It is a proxy is also referred to as a proxy server is software that sits as a mediator between a client and server on internet. Without proxy, a user could send a request for a resource directly to a server, and it would serve that resource to its user directly. This is a simple method to grasp and implement, the addition of proxies can provide advantages in the form of better performance, privacy, security, and many more. In addition to moving between, it serves as a gatekeeper for the internet between clients and servers.

The majority of people agree this: the mix of hardware for servers and the software that is installed to make proxy connections is commonly referred too as proxy servers. In this article, we will focus on proxies typically described as software as well as those that are utilized to work in conjunction using web servers. This article will present an in-depth description of two kinds of proxies: that is the forward proxy and a reverse proxy. Each has its own use case and is often misunderstood due to the same name convention.

This article will give you some understanding about what proxy services are, and subtypes they have, and what ways they can prove useful for the most common setups. By reading this article, you'll be able to discern the scenarios where a proxy can be beneficial, and decide on the most appropriate forward proxy or reverse proxy in any given situation.

Understanding Forward Proxies

The forward proxy, also known in the form of the open proxy is the representative of a client who is trying to send a request through the internet to an the server that originated it. In this situation it is the situation that all requests coming from the client will rather be directed via this forward proxy. In this scenario, the forward proxy in place of the client will examine the request. At the beginning, it will determine if the client is allowed to send requests via this specific forward proxy. It will then decide whether to refuse this request and transfer it over to the original server. It's not able to connect directly via the Internet. It can only access what the forward proxy permits the forward proxy to connect.

The most common use for forward proxy is to achieve greater privacy or security on the internet. Forward proxy utilizes the internet as an individual client, and during this way, it could make use of a different IP address comparison to the original IP address used by the client.

Depending on how they were established in the past, forward proxy servers can offer a wide range of options, allowing you to:

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  Beware of ads that track you.
  
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
  
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  Determine restrictions based on location of residence.
  
  

Forward proxies can also be used in systems that offer central security and permission based access, for example, at work. In the event that all internet traffic is routed via an open forward proxy, an administrator is able to permit only a handful of users access to the internet, which is filtered by a firewall that is common to all. Instead of ensuring firewalls are in place on the layer of clients which could include multiple computers with different user and environment the firewall could be installed at the layer which is responsible for forwarding proxy data.

Be aware that forward proxies need to be manually setup to be used, while reverse proxies are often disregarded by clients. Based on the fact that an IP address is sent to the server that originated it via the forward proxy Privacy and anonymity could be granted or made transparent.

There are many options to be considered for forward proxies:

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  Apache An open-source, well-known web server that offers forward proxy capabilities.
  
  
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  Nginx A renowned open-source web server with forward proxy functionality.
  
  
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  Squid is an open-source forward proxy which makes use of an HTTP protocol. This option doesn't include the entire web server service. Check out our article on the best method of setting up Squid proxy for private connections in Ubuntu 20.04.
  
  
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  Dante forward proxy which uses the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP, making it better suited for scenarios like peer-to-peer communication. You might also want to learn how to configure the Dante proxy for private connections within Ubuntu 20.04
  
  

Understanding Reverse Proxies

Reverse proxy is a representation of a web server which manages requests from customers on behalf of. The web server may represent a single or multiple servers. Furthermore, it could serve as an app server like Gunicorn. In any of these situations it is possible to receive a request via a user on the web at large. In most cases, the request will be sent directly to the web server with the resources that the user is looking for. Reverse proxy, however, is a intermediary, and blocks your server from interactions with the open internet.

From a client's perspective from a client's perspective, using a reverse proxy is not different from communicating directly with you web server directly. It's basically the same and the client can't discern the difference. Client requests a resource, which is followed by receiving it, with no extra configuration required by the end-user.

Reverse proxy proxies are able to provide options, such as:

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  Secured centrally to protect Web Server Layer.
  
  
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  Sending traffic to be directed according to the rules you set up.
  
  
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  Additional functions to cache data.
  
  

Although central security can be a benefit of both reverse and forward proxy service, reverse proxies give this benefit only to the server layer, and not to the client layer. Instead of the need to maintain firewalls at the layer of web servers which can contain several servers with different configurations, the bulk of firewall security is centered at the layer of reverse proxy. Additionally, getting rid of the necessity of working with firewalls as well as connecting with requests from clients who aren't connected to web servers allows firewalls to focus on meeting the requirements of their clients.

If there are multiple servers that are behind a reverse proxy the reverse proxy will also take care of the way requests are handled on the server. There could be multiple web servers running within the same system, providing different kinds of resources or a mix of both. These servers may use the HTTP protocol in the same way as a traditional web server. They can also use applications server protocols such as FastCGI. You can set up a reverse proxy to direct clients to specific servers according to the type of resource they are searching for, or follow certain rules to manage traffic load.

Reverse proxies can also benefit from their placement ahead of web servers through the ability to cache. Large static assets can be set up using caching rules to prevent having to connect to web servers with each request, with some solutions offering the possibility to serve static files directly without connecting with the server even once. Additionally, reverse proxy could be able to handle compression of these assets.

The famous Nginx web server is a well-known reverse proxy provider. Although it, Apache web server, it's also equipped with a reverse proxy feature, it's a separate option that's available to Apache while Nginx was initially designed for and was designed to perform reverse proxy functions.

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

Because "forward" as well as "reverse" are associated with the notion of directionality, and false distinctions between "incoming" in addition to "outgoing" traffic These labels are confusing because both kinds of proxies can be used to manage requests and responses. The best way to differentiate between forward and reverse proxy services is to study the requirements of the app that you are creating.

A reverse proxy could be helpful in the development of a solution to provide web-based services over the internet. They serve as your servers when you interact with the internet.

Forward proxy can be useful when used before a client for personal use, or in the workplace. They are a representation of your traffic when you are on the internet.

A distinction based on usage case instead of focusing solely at similar names will assist you in avoiding confusion.

Conclusion

This article clarifies the meaning of a proxy with the two major types: the forward proxy and reverse proxy. Practical application scenarios and a look at advantageous features were utilized to distinguish forward proxies and reverse proxy. If you're interested in learning more about the possibilities of proxy services, then you can check out our guide on how to set up Nginx as a reverse proxy and web server proxy on Apache on one Ubuntu 20.04 server.

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