An proxy can also be referred to for its role as a proxy, is software that acts to act as an intermediary for a client and server on the internet. Without the proxy, a client would send a request for every resource straight to server and servers would deliver direct to users who requested the resource. This is a simple method to grasp and use however, the addition of proxy servers could provide advantages like increased performance, privacy, security, and so on. In addition to providing a layer of protection proxy servers function as a security guard for the internet between clients and servers.




The consensus is that the system of server hardware coupled with installed proxy software is often known as proxy servers. This article will concentrate on proxies that are traditionally referred to as software, specifically with respect with web server. We will give a synopsis of the two main kinds of proxies: a forward proxy and reverse proxy. reverse proxy. Each type has a different usage, which can be confusing due to the same name convention.




This article will give you an idea of types of proxies, their subtypes, and what they can do in common configurations. After reading this article, you'll be able to understand the situations when you may benefit from a proxy and determine the best alternative between reverse proxy or forward proxy for any situation.



Understanding Forward Proxies



Forward proxy also referred to as an open proxy serves as an agent for a user who wants to make a request over the internet to a source server. In this scenario, every attempt to send requests made by the user will be directed via the forward proxy. A forward proxy in the place of the client will review the request. It first decides if the client is allowed to accept requests via this particular forward proxy. Then, it will either refuse requests or send it back to server that originated it. The client is not capable of having direct access to the internet; it will only be allowed access to the information that the forward proxy allows its access.




The most popular reasons for forward proxy is to provide greater privacy or security on internet. Forward proxy connects to the internet instead of an individual client, and during that process it may use a different IP address, in contrast to the IP address that is used by the user.




Based on the way it's set up, and how it's configured, forward proxy may offer a range of features and allow you to:




Beware of tracking ads.


Circumvent surveillance.


Determine restrictions based on geolocation.




Forward proxies are also used in systems to provide central security and permission based access, such as in workplaces. In the event that all internet traffic is routed through an open forward proxy layer, administrators are able to permit only certain users access to the internet, which is controlled by a standard firewall. Instead of keeping firewalls for the client layer, which could involve many machines with varying settings and types of users, the firewall could be placed at on an intermediary layer.




Keep in mind that forward proxy servers must be set up manually for use, while reverse proxy servers could be disregarded from the clients. According to the type of IP address of the client's connection to the server that originated it by the forward proxy privacy and security may either be provided or rendered transparent.




There are a myriad of choices to be considered in determining forward proxy:




Apache is an well-known open-source web server that offers forward proxy capability.


Nginx is another popular open-source webserver, which comes with forward proxy capabilities.


Squid: A free and open source forward proxy that utilizes the HTTP protocol. The option does not include the whole web server. It is possible to refer to our article about the best method to install Squid proxy to enable private connections on Ubuntu 20.04.


Dante is a forward proxy which uses the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP this makes it suitable for scenarios like peer-to-peer traffic. You can also learn how to setup a Dante proxy to allow secure connections within Ubuntu 20.04



Understanding Reverse Proxies



Reverse proxy is a web server, which handles requests from customers on behalf of the server. It can be used as a one server, or multiple servers. It could also include an application servers, like Gunicorn. In all of these scenarios, a request would come via the web at large. In the majority of cases the request is made directly to the web server, along with the resources the user requires. Reverse proxy acts as an intermediary, separating your website server from communicating with the web's public.




From a consumer's point view from a client's perspective reverse proxy isn't different from connecting directly to an internet server. It's functionally the same but the client can't discern the difference. The client requests the resource, and it receives it without any additional configuration needed from the client.




Reverse proxies provide features such as:




A centralized layer of security that protects the server.


The direction of traffic that is according to rules you can establish.


A new feature for caching has been added.




Central security is an advantage of both forward and reverse proxy solutions, reverse proxies give this feature only to only the server layer and only the layer that clients use. instead of the maintenance of firewalls at the server layer that could contain multiple servers with different configurations, the majority of firewall security can be directed at the reverse proxy layer. In addition, eliminating the burden of interacting with firewalls and responding to requests from clients that are not on web servers permits them to concentrate solely on delivering the needs of their customers.




In the event of multiple servers being hosted through a reverse proxy the reverse proxy handles the routing of requests towards the servers. There could be multiple web servers serving the same resource, serving different kinds of resources or a mix of the two. They may use the HTTP protocol to function as a standard web server, but they could also incorporate application server protocols such as FastCGI. It is possible to set up a reverse proxy to route clients to specific servers according to the requested resource, or to observe specific rules regarding traffic volume.




Reverse proxies can also utilize their position before web servers by offering the ability to cache. Large static assets can be set using caching rules to prevent from reaching web servers with each time a request is made. There are solutions that offer the option of serving static content directly without having to interact with the webserver in any way. Furthermore, reverse proxy can help compress these assets.




The well-known Nginx web server has become a wildly popular reverse proxy option. Although it is true that the Apache web server does have the ability to reverse proxy as an added feature available to Apache However, Nginx was originally designed to and is focused on the reverse proxy function.



Differentiating Forward Proxy and Reverse Proxy Use Examples



Because "forward" as well as "reverse" are associated with a sense of directionality and misleading comparisons with "incoming" and "outgoing" traffic. They could be confusing because both kinds of proxy servers process requests and response. The best way to distinguish between forward and reverse proxy servers is to study the needs of the application that you are building.




Reverse proxy is a vital aspect in the design of a solution to serve web-based applications via the internet. They serve as servers during any interaction through the Internet.




Forward proxy can be useful for displaying customers for your own use, or for use in a working environment. The forward proxy is a representation of the information of the customer every time you interact with them on the internet.




A distinction based on use cases instead of focusing on similar naming conventions will make it easier to avoid confusion.



Conclusion



The article clarified meaning of a proxy with two kinds of proxy being the forward and the reverse proxy. Practical applications and an examination of the beneficial attributes were utilized to distinguish forward proxies from reverse proxy. If you're interested in the use for proxy servers you can learn how you can configure Nginx as a web server and reverse proxy in Apache using Ubuntu 20.04 Server. Ubuntu 20.04 server.



Here's more info on Proxy Sites look into our own web-site.