proxy, also known as proxy, also referred to as proxy or proxy server, is a server software that sits acting as an intermediary between a client and server via the internet. Without an intermediary, users would send a request for something straight to the server and servers would then serve the requested resource directly back to the user. Although this method is easy to comprehend and implement, proxies can provide benefits such as improved performance, privacy, security, and much more. A pass-through layer proxy is a gatekeeper for the internet between servers and users.




In general, the bundled bundle of server hardware that includes proxy software is often called proxy servers. However, this article will concentrate on proxy servers which are generally referred to as software, as well as those that are used to complement web servers. This article will give a synopsis of the two types of proxy servers, which are a forward proxy and a reverse proxy. Each type has its own unique use case, and is often misunderstood because of the same terms.




This article will give you an understanding of types of proxy services and what their subtypes are, as well as how they are useful in the common configurations. Through this article, will be able to recognize the situations in which you can benefit from proxy services and decide on the best option in between reverse and forward proxy for any particular situation.



Understanding Forward Proxies



A forward proxy, often called the open proxy is an agent of users who want to send a request through the internet to the server which originated it. In this case, it's the scenario that all requests sent by the client should be sent straight at the forward proxy. This forward proxy in position of the customer, will review the request. At the beginning, it will decide whether this client is able to handle requests through this specific forward proxy. It then decides whether to reject requests or redirect it to the server that originated it. The client doesn't have a direct connection to the internet but it is able to access the information that the forward proxy allows it access to.




The most popular reason to utilize forward proxy servers is to gain greater security or privacy on the internet. Forward proxy allows you to access the internet instead of clients. In the process, it will use an alternative IP address to the original IP address utilized by the client.




Based on the way it has been configured according to the way it was initially configured forward proxy may grant you various features and the capability to:




Avoid tracking ads.


Circumvent surveillance.


You can identify limitations based on your geographical place of residence.




Forward proxies are also employed in systems that offer central security as well as permission-based access, like at a workplace. In the event that all traffic on the internet is routed by an open forward proxy, an administrator is able to grant access only to specific people to connect on the internet, which is filtered by a common firewall. Instead of putting firewalls in place for the client layer, which could comprise a variety of machines that have different user and environment A firewall can be installed in the front proxy layer.




Remember that forward proxies have to be set up manually before they can be used for use in a reverse proxy, whereas forward proxies are able to not be noticed by the user. Depending on whether an IP address for a user is passed to the server that generated it by the forward proxy privacy and anonymity may be granted or left transparent.




There are many options to take into consideration for forward proxies:




Apache A well-known, open-source web server offering forward proxy capabilities.


Nginx: Another well-known open source server for hosting websites with forward proxy capability.


Squid: A free forward proxy that utilizes the HTTP protocol. It's not a complete web server service. Check out our guide on how to configure Squid proxy so that it allows private connections within Ubuntu 20.04.


Dante Forward proxy that uses the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP to allow it to be more suited to use scenarios like peer-to-peer communication. It is also possible to examine how you can configure Dante proxy to allow private connections using Ubuntu 20.04



Understanding Reverse Proxies



Reverse proxy is an agent for a web server, which handles incoming requests from clients on its behalf. The web server could represent one server or several servers. It could also serve as an application server like Gunicorn. In all these instances, an application request comes by a user of the internet. In most cases the request will be sent directly to the server that hosts the information the user is looking for. In contrast, a reverse proxy functions as an intermediary that helps to protect Web servers from direct interactions with the open internet.




From the point of view of the user that is a person's perspective, working via reverse proxy is anything different than working with a Web server in direct contact. It works the same as the web server, and the client cannot tell the distinction. Clients can request the resource, and is then provided with it without any additional configuration required by the user.




Reverse proxy proxies provide the following features:




Centrally secured to protect Web Server Layer.


Directing incoming traffic according to rules you have set.


The caching functionality was added to the application.




Although centralized security is a benefit of both forward and reverse proxy, reverse proxies provide this feature to only the layer of web servers and not to the client layer. In lieu of maintaining firewalls at the layer of web servers which may contain multiple servers that are configured differently The majority of the firewall security is aimed at the reverse proxy layer. Furthermore, the detachment of the responsibility of interfacing with a firewall and communicating with requests from clients from web servers enables them to concentrate on satisfying the requirements of their clients.




If there are multiple servers running through a reverse proxy, the reverse proxy could be also responsible for directing the requests that are directed to which server. There could be multiple web servers hosting similar resources each of them offering a different kind of resources or a combination of the two. These servers may be running the HTTP protocol to operate as a standard internet server, but they also include applications server protocols like FastCGI. There is the possibility to set up reverse proxy servers redirecting visitors to a particular server according to the type of resource they're looking for, or to adhere to specific rules for traffic load.




Reverse proxies also can make use of their positioning before web servers through the capability of caching. Large static assets can be capable of being configured with rules for caching to avoid the web server from being hit on every request. There are solutions that provide the option of providing static files directly without connecting directly to the website server. In addition, reverse proxy is able to manage compressing these assets.




The well-known Nginx website server also a very well-known reverse proxy choice. While Apache is also a reverse proxy option, the Apache web server also comes equipped with reverse proxy feature, which is an additional option in Apache however Nginx was initially designed and focused on the reverse proxy feature.



The distinction between Forward Proxy and Reverse Proxy Use Examples



Since "forward" and "reverse" have connotations of directionality, they also create misleading comparisons with "incoming" as well as "outgoing" traffic, they can cause confusion since both kinds of proxies are able to respond to requests as well as responses. In addition, the most effective method to differentiate between the forward and reverse proxies would be to examine the requirements of the app you're creating.




Reverse proxy is useful when designing a solution to deliver web applications to the internet. They act as your servers when you are on the internet.




Forward proxy is helpful when put in front of the client for your private use, or even in a working environment. They act as your client's proxy every time you connect to the internet.




Differentiating by case of use rather than focusing solely on similar names will ensure that you don't get confused.



Conclusion



This article defined what a proxy is along with two types, namely the forward proxy as well as the reverse proxy. Practical applications and an exploration of useful features were utilized to differentiate between forward and reverse proxy. If you're interested in knowing more about the use of proxies, you should go through our guide on how to set up Nginx as an internet server and reverse proxy in Apache on an Ubuntu 20.04 server.



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