An proxy is also referred to by the name of a proxy, is a program that acts to act as an intermediary for client and server via the internet. In the absence of a proxy server, a customer would be able to send a request to every resource straight to server and servers would serve any requested resources directly to the client. This is a simple method to understand and use, however using proxy servers may provide benefits such as more performance, privacy and security, etc. As an additional layer of protection, proxies act as a gatekeeper for the internet between servers and clients.




There is a general consensus that the system of hardware for servers, paired with proxy software is often referred as proxy servers. However, this article will focus on proxy servers that are typically categorized as software, and specifically with respect to web servers. This article will provide a brief overview of the two main kinds of proxy that are a forward proxy and a reverse proxy. Each type has a different use, which could be confusing due to the identical namestamp.




This article will give you an idea of types of proxies, their subtypes, and what they can do for the most common setups. Through this article you'll be able know the scenarios where you could benefit by a proxy and decide on the appropriate choice between reverse proxy and forward proxy in any given situation.



Understanding Forward Proxies



Forward proxy, also known as an open proxy serves as an agent for users who wish to send a request via the internet to a source server. In this instance, any request made by the client will be handled by an forward proxy. A forward proxy that is in position of the customer will review the request. It first decides if the client is legally authorized to accept requests from this specific forward proxy. Then, it can either reject the request or forward it to the source server. The client is not capable of having directly access to internet; it can only be able to access the information that the forward proxy allows the access.




One of the most frequent reasons for forward proxy is greater privacy or security on internet. A forward proxy is able to access the internet instead of a client's individual account, and in the process, it can use another IP address in comparison to the IP address used by the user.




Depending on how it's set up, and how it's set up forward proxy can provide many features and allow you to:




Beware of tracking ads.


Circumvent surveillance.


Find restrictions based on the your location.




Forward proxies are also employed in systems that provide central security and permission based access, such as at a workplace. If all internet traffic passes through a common forward proxy layer administrator can permit only certain users access to the internet. This is controlled by a standard firewall. Instead of keeping firewalls on the client layer that could comprise a variety of machines with various settings and types of users, the firewall can be placed on the proxy layer that is in front.




Keep in mind that forward proxy servers must be manually configured for use while reverse proxies could be not recognized from the clients. Based on the type of IP address of a client is sent to the server that generated it through the forward proxy, security and privacy can be granted or made more transparent.




There are many options to take into consideration when deciding on forward proxy options:




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


Nginx is another well-known open-source webserver which has forward proxy capabilities.


Squid is an open source forward proxy that utilizes an HTTP protocol. It does not contain the entire web server. We recommend you read our guide on the best way to set up Squid proxy to enable private connections in Ubuntu 20.04.


Dante is an forward proxy that utilizes the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP which makes it more suitable for scenarios like peer-to-peer communication. You can also check out how to set up an Dante proxy to allow connection to private networks in Ubuntu 20.04



Understanding Reverse Proxies



Reverse proxy is the web server that handles requests from customers on its behalf. It can be used as a single server or as a series of servers. It could also contain an application server like Gunicorn. In any of these situations the request will be made via the web at large. Most of the time, the request is sent directly to the web server with all the resources the client in need of. A reverse proxy functions as an intermediary, segregating your website server from communicating with the internet's public.




From a consumer's point viewpoint from the perspective of a client, using reverse proxy is not different from connecting to an internet server direct. It's functionally the same but the client isn't able to discern the distinction. The client requests the resource, and it is then granted access, with no additional configuration required by the client.




Reverse proxy providers offer various features, including:




A centralized layer of security that protects the server.


Directing incoming traffic using rules that you can set up.


A new feature to cache has been added.




Central security is an advantage of both forward and reverse proxy services, reverse proxy providers provide this feature to the server layer and only the layer that clients use. instead of the maintenance of firewalls at the server level which could include multiple servers and various configurations, the majority of firewall security can be concentrated on the reverse proxy layer. Furthermore, taking the responsibility of dealing with firewalls as well as interacting with requests from clients not connected to web servers permits them to concentrate solely on delivering the needs of their customers.




In the event of multiple servers being hosted through reverse proxy, the reverse proxy also is responsible for routing requests to which servers. Multiple web servers could be operating on the same server, or serving different types of resources or a mix of the two. They can utilize the HTTP protocol for functioning as a standard web server, however they may also include applications server protocols like FastCGI. You can set up reverse proxy servers to direct clients to particular servers based on the requested resource, or to follow certain guidelines for traffic load.




Reverse proxies may also benefit from their positioning before web servers by offering caching capabilities. Large static files can be set by caching rules to avoid reaching web servers every request. There are solutions that offer the option of serving static content directly, without having to interact with the webserver at all. Additionally, reverse proxy can manage compressing these files.




The renowned Nginx web server has become a very popular reverse proxy choice. Although the Apache web server is able to use the ability to reverse proxy as an added feature available to Apache however Nginx was designed originally to and focuses on the reverse proxy function.



Differentiating Forward Proxy and Reverse Proxy Use Examples



Since "forward" and "reverse" are associated with an impression of directionality and misleading comparisons with "incoming" as well as "outgoing" traffic and could be confusing because both kinds of proxies process requests and respond. Instead, a better way to differentiate between reverse and forward proxy servers would be to analyze the needs of the application you're creating.




Reverse proxy is a crucial element in the creation of a solution to serve websites on the internet. They serve as servers during any interaction through the Internet.




Forward proxy can be helpful in displaying customer information for your own use, or for use in a working environment. They are a way to display the information of your client when you connect to the internet.




A distinction based on usage case instead of focusing solely on naming conventions that are similar will help avoid confusion.



Conclusion



In this article, we clarified the definition of a proxy. There are two types, the reverse and forward proxy. Practical applications and an exploration of the beneficial attributes were utilized to determine forward proxies as well as reverse proxy. If you're interested in exploring the benefits in proxy server, you can follow our tutorial on how to set up Nginx as web service and reverse proxy in Apache using Ubuntu 20.04 Server. Ubuntu 20.04 Server.



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