse proxy acts in the role of an intermediary the web server, and takes responsibility for incoming requests from users for the benefit of. This server could function as a single server or a number of servers. Additionally, it can become an application-server like Gunicorn. In any of these scenarios, a request would originate from a user on the internet generally. The request would typically be directed directly to a web server that holds all the information the user is seeking. Reverse proxy acts as an intermediary, shielding this webserver from direct communication with the open internet.

From a perspective of the user's viewpoint from the perspective of a client reverse proxy use isn't different from communicating with the server in its own. It is functionally similar, but the user is unable to tell the difference. Client asks for a resource then receives it without any extra configuration needed on the part of the client.

Reverse proxy providers provide features like:

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  The web server is protected centrally.
  
  
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  The routing of traffic inbound is by rules that you set up.
  
  
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  The caching feature has been added to the app.
  
  

While central security is a benefit of both reverse and forward proxy systems, reverse proxy providers can provide this feature only to this layer of the internet server, and not the client layer. instead of maintaining firewalls at Web server layers that could comprise multiple servers and various configurations, the majority of firewall security can be concentrated at the reverse proxy layer. Furthermore, removing of the hassle of interfacing with firewalls and interacting with client requests outside of web servers allows the firewall to concentrate on providing the necessary resources.

If there are multiple servers running in a reverse proxy The reverse proxy determines how requests are routed through which server. A number of web servers could be running on one server each providing different kinds of resources or a mix of both. These servers use the HTTP protocol just like a standard web server, but can additionally include applications server protocols like FastCGI. It is possible to configure reverse proxy to direct clients to specific servers based on the kind of resource they're looking for, or to observe certain guidelines regarding the load of traffic.

Reverse proxies can also benefit from their positioning over web servers due to the power of caching. The large static files can be set up with caching rules to avoid hitting web servers on every request. Some options allowing users to serve static files without having to connect directly to web servers in any way. In addition the reverse proxy could handle compressing these assets.

The well-known Nginx web server also functions as a popular reverse proxy solution. Although it is true that the Apache web server is also equipped with reverse proxy features but it's an additional feature available only for Apache however Nginx was originally designed for and is specifically designed for reverse proxy functions.

Distinguishing Forward and Reverse Proxy Use Differentiating Forward and Reverse Proxy Use

Because "forward" in addition to "reverse" come with connotations of directionality and misleading analogies to "incoming" and "outgoing" traffic, these labels can confuse because both types of proxies respond to requests and receive responses. In addition, the most effective method of separating between forward and reverse proxy is to study the requirements of the app that you're working on.

Reverse proxy is an effective tool to use when designing a solution to deliver applications on the web via the internet. They represent your web servers when you connect to the web.

Forward proxy is a great tool to display clients for personal use, or in a working environment. They are a representation of information about the client every time you connect to the internet.

Separating by use case instead of focusing on the similar naming conventions will ensure that you don't get confused.

Conclusion

This article will explain the definition of a proxy with the two main types which are the reverse proxy and the forward proxy. Examples of how to use them and a discussion of the most useful features were used to establish the distinction between reverse and forward proxies. If you're interested in learning more about the possibilities of proxy servers, then read our guide on how to set up Nginx as a reverse proxy for Apache on an Ubuntu 20.04 server.

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