It's also known as proxy or proxy server. proxy or proxy server. is a server-related software which acts as an intermediary between the server and the client via the internet. In the absence of an intermediary a user could send a request or resource to the server directly, and the server would then serve any requested resources directly to customer. Although this is a simple process to comprehend and implement with proxy servers, it does offer advantages such as more performance, privacy, security, and much more. As a pass-through layer the proxy functions as a security protector of the internet between the servers and clients.




In general, the mix of the server hardware and software to install proxy servers is commonly referred to by the name proxy servers. In this article, we will focus on proxies typically understood as software, as well as the ones used together with web servers. You will get a breakdown of the two major types of proxies, a forward proxy and a reverse proxy. reverse proxy. Each type has its own usage scenario, which is often misunderstood because of the naming conventions that are similar.




This article will give you an understanding of what proxies and their subtypes are as well as how they can be used in typical configurations. Through this article, you will be able to identify the scenarios in which an effective proxy can be advantageous, and then choose the correct solution in between forward and reverse proxy to suit your needs in any given situation.



Understanding Forward Proxies



In other words forward proxy, or an open proxy is the representative of a client which is attempting to send a request via the internet to an origin server. In this scenario the entire request to send it by the client will be made by the forward-proxy. In this scenario, an agent acting on behalf of the forward proxy in the in the place of the customer will look over the request. First, it will establish which client has the authority to send requests via this particular forward proxy. It will then reject this request and send it back to the server that originally sent it. The client is not able to establish a direct connection to the internet; it can only reach what forward proxy grants its access.




The most popular applications for forward proxy servers is to provide greater privacy or security on the internet. A forward proxy is able to connect to the internet place of a client and in that process it can use an alternative IP address that is different from the original IP address of the client.




Depending on how they were set up in the past forward proxy servers are able to offer a range of services and permit you to:




Beware of ad-tracker.


Circumvent surveillance.


You can identify limitations based on your location.




Forward proxies are also used to secure systems that are centralized and permission based access for instance, in a workplace. If all internet traffic flows through a common forward proxy layer an administrator is able to restrict access to certain users to the internet, which is filtered by an common firewall. Instead of having firewalls installed to protect the client layer which may comprise a variety of machines that have different user and environment, a firewall can be placed at an forward proxy layer.




Be aware that forward proxies must be manually set up in order to be used but reverse proxies are ignored to the user. Based on whether the IP address of a client is transmitted to the origin server through this forward proxy, security and security can be granted, or not noticed.




There are several possibilities to look into to find forward-looking proxy services:




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


Nginx: Another popular open-source server used for web hosting with forward proxy capabilities.


Squid is an open source forward proxy that uses the HTTP protocol. This does not include an entire web server. There is a video tutorial on how to configure Squid proxy for private connection on Ubuntu 20.04.


Dante Forward Proxy that utilizes the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP, making it more suited to cases like peer-to-peer connections. You can also explore how you can set up Dante proxy for private connections on Ubuntu 20.04



Understanding Reverse Proxies



Reverse proxy is an agent of a web server, handling any requests that are received by clients on its behalf. The web server could comprise one server or even multiple servers. It may also act as an application server, such as Gunicorn. In any of these situations, the request may come from a user via the internet at large. In the majority of cases it will be routed direct to the website hosting the services the customer needs. Reverse proxy is an intermediary, which separates Web servers from direct communication with the internet.




From a client's perspective that is from a user's point of view, interfacing with reverse proxy isn't different from connecting to your webserver directly. It's the same thing, however clients can't discern the distinction. The client requests an item, and it is delivered without any additional configuration needed to be done by the client.




Reverse proxy proxy servers can offer some features, including:




A central layer of security that guards the server.


Controlling traffic that is inbound on rules that you set up.


A new feature for caching has been added.




Central security is a benefit of both reverse and forward proxy service, reverse proxy providers provide this service to this web server layer, not that layer of the internet server, which is called client. In lieu of the maintenance of firewalls in the web server layer which may include multiple servers with various configurations, a majority of firewall security is focused on this layer. Furthermore, removing the obligation to interface with firewalls as well as responding to the requests of clients from web servers allows them to concentrate solely on meeting the requirements of their clients.




If there are several servers running through a reverse proxy, the reverse proxy also takes care of the method of routing requests to which server. A number of web servers could be providing the same content but they may offer different kinds of content, or a mixture of the two. These servers could use the HTTP protocol like a traditional web server, however, they might also use applications server protocols like FastCGI. It is also possible to set up reverse proxy servers to redirect clients to specific servers in accordance with the service requested or to adhere to specific rules regarding traffic load.




Reverse proxies also can benefit from their positioning before web servers, by offering caching capabilities. Large static files can be set using caching rules to prevent the server from getting hit every time a request is made, with certain solutions providing the option of providing static files directly without touching the server in any way. Additionally, the reverse proxy could handle the compressing these assets.




The well-known Nginx web server is a well-known reverse proxy solution. However, Apache is also a reverse proxy solution, the Apache web server is equipped with a reverse proxy function as an added option. Apache and is in contrast to Nginx was designed initially for and was designed specifically for reverse proxy functions.



Differentiating Forward Proxy and reverse Proxy Use Cases



Because "forward" in addition to "reverse" are ascribed to the notion of directionality and a false comparison with "incoming" and "outgoing" traffic. These labels can be confusing since both types of proxies manage both responses and requests. A better approach to differentiate between forward and reverse proxy services is to think about the needs of the app that you are developing.




Reverse proxy can be useful in designing solutions that provide web-based applications on the internet. They are your web servers throughout all interactions on the web.




A forward proxy is helpful when placed in front of client traffic for personal use or for work. They are a representation of your traffic every time you connect to the internet.




The use case distinction instead of focusing on the common naming conventions will help in avoiding confusion.



Conclusion



This article explains what a proxy is with the two main types, namely the forward proxy and reverse proxy. Practical application scenarios as well as an analysis of useful characteristics were used to establish forward proxies and reverse proxy. If you're interested in knowing more about how to implement proxies you can check out our tutorial on how to configure Nginx as a reverse and web server proxy using Apache running on the Ubuntu 20.04 server.



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