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The word "proxy" is a reference to a proxy also referred to a proxy server a server software which serves in the role of an intermediary client and server on the internet. Without proxy servers, users can send a request directly to a server, and the server would then provide the resource directly back at the requester's expense. While this approach is straightforward to comprehend and utilize, adding proxies offers advantages such as enhanced performance, privacy, security, and many more. As an additional pass-through layer the proxy serves as a security guardian of the internet between servers and clients.

In general, the system of server hardware with the installed proxy software is sometimes referred to as a proxy server. This article will focus on proxies typically considered to be software, and specifically with regard with web server. The article will provide a description of the two main types, namely one being a forward proxy and the other a reverse proxy. reverse proxy. Each type has a distinct use case, often confused due to the overlapping terminology.

This article will provide the knowledge of the types of proxy and which subtypes they belong to and how they work with a range of configurations. Through this article, you'll learn to identify situations in which a proxy is beneficial, and choose the correct solution between forward proxy and reverse proxy for any situation.

Understanding Forward Proxies

A forward proxy, often referred to an open proxy is a means of intermediary for clients trying to send a request over the internet to an source server. In this situation the entire process of sending requests made by the user is instead sent through the forward proxy. This forward proxy acting as a substitute of the client, will look at the request. In the beginning, it will determine if the client can accept requests through this specific forward proxy. It will then deny requests or redirect them to the server that originated it. The client isn't allowed an internet connection directly. It can access only what the forward proxy permits for it access to.

The most common reason for using forward proxies is to gain more privacy or security on the internet. Forward proxy is able to access the internet using the user, and in that process it could use a different IP address in addition to the client's initial IP address.

Depending on how it has been configured in accordance with the configuration forward proxy may offer a wide range of options and allow you to:

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  Beware of tracking ads.
  
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
  
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  Find restrictions based on the geolocation of your home.
  
  

Forward proxies are also employed in systems of centralized security and permission-based access like in workplaces. When all internet traffic passes through a forward proxy open layer, an administrator can grant access only to a select group of individuals to access the web, which is filtered by an common firewall. Instead of establishing firewalls for the client layer which can be used by several computers that have different configurations, users and environment, the firewall may be set up at the proxy layer.

It is important to remember that forward proxies must be configured manually and reverse proxies could be ignored by the client. Based on the type of the IP address that a user is transmitted to the server from where it came from by the forward proxy, privacy and anonymity can be granted or denied.

There are several possibilities to look into for forward proxy possibilities:

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  Apache A popular open-source, well-known web server that provides forward proxy features.
  
  
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  Nginx: Another well-known open source server for hosting websites with forward proxy features.
  
  
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  Squid: An open-source forward proxy using the HTTP protocol. It's not the full webserver system. It is possible to refer to our step-by-step instructions to install Squid proxy to enable private connections on Ubuntu 20.04.
  
  
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  Dante Forward Proxy which uses the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP which allows it to be more appropriate for situations like peer-topeer traffic. It is also possible to learn how to configure an Dante proxy for private connections in Ubuntu 20.04
  
  

Understanding Reverse Proxies

A reverse proxy functions as an intermediary for a web server that handles the incoming requests of customers on its behalf. The web server could function as a single server or multiple servers. It could also serve as an application server such as Gunicorn. In any event the request will be made from the Internet at large. In most cases the request would go directly to the server and include the information the user wants. However, reverse proxy serves as an intermediary securing the web server from direct contact with the internet's open.

From a consumer's point of perspective, the experience of working with reverse proxy isn't a lot different from working with the server on its own. It's exactly the same thing, however the client isn't able to tell the distinction. The client is able to make a request for the resource and it is then provided with it, with no further configuration needed on the part of the client.

Reverse proxy providers provide options like:

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  Security centralized for web servers.
  
  
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  Incoming traffic is directed according to the rules you establish.
  
  
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  The caching feature was added to the application.
  
  

While centralized security can be a benefit of both reverse and forward proxy services, reverse proxy providers this service for the Web server layer but not the client layer. instead of the maintenance of firewalls on Web server layers that could contain multiple servers with various configurations, the majority of the firewall security is focused at reverse proxy layers. In addition, removing the responsibility of working with firewalls and responding to requests from clients outside of web servers permits them to focus on delivering the needs of their customers.

If there are multiple servers operating in a reverse proxy, the reverse proxy is responsible for directing the flow of requests to each server. There could be multiple web servers offering the identical service, but each providing various kinds of resources or a combination of both. These servers can be using the HTTP protocol to function as a traditional web server. However, they could include other protocols for application servers like FastCGI. You can set up a reverse proxy to direct visitors to specific server depending on the service being requested or to adhere to specific rules for traffic load.

Reverse proxies can also be able to benefit from their positioning before web servers, by offering the capability to store data. The large static files can be managed with caching rules to ensure that they prevent Web servers from getting hit on every request. Certain solutions allow you to provide static files directly and without having to connect with the server. Furthermore, the reverse proxy could handle the compression of these files.

The popular Nginx web server also serves as an effective reverse proxy option. While you can use it, Apache web server has reverse proxy features as an alternative option to Apache however Nginx was designed originally for and is specifically focused on reverse proxy features.

The distinction between the use of reverse and forward proxy Cases

Because "forward" or "reverse" have connotations of directionality, and false comparisons to "incoming" and "outgoing" traffic, the labels could be confusing as both kinds of proxy are capable of handling both requests and responses. A different method of distinguishing between forward and reverse proxy is to study the requirements of the app that you are creating.

A reverse proxy is useful when building an infrastructure to support web-based applications via the internet. They are your web servers in all interactions via the internet.

Forward proxy can be useful when it is placed in front of customers for personal use, or in an organization. They are a representation of the customer's data when you interact with them on the internet.

Differentiating by case of use instead of focusing solely on standard names can help in avoiding confusion.

Conclusion

The article explained the meaning of a proxy that has two types: forward proxy and reverse proxy. Practical use cases and an analysis of beneficial characteristics were used to determine the two types of proxies: forward and reverse. If you're keen to know more about the advantages of proxies, we recommend that you go through our guide on how to install Nginx for use as a web server and reverse proxy in Apache using an Ubuntu 20.04 Server.