A proxy, also known as a proxy, also known as a proxy server also referred to a proxy server, is software that functions as mediator between a client and server on the internet. Without a proxy, a client would make a request resources directly to a server, and it would deliver direct to users who requested the resource. While this process is simple to comprehend and implement using proxy services, it may offer benefits in terms of improved performance and privacy, security and much more. In addition to providing a layer of protection proxy, it acts as a security guard to the internet between servers and clients.




In general, the bundle of server hardware that is installed with proxy software is often known as proxy servers. In this article, we will focus on proxy servers that are typically defined as software, and in the context of web servers. You will get a breakdown of the two major kinds of proxy servers: the forward proxy as well as a reverse proxy. Each type has a different usage scenario, which is often misunderstood due to the similar naming convention.




This article will give you an understanding of different types of proxy and what their subtypes, and their importance in the common configurations. Through this post, you'll be able to understand how to recognize the situations that a good proxy could be useful, and choose the correct option between forward and reverse proxy based on the situation.



Understanding Forward Proxies



A forward proxy, sometimes called an open proxy acts as an intermediary for clients who are trying to connect via the internet to a source server. In this case every attempt to send requests made by the client will instead be directed straight via the forward proxy. A forward proxy, acting in the place of the client will review the request. First, it will decide if the client's allowed access to requests made by this specific forward proxy. It will then reject any request, or send it to the original server. The client has no directly access to internet. It is able to access only the web pages that the forward proxy allows its access.




A very popular reasons for forward proxy is to increase privacy and security when surfing the internet. Forward proxy makes use of the internet as a client and in this process, it uses an alternative IP address for the client's original IP address.




Based on the way it was configured, based on the way it's configured forward proxy could provide various features based on the way it's configured, which allows users to:




Stay clear of tracking ads.


Circumvent surveillance.


You can determine restrictions based upon your geographical area.




Forward proxies are also used in systems that offer central security as well as access based on permissions, such as in the workplace. All internet traffic can pass through a forward proxy that is open, administrators can restrict access to only certain clients on the internet that is protected by an common firewall. As opposed to having firewalls for the client layer which can include multiple devices that have different configurations and users it is possible to set up an firewall that is located in the forward proxy layer.




Take note that forward proxy settings need to be manually set up to be used, however reverse proxies will be disregarded by the client. Based on the fact that the IP address of a user is passed to the server from which it originated via the forward proxy, privacy and security can be granted or kept secret.




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




Apache is a well-known open-source web server, that offers forward proxy functions.


Nginx: Another widely used open-source server used for web hosting with forward proxy features.


Squid is an open-source forward proxy that utilizes the HTTP protocol. It's not the complete web server. Read our guide on how to install Squid proxy to connect privately within Ubuntu 20.04.


Dante is a forward proxy that uses the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP to make it better suited for cases like peer-to-peer communication. You may also want to look at how you can create a Dante proxy to allow secure connections within Ubuntu 20.04



Understanding Reverse Proxies



A reverse proxy acts as the web server that handles incoming requests from customers on behalf of. The web server may represent a single or a number of servers. It may also be an application server such as Gunicorn. In all of these scenarios, the request for an application is received by a user on the internet. The majority of the time the request will be sent directly to the server with the resources the client is requesting. In contrast, a reverse proxy functions as an intermediary that isolates your web server from contact with the open internet.




From the viewpoint of the individual client's point of view reverse proxy is a process that reverse proxy is similar to communicating with Web server in direct communication. It's the same process however the client can't discern the difference. Client requests a resource, which is followed by receiving it with no additional configuration needed for the end-user.




Reverse proxy providers offer functions like:




A central layer of security that protects the server.


The direction of traffic coming in is based upon rules that you can decide to define.


New functionality added for caching.




While central security can be a benefit of both forward and reverse proxy, reverse proxy adds this function to the web server layer but not the client layer. Instead of focusing on the upkeep of firewalls on the layer of web servers which could contain multiple servers and different configurations, the majority of the firewall security is aimed at the reverse proxy layer. Additionally, removing the responsibility of communicating with firewalls as well as communicating with requests from clients far from web servers permits them to concentrate on delivering the requirements of their customers.




If there are multiple servers running through reverse proxy, the reverse proxy also is responsible for directing what requests are routed through which server. There could be multiple web servers that provide identical content, but offering different kinds of services or a mixture of both. They could be running the HTTP protocol that is a standard web server, but can contain other protocols for applications servers such as FastCGI. It is also possible to set up reverse proxy settings to direct users to a specific server based on the requested resource, or to follow specific guidelines on the volume of traffic.




Reverse proxies benefit from their placement over web servers, by providing the capability to store information. The large static files can be set up with caching policies to avoid hitting web servers on every request. Certain applications allow users to directly serve static assets without having to contact the web server in any way. In addition the reverse proxy is able to help compress these assets.




The popular Nginx web server can also function as a well-known reverse proxy solution. Although there is similar functionality within the Apache web server does have reverse proxy functions as an added feature that is available for Apache whereas Nginx was originally designed for and is focused on the reverse proxy feature.



Differentiating Forward Proxy from Reverse Proxy Usage Situations



Since "forward" along with "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 forward and reverse proxy is to research the specifications of the application that you're building.




Reverse proxy is useful when designing a solution to serve applications that are via 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 own usage, or even in a business setting. They represent the traffic of your clients in any interactions via the internet.




The use case-based differentiation instead of focusing on common naming conventions can aid in avoidance of confusion.



Conclusion



The article clarified the meaning of aproxy is with the two main kinds of proxy: the forward proxy and the reverse proxy. Practical applications and a discussion of the benefits were used to identify forward proxies and reverse proxy. If you're looking to know more about how proxies are implemented, you can check out our tutorial on how to set up Nginx as reverse and web server proxy on Apache on an Ubuntu 20.04 Server.



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